Matthew Bourne's Cinderella

Matthew Bourne's Cinderella comes to the Donald Gordon Theatre at the Wales Millennium Centre from 16 to 20 March 2027. It's a run of five days, with evening performances at 7.30pm Tuesday through Saturday and matinees at 2.30pm on Thursday and Saturday. The show runs for about two and a half hours, including two intervals.

This isn't the Cinderella you remember from childhood. Bourne moves the story to London in 1940, reimagining the fairy tale as a wartime romance between Cinderella and a young RAF pilot. They're brought together by a chance meeting, then torn apart by the Blitz, so the whole thing sits against the backdrop of the Second World War rather than a royal palace. This run is also a 30th anniversary celebration of the production, so it's a bit of a milestone for the piece.

Behind the scenes, the production brings together a few big names. The sets and costumes are by Olivier Award-winning designer Lez Brotherston, with lighting by Neil Austin, video and projection designs by Duncan McLean, and sound design by Paul Groothuis. The whole thing is set to Prokofiev's score, so the music stays true to the original ballet even as the setting shifts to the Blitz.

There's one specific performance to keep in mind if you're planning your visit: the 2.30pm show on Saturday 20 March is audio-described, and it comes with a Touch Tour that starts at 1pm. As for who can come, the age guidance is 8+, with no under-2s, and anyone under 16 has to be seated with an adult aged 18 or over. With the matinees on Thursday and Saturday, there's a choice of evening or afternoon across the five days.