`Cinderella' fails to charm the punters

The golden couple of British ballet, Sarah Wildor and Adam Cooper, have been told that the ballet Cinderella in which they are starring is to close because of falling ticket sales.

The two, who met when they were both at the Royal Ballet and later became a couple, took the lead roles in a West End stage version of the ballet presented by the contemporary dance outfit Adventures In Motion Pictures. The production is set in the Blitz and Prince Charming is a wounded pilot.

While receiving largely good reviews, however, it failed to capture the public's imagination in the way that AMP's previous West End production of Swan Lake did. A recently announced extension of the run has been cancelled and the show will close on 10 January.

Katharine Dore, the producer, said: "Bookings for the end of January were disappointing. It costs pounds 100,000 a week to keep on and that could have involved losing a huge amount of money. We decided to go out on a high rather than maybe grinding to a halt."