ABT’S LAST ‘CINDERELLAS’: HARVEY, YEAGER AND JAFFE

Two “Cinderella” casts offered an object lesson about growth during the final weekend of American Ballet Theatre performances in Shrine Auditorium.

On Friday, Cinderella and the Prince were danced by Cynthia Harvey and Robert La Fosse, each familiar in these roles from last year and each much improved since then--Harvey in the depth and variety of her acting, La Fosse in the flair and polish of his dancing technique. Indeed, this may have been the most successful performance of the season for both.

On Sunday, Cheryl Yeager and Johan Renvall ventured the same roles for only the second time anywhere. Their inexperience in this ballet showed in stiff phrasing by her, rough terminations by him and mutual spacing problems--all in the second (ballroom) act.

Yet their potential for growth seemed even stronger than Harvey’s and La Fosse’s a year ago. Yeager already had great warmth and Renvall enormous elegance, and their final pas de deux achieved an ideal union of technique and feeling.

Leslie Browne danced rather mechanically as the Masked Lady on Friday. On Sunday, Jennet Zerbe danced securely as a baby-faced Fairy Godmother--but, as the green-gowned stepsister, Peter Fonseca got in the, um, spirit of his role overmuch. In both casts, Victor Barbee made a terrific, terminally addled Dancing Master.

Paul Connelly conducted Friday, but on Sunday Jack Everly drew far more smooth and even delicate playing from the ad hoc orchestra.