Second ‘Cinderella’ Cast Forms a Warm Bond With Audience

The strength of a new work can be proved in a different way when another cast takes over the principal roles. In the case of four changes in Matthew Bourne’s “Cinderella” on Thursday at the Ahmanson Theatre, there was perhaps less glamour and idealized star power than on Wednesday’s opening night, but that made for a more audience-embracing humanism in the end.

Saranne Curtin was an innocent, sweet-natured and imaginative Cinderella. Instead of realizing the independent power shown by her predecessor, Sarah Wildor, the long-limbed and appealing Curtin stayed vulnerable from start to finish, continuously earning affection by reaching out to the other characters. For this reason, her refusal to embrace her lecherous stepbrother as she forgives the rest of her family made a devastating, if understated, impact.

Ewan Wardrop, her wounded pilot-prince, was more affecting in the realistic acts than in the dream sequence, where his partnering was conscientious but effortful and his emotional projection low. But he established a credible connection with Cinderella in Act 1 that grew increasingly intense in his search for her and which sounded a great cadence when he finally found her.

Arthur Pita as the guardian angel didn’t dominate the stage with the otherworldly force of his predecessor, Will Kemp. Nor did he move with Kemp’s amazing fluidity, clarity and crisp termination. But Pita had fine elevation and showed warmth in the role, and the character’s appearance as a doctor in the convalescent home seemed more reasonable and natural.

Emily Piercy as the Stepmother also seemed less an incarnation of an absolute--in this case evil--than had Isabel Mortimer on opening night. Still, Piercy was bad enough, while showing a zest for life that suggested the character’s behavior might partly be driven by frustration with her husband’s disabled state.

In sum, this human cast made the final railway station scene--where many couples are torn apart or brought together during the course of a war bigger than any individual--even more universal and heartbreaking.

Members of the two casts will alternate and often mix in different lineups throughout the eight-week run.

* Matthew Bourne’s “Cinderella,” runs through May 23 at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave. Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sundays and May 6, 13 and 20, 2 p.m. $22.50-$65. (213) 628-2772.