An enchanting Cinderella / Miguel de Leon's best-seller, A would-be Harry Potter

The well-loved story of Cinderella choreographed to Prokoviev’s music by Jean-Paul Compelin and re-staged by Romilo Jaynario for Philippine Ballet Theatre was dramatically unravelled, and its fairytale quality sustained.

There was the eloquent miming of Anatoly Panasyukov as the cruel step-mother and of Mario Esperanza and Joel Matias as the equally cruel step-sisters — their antics and the awkward pratfalls of the sisters as they danced with their partners tickling the risibilities.

Then, too, there was the persuasive sadness and dejection of Maxine Sy as Cinderella, the victim of endless taunting.

Bianca Trocino, the fairy godmother, dancing with fluid grace and assurance as she shed her disguise as a beggar, infused her performance with remarkable authority.

In the ballroom pas de deux, Maxine Sy danced conveyed airy lightness, emoting with charm while retaining Cinderella’s inherent shyness. The Prince portrayed by Lemuel Capa, though frail in appearance and lacking in height, showed virility and strength, giving Cinderella dependable support. Under ballet/rehearsal master Anatoly Panasyukov, ensemble dancing by those representing Spring, Autumn, Winter and Summer (Saeko Hayashi, Charley Gementiza and Joshua Mendoza) expressed joie de vivre, lending sparkle to the ballet while Cinderella and the Prince took center stage.

Peter San Juan, the brilliant jester, did technical feats — multiple pirouettes, fleet and flamboyant jetés, fishdives, etc. with considerable élan.

Presumably, owing to budgetary constraints, the costumes were not as glittery as expected at a royal ball, except the magisterial finery of Miguel Faustmann who announced the opening of each act and later sat on the king’s throne during the ball.

Action, dramatization, lighting devices — e.g., smoke billowing at the appearance of an unexpected character — and stage direction, against the highly descriptive sets of Faustmann, were woven together into a unified whole, heightened by a spectacular carriage that took Cinderella to the Palace.

“Cinderella”, enchanting and compelling, was worthy of PBT as one of our leading ballet companies. There having been no specific dates given for the performance of each dancer, herewith is the cast as printed in the program.

Cinderella, Maxine Sy/Joana Geleste; Spring, Rolby Lacaba, Joey Atayde, Joanna Galese/Maxine Sy; Autumn, Mark Pineda/Lemuel Capa; Winter, Lea de Guzman, Isabel Guidote, Prince, Lemuel Capa, Peter San Juan; Jester, Peter San Juan, Lemuel Capa.

Behind the scenes were Chingbee Kalaw, PBT Chairman; Triccie Sison, vice-chairman; Chacha Camacho, president; Sylvia Lichauco de Leon, v-p; Julie Borromeo, Eddie Elejar and Felicitas Radaic, PBT’s original founders.

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Miguel Lopez de Leon’s book “Galadria: Peter Huddleston and the Rites of Passage” is set to be launched today in Makati but it is already a best-seller in the US where it was published. I started reading an advance copy and found it nearly impossible to put down, with each chapter more fascinating and intriguing than the previous one. Only deadlines could interrupt my finishing it.

Here are a few  ecstatic quotes from US reviewers: “GALADRIA, the first release in a new fantasy trilogy from Miguel Lopez de Leon, reaches Amazon’s Bestseller List in its first week of publication. This book is being touted by some to be the next Harry Potter.”

“This book is Ah-May-ZING. I felt like a child all over again.” — Tezza Valero’s Five Star Review

“I absolutely loved it.” — Cassie McCown’s Five Star Review

“Readers will wait impatiently for the second installment in Peter’s saga.” — Elizabeth Breau, Fore Word Reviews

Coming in the spring of 2012 is Book 2 of the series: “Galadria: Peter Huddleston and The Mist of The Three Lakes”.

The author’s mother, Marybeth Lopez de Leon and aunt DJ Lopez must be immensely proud of him.