Television Reviews : Nureyev’s ‘Cinderella’ to Be Presented on KCET

Set in the Hollywood movie world somewhere between the 1920s and 1950s, Rudolf Nureyev’s Paris Opera Ballet “Cinderella” has never made sense as narrative, choreography or Jungian footnote to a classic fairy tale.

But at least audiences that saw Nureyev’s ballet in a theater (at the Orange County Performing Arts Center this June, for example) had the benefit of a printed synopsis explaining all the eccentric, arbitrary production concepts.

Indeed, Nureyev’s random and desperately whimsical innovations may give his “Cinderella” the distinction of being the first ballet to need supertitles, but, alas, the PBS “Great Performances” version-- tonight at 8 on Channel 28--pretends that the incoherent choreography can speak for itself.

We’re never warned, for instance, that the “Four Seasons” divertissement in Act I is supposed to be a fashion show: The dancers simply burst into the action like invaders from another ballet.

Moreover, director Colin Nears keeps his cameras so far back that it’s often hard to recognize some of the principals (including Nureyev himself) when they turn up in different guises throughout the long evening (even longer with KCET “pledge breaks” to endure).

Available on home video in other countries, this studio-taped, 1987 performance features new transitions between scenes and, in the last act, a sepia, slow-motion dream sequence that helps strengthen the love story. Otherwise, the cameras roam restlessly over Petrika Ionesco’s imposing settings and the throngs of hard-working Paris Opera Ballet dancers. But there’s seldom a sense that Nears knows this ballet well or sees it clearly.

More than the plot, the focus of this “Cinderella” is on flashy acts of imposture: long-limbed Sylvie Guillem (Cinderella) imitating Charlie Chaplin. Or a spirited Nureyev (the film producer) mimicking Groucho Marx. Or the antic Georges Piletta (the Stepmother) in a Margaret Dumont impersonation. Or the remote Charles Jude (the film star) doing his best to play, um, Charles Jude. . . .

Of course, the greatest imposture of all is Nureyev in the role of choreographer: Few people in ballet burden their dancers with so many steps that just don’t fit, so many notions that just won’t play. His “Cinderella” is an object lesson in high-concept megalomania. See it and learn exactly what a huge budget and a great company can’t overcome.