Iggy Fenech speaks to Claire Debono, who will be taking on the part of Cendrillon in the Manoel Theatre’s staging of the Nicolas Isouard classic.

Claire Debono. Photo: J.F. Mariotti

Few stories have been told and retold as often as the age-old tale of Cinderella: With its triumph of good over evil and its celebration of justice, it is a story that has made many children over the generations punch the air in satisfaction.

The fairy tale, however, has many variants. In the Disney classic, talking animals accompany the heroine in the gripping series of events; meanwhile, in the 1998 movie Ever After, Cinderella (played by Drew Barrymore) is aided by none other than Leonardo Da Vinci to get to the infamous ball.

The one being staged at the Manoel Theatre on Thursday and Saturday, however, has a much bigger connection to Malta. The French opera Cendrillon, which premiered in Paris on February 22, 1810, is by Maltese-born Nicolas Isouard, who went on to have a stellar, international career.

“Cendrillon takes the form of an opéra comique, with spoken dialogue between the musical numbers,” explains soprano Claire Debono, who will be returning to Malta especially for the piece.

“It was a success throughout Europe, until its popularity was eclipsed by that of Rossini’s opera on the Cinderella theme, La Cenerentola, which premiered in 1817. In my opinion, however, Isouard’s opera’s best attributes are its simplicity, its enchanting melodies and its humour… My five-year-old daughter, in fact, simply loves it and sings along with almost all of the music.”

Isouard’s version – which has a libretto by Charles Guillaume Etienne based on Charles Perrault’s version of the tale – differs greatly from the story many of us would know: The stepmother is actually a stepfather; the Fairy Godmother is the Prince’s minister who is disguised as a beggar for parts of the opera.

My five-year-old daughter loves it and sings along with almost all of the music

In the story, the Prince meets Cendrillon at her own house while dressed as his valet, and it is at this point that he learns the true nature of her stepsisters. Cendrillon’s kindness to him and his minister – even though she assumes that they have little to offer as beggar and valet – is what wins her the love of the crown prince.

“Cendrillon is good, kind and honest,” Claire continues. “I really wish life (or the afterlife) could reward such people as it rewards Cendrillon in the opera. I was brought up to believe so by my lovely parents but, as I’ve grown older, I have become more and more cynical. I see too many people thriving as a result of lies, greed and corruption, and I do not know what to believe in any longer. In fact, I sometimes shed a tear or two when I think of this and listen to one of the best melodies in the opera, Simplicité, constance, sont gravés dans mon coeur (‘Simplicity, constancy, are engraved in my heart’).

What is fascinating about Isouard’s Cendrillon is its history. It premiered while Napoleon was at the height of his power, some five years before the Battle of Waterloo. Europe was undergoing a ‘golden age’ of conquest around the globe, with many empires believing themselves to be the most superior. Within this atmosphere, the French comic opera became popular, and with it, Isouard experienced a continent-wide success.

Following Rossini’s takeover, however, it would take almost 200 years before an Australian conductor by the name of Richard Bonynge rediscovered it and presented it in Moscow with a live recording.

Its popularity now is once again renewed, and it is only fitting that it is brought to Malta – a partial spiritual home for the masterpiece. And it is also fitting that Claire, whose home is now Paris, will be taking on the lead role, and joining the international cast, director Jean-Philippe Desrous­seaux and conductor Takénori Némoto, who will be bringing it to life in a 1960s setting.

With an age rating of six and over, Cendrillon will definitely have the whole family reliving the action of this timeless tale, while giving a nod to a Maltese-born composer whose classic was almost lost to history.

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