You shall go to the ball! Behind the scenes at ENO’s La Cenerentola

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English National Opera opens its 2025-26 season with a new production of Rossini’s sparkling comedy La Cenerentola (Cinderella). With conductor, director, and both leads all making their ENO debuts, the feel is fresh and fun in a production set in a contemporary world but with moments of magic – plus white mice, a pumpkin, a ghost and even a glass slipper, even if Rossini’s version of the story involves matching bracelets.

Behind the scenes during a rehearsal of Rossini’s Cinderella (La Cenerentola). A new production by English National Opera at the Coliseum, London

At the time of its premiere in Rome in 1817, you were not allowed to show bare ankles on stage

Conductor Yi-Chen Lin explains: “At the time of its premiere in Rome in 1817, you were not allowed to show bare ankles on stage.” So, to avoid falling foul of the censors, the glass slipper was swapped for matching bracelets. Nor is there a fairy godmother – instead there’s Alidoro, the Prince’s tutor; while Don Magnifico, Cinderella’s stepfather, is the selfish and neglectful parent who mistreats his stepdaughter. Her late mother is present in the house, as a ghost, as well as children in playful mice costumes who oversee the action and mastermind the scene changes.

“Our production is set in the here and now – more or less. But we’ve created some story strands that allow period things or elements of mystery to come in. And there’s nods to the classic Cinderella story as well as the Disney version,” says director Julia Burbach.

Our Cinderella has more dignity, as well as wit and resilience

And the stepsisters? Here they’re neither ugly nor even particularly wicked. “The way we play it, their dad is not only neglecting Cenerentola but them too,” says Burbach. “The sisters are needy. They want to be seen, to be validated. They are interested in superficial values and their personal taste is a little bit extra, but we can understand why that might have happened!” Cinderella, too, is not quite the passive and fragile heroine of most versions of the tale. “I like how in our production Julia gives her more dignity, as well as wit and resilience,” says Deepa Johnny, who sings Angelina (AKA Cinderella/Cenerentola) . “It’s a fresher take on the character.”

And if you’re looking for men in drag – a feature of most versions of the ballet and every panto take on the fairytale – there’s that too, courtesy of the ENO chorus. “Rossini’s opera features a male-only chorus,” says Burbach. “Essentially what they sing is always about nagging the prince – ‘choose a princess, you’ve got to get married, time is passing, what are you doing?’” she says. “I thought, OK, so who would that be in a contemporary realistic context? We’ve got to find a solution for that. And so rather than having a bunch of men in suits we made them an ancestral line of royalty through the centuries, which makes sense of the text and of course allows us to have fun and bring in some period costumes, with the chorus dressed as kings – and queens – through the ages.”

“I wanted the chorus to be important and have individual roles,” she adds. “The chorus are such a vital part of ENO’s story.”

ENO has endured a turbulent few years with major funding cuts, staff losses and the threat of closure of its London base. This season is a reduced one but features 12 productions and concerts across London and Greater Manchester; this is the first of five brand new productions. The last time ENO performed La Cenerentola was more than 40 years ago. As with all of their productions, this will be sung in English, in a new translation by Christopher Cowell. Many of the singers have sung the opera before in its original Italian: getting their heads – and mouths – around the English, with different vowel sounds and shapes, brings lots of challenges.

You have to sing Rossini with absolute effortlessness, as if it’s just flowing out of you

“The translation is very clever,” says Simon Bailey, who sings Don Magnifico, the stepfather. “There’s lots of bits in the original Italian which are quite boring – and which Chris has improved!” For instance there’s one passage where I tell Cenerentola to go to her room and dust (“Va’ in camera, va’ in camera / La polvere a spazzar”) which is repeated several times. In our English version it’s become “Go fetch a broom and sweep the room / then mop the floor and paint the door / take out the bin and buy some gin / don’t stand there in a trance when I say dance, you dance. You’ve scores of household chores, don’t stand there in a trance.”

It’s the first time Yi-Chen Lin has conducted the work in English – as well as the first time she has worked in the UK. She’s from Vienna and first conducted Rossini in the composer’s birthplace, Pesaro. “I have a particular affinity for Rossini’s music,” she says. “I love its lightness and wit and the magic that happens every time you play his music – even if it’s just an overture in a concert – you will see the musicians and the audience smiling!”

“He is a genius of melodic invention,” she adds. “And there are moments of heart-stopping beauty.” Deepa Johnny loves the joy that “flows through the music”. “Rossini is my bread and butter,” she laughs. “He’s definitely one of the more technically challenging composers to sing – there has to be absolute precision in every single coloratura, you have to sing with complete effortlessness, as if it’s just flowing out of you.”

She finds it easy to connect with the vocalism and gymnastics, she says - “I used to train in Carnatic music, Indian classical singing, which has a lot of very fast-moving notes in ragas. So I feel like my throat is just used to moving very fast!”

Aaron Godfrey-Mayes is the production’s Prince Charming. “It’s hard to live up to that title, but I’m doing my best!” Like Deepa, this is his debut at ENO. “I’m the first classical singer in my family, my brother’s actually a heavy metal musician so we couldn’t be more different! But they’re all delighted. And yes they’ll be coming here to watch me.”

As a director, says Burbach, there’s a dance you have to do, “between the very rigorous, meticulous planning that – you can’t imagine – goes on for months and months, and then in the moment you also need to be very flexible and adaptable, and always readjust and also allow for challenges to be overcome in different ways.

“But this is the joy of live theatre and of being in a room and working with other people.”

“It’s an old story,” says Godfrey-Mayes, “but it’s really one about coming of age and so poignant and relatable.” “This kind of comedy is a wonderful thing,” says Burbach. “It’s a little bit of a satire and it’s a little bit over the top, but at the same time, its kernel is about the sort of problems that everybody has. How to deal with your insecurities, how to be comfortable in your skin. Basically, who am I and who do I want to be?”