Metro Choice: Putting the sin in Cinderella

Lindsay Kemp lives in exile in Italy where they understand him better. Every few years or so he comes back to remind us what we are missing and next week his Cinderella opens at Sadler's Wells. Kemp's visits always create a flurry of excitement as the usual suspects debate whether he is a multi-faceted genius of extraordinary range and vision, or not. Reviews of his last extravaganza at Sadler's Wells ranged from "old hat" and "excruciating" to the most persuasive of write-ups urging, even beggin g, thereader to experience this one-man theatrical phenomenon. His collaborations are often inspired and Cinderella boasts music by Carlos Miranda and designs by Yolanda Sonnabend, who designed the costumes for the Royal Ballet's Swan Lake and La Bayade re. Kemp's storybook productions - A Midsummer Night's Dream, Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella - might sound like Islington's answer to the pantomime season but under-16s are reminded that the shows are "unsuitable". Kemp was apparently rather put out at the PG rating but Sadler's Wells's management presumably decided that for every school trip lost they would gain a coach party in search of a bit of sex and violence. "There is blood involved," a Sadler's Wells insider confessed. Cinderella is performed by the extraordinary Nuria Moreno. And Kemp? He plays both her father and her prince.

Lindsay Kemp & Company's `Cinderella' is at Sadler's Wells, Rosebery Ave, EC1 (071-278 8916) from 24 Jan to 4 Feb