Mystic Ballet dances "Cinderella"

It's a tale as old as Disney.

Well, okay, it's older than that, but let's just call it timeless. "Cinderella" has become a part of the popular consciousness, with its tale of a poor, put-upon girl finally getting her happy rewards - and a prince, to boot.

Mystic Ballet is reviving its popular version of "Cinderella" for performances over the next three Saturdays at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum Auditorium.

This production takes its cue from the tradition of London's Royal Ballet - that the roles of the stepsisters are performed by men. With Mystic Ballet, Macedonian dancer Marco Micov and Nicaraguan Isidro Sequeira do the honors, complete with heels, tall wigs, corsets and hoop skirts.

Adding another comic touch is the Jester, in the form of Ervin Vallecillo. The Mystic Ballet says he "pulls out all the stops with his gravity defying abilities, as he makes it his responsibility to protect the Prince from the stepsister's unwanted advances."

Here, Margarita Hoelper plays Cinderella and Aleksander Subotic is the prince. The arrangement, story, and scenography is by Goran Subotic, and the choreography is by Valeria Ivlieva and Rafik Hegabe. The family-friendly running time, by the way, is 90 minutes, including intermission.

- KRISTINA DORSEY

Mystic Ballet's "Cinderella,"

2 p.m. this Saturday, March 31 and April 7, Mashantucket Pequot Museum Auditorium, 110 Pequot Trail, Mashantucket; $15-$40; (860) 536-3671, mysticballet.org.