Season 12 of Great Performances at the Met concludes Sunday, September 9 at 12 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) with Cendrillon, Massenet’s operatic take on the classic fairy tale Cinderella, starring Joyce DiDonato as the titular heroine and Alice Coote as Prince Charming, alongside Kathleen Kim as the Fairy Godmother and Stephanie Blythe as Madame de la Haltière.
Laurent Pelly’s imaginative production takes place in a storybook kingdom, where Cendrillon is forbidden to attend the ball at the palace by her wicked step-mother, Madame de la Haltière. After her family’s departure, Cendrillon’s Fairy Godmother appears and gifts her with a coach, a gown and glass slippers that will hide her true identity. There is one condition: Cendrillon must depart the festivities before midnight. At the ball, an unhappy Prince Charming’s mood suddenly changes when Cendrillon arrives, and the two immediately fall in love. As midnight approaches, Cendrillon hurries away, leaving behind one glass slipper. As Madame de la Haltière and her daughters complain about the mysterious beauty from the ball, Cendrillon escapes to the forest where she find’s Prince Charming. After revealing her true identity to the prince, the two fall into an enchanted sleep in the woods. Awakening at home, Cendrillon begins to believe it was all a dream, until a herald announces that the prince is hosting women from all over the kingdom to try on the glass slipper left behind at the ball. Upon her arrival, Prince Charming immediately recognizes Cendrillon and the two declare their love as the kingdom hails Cendrillon as their future queen. Bertrand de Billy conducts. Ailyn Pérez hosts.
Notable Talent:
- Joyce DiDonato – Cendrillon
- Alice Coote – Prince Charming
- Kathleen Kim – Fairy Godmother
- Stephanie Blythe – Madame de la Haltière
- Laurent Naouri – Pandolfe
- Ailyn Pérez – Host
Runtime: 2.5 hours
Production Credits:
- Bertrand de Billy – Conductor
- Laurent Pelly – Production, Costume Designer
- Barbara de Limburg – Set Designer
- Duane Schuler – Lighting Designer
- Laura Scozzi – Choreographer
For the Met, Gary Halvorson directs the telecast. David Frost is music producer. Mia Bongiovanni and Elena Park are supervising producers, and Louisa Briccetti and Victoria Warivonchik are producers. Peter Gelb is executive producer. For Great Performances, Bill O’Donnell is series producer and David Horn is executive producer.
Underwriters:
Corporate support for Great Performances at the Met is provided by Toll Brothers, America’s luxury home builder®. Major funding for the Met Opera presentation is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. This Great Performances presentation is funded by the Irene Diamond Fund, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Arts Fund, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, The Agnes Varis Trust, and public television viewers.
Series Overview:
Great Performances at the Met is a presentation of THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET, bringing the best of the Metropolitan Opera into the homes of classical music fans across the United States.
