ABT’s Wistful Cinderella Meets a Powerful Prince

The eminently watchable Amanda McKerrow--wistful, poignant and possessed of a beautiful line--donned Cinderella’s glass slippers Friday as American Ballet Theatre continued its seven-performance run of the familiar fairy tale, which ended Saturday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa.

And while injuries may have sidelined her Prince, Ethan Stieffel, the majestic--and indefatigable--Maxim Belotserkovsky stepped in to fill his ballet shoes with sublime rigor.

It was an affair to remember: McKerrow, small-boned and lighter than air, seemed to float across the stage, her arms achingly beautiful, as Belotserkovsky partnered her with soulful exuberance. Indeed, unbridled joy suffused their duets, Ben Stevenson’s pedestrian choreography notwithstanding, while the supple McKerrow dazzled with crisp, vibrant turns in her final solo. The ballerina also radiated sweet sorrow in her scenes with her evil stepsisters (again deliciously rendered by Flavio Salazar and Guillaume Graffin).

Herman Cornejo once more sprang to crowd-pleasing, lofty life as the jester, while only one of the seasonal fairies was new. Gillian Murphy danced Autumn with a robust assuredness, as Anne Milewski, Rosalie O’Connor and the lovely Stella Abrera again delivered a bounty of balletic goods in their respective Spring, Summer and Winter solos. Michele Wiles lacked requisite sparkle as Fairy Godmother, while Ethan Brown fared well enough in the limited role of Cinderella’s father.

David LaMarche mined the riches of Prokofiev’s score, conducting the Pacific Symphony with brio, his urgency accentuating mournful horns and ardent strings. In all, a splendid Christmas package.