London Children’s Ballet bring a jazz-age take on Cinderella to the stage

This July at London’s Peacock Theatre, London Children’s Ballet will premiere a completely new ballet, Ella’s Big Chance: A Jazz-Age Cinderella. David Mead looks ahead and talks with dancers Gina Harris-Sullivan and Toby Gray .

Since its founding in 1994 by Lucille Briance, London Children’s Ballet has been offering talented nine to 16-year-olds a very special dance experience. It’s first production of The Happy Prince (choreography by Valerie Egri, music by Edward Elgar), set the tone, the company quickly establishing a reputation for top-notch, professional-quality productions of original narrative ballets, staged in the West End.

This year, the company present a completely new ballet, an adaptation of award-winning children’s picture book writer and illustrator Shirley Hughes’ Ella’s Big Chance: A Jazz-Age Cinderella, a retelling of the classic Cinderella story set in the glamorous world of the 1920s. A little surprisingly, this will be the first time any of the author’s works have received such theatre treatment.

The story has been adapted for the stage by LCB artistic director Ruth Brill, who has pretty much kept the author’s narrative while giving opportunities to as many dancers as possible. So, amongst other things and as well as townsfolk coming into the shop, look out for someone dancing the role of Ella’s cat, and a ‘dance of the mannequins.’ Choreography is by Kristen McNally, somehow fitting in making the piece alongside her Royal Ballet and other commitments, including a recently created new work for Ballet Central, now touring.

Hughes’ spin on Cinderella is a welcome departure from the usual, and comes with a unique twist at the end. Ella and her father run a dress shop, making only the finest clothes. All is fine until Mr. Cinders remarries. His new wife is bossy and comes with two selfish and spiteful daughters who mock Ella’s own clothes. She clearly has some business acumen though, turning the small but successful business into something much larger. But it’s Ella, made to sew in the dreary basement, who bears the brunt of the extra work.

The story follows then follows the familiar Cinderella plot, the family being invited to a ball given by the Duchess for her handsome son, which the new Mrs. Cinders forbids Ella to attend. But while she may be stuck at home with just her cat and Buttons, the store’s delivery boy, there’s magic in the air. She does get to go to the ball, of course, but (spoiler alert!) although Duke falls for her, Ella turns him down. Remaining true to herself, she realises that her one true love, Buttons, has been there all along

Dancing the role of Ella is 14-year-old Gina Harris-Sullivan, who danced in LCB’s Anne of Green Gables in 2022 and who has also previously appeared in the West End musical, Matilda. She explained how she was enjoying dancing a real character. “You have to think about how she’s feeling, what she’s thinking, and how she would react to things. It’s not just dancing.”

Gina says that she sees Ella as quite quiet but not afraid to stand up for herself and fight for what she wants. “She starts off quite happy but then gets sad as the stepmother and stepsisters come in and start to change the shop. But she ends up happy and everyone gets along.”

Ella’s best friend, Buttons, a character always seen in pantomime but absent from most ballet productions of Cinderella, is being danced by 15-year-old Toby Gray, who previously performed in LCB’s The Secret Garden. “Buttons is always looking out for Ella and is always talking to her. But he’s also hard-working. He’s very outgoing. Caring but a bit fizzy; a little bit crazy,” he says.

The pair explain how they have been rehearsing since January, coming in most Sundays from 10.30 to 4.30. Then there was an intensive in half-term week in February, another during the Easter school holidays, and a third in Spring Bank Holiday week at the end of May. Gina and Toby both live just ten to fifteen minutes away but even so, and although the experience comes cost-free, that’s quite a time commitment. For the families of those of the 50-strong cast who come from some distance away, and some do come a long way, there’s all the travel to consider too.

While performing at the Peacock Theatre is clearly a highlight, one of the best things about LCB is simply being around friends, they agree. “You’re a family. You get really close to all the people that you perform with. It’s just a nice sense of togetherness. I think that’s my favourite,” says Gina.

Both are full of praise for choreographer Kristen McNally. “It’s a really nice experience. She’s amazing. And really kind. She’s so good,” feels Gina. “She also takes into account your opinion on things. I think that her choreography is amazing. She’s very good at knowing what to do, but she takes it very well if we suggest other things,” adds Toby.

Even watching McNally at work just briefly in the studio you can see how the dancers hang on every word, soaking everything up. It’s clear she really understands how to give the youngsters the best possible experience whilst also improving their technique and creating a top-class ballet.

McNally has now created numerous ballets but choreographing a full-length narrative work is something new. While the dancers in Ella’s Big Chance are children, which means simpler steps, watching her with the youngsters, you have to think that a lot of her success with is down to approaching the production exactly as she would with professional dancers. It’s something you can’t help feeling the children appreciate greatly.

Both Gina and Toby admit to looking forward to performing at the Peacock Theatre again. “When the curtain opens, you get like a rush of adrenaline and it just… you see the faces. It’s just so exciting. When I first went on stage last year, I thought I was going to feel really nervous but we had practised it so much, it was fine. But it is very special,” says Toby

Watching the young dancers in a complete run of Act One, a couple of things are immediately apparent. First, the story is very, very clear. A lot of time has clearly gone into working with the dancers on character. The youngsters are fully immersed in everything. And, even in practice clothes, it very much has a 1920s feel.

Peeping into costume designer Carrie-Ann Stein’s wardrobe department, it’s obvious that the story will be even more magical in her 1920s-inspired costumes, all 130 of them faithfully re-created from Shirley Hughes’ original drawings. How Stein does it in the small space she has is a piece of magic in itself. The dresses in particular really are stunning. “I wouldn’t mind a couple of them myself,” jokes Ruth Brill.

Ian Stephens’ specially commissioned, jazz-influenced score is glorious too. At the Peacock Theatre, it will be played by a live orchestra, but even listening to a piano version in the studio you can hear how well it fits the story.

Sadly, Shirley Hughes died aged 94 in 2022, so didn’t live to see her work on the stage. But her son, journalist Ed Vulliamy, and the rest of her family has supported the project enthusiastically.

LCB does fine work away from the West End too, including lots of outreach work and taking cut-down versions of shows to schools, care homes and special needs centres. But it’s the annual Peacock Theatre show that makes the headlines. The company may still be something of a hidden gem, but Ella’s Big Chance promises to be the perfect 80-minute ballet treat for families of all ages.

Ella’s Big Chance: A Jazz-Age Cinderella by London Children’s Ballet is at the Peacock Theatre, London from July 3-6, 2025.