Cinderella on stage: from classic to unconventional

A land of dreams ... Frederick Ashton's classic 1948 choreography guides you through Cinderella's world of reverie at the Royal Opera House. Alina Cojocaru is Cinderella while Rupert Pennefather is her prince Photograph: Tristram Kenton Photograph: Tristram Kenton/guardian.co.uk Both exaggerated and elegant, Wayne Sleep and Luke Heyden are the larger-than-life Ugly Sisters at the Royal Opera House Photograph: Tristram Kenton Photograph: Tristram Kenton/guardian.co.uk The Royal Ballet has been producing this revised and restaged version of Ashton's original production since 2004 Photograph: Tristram Kenton Photograph: Tristram Kenton/guardian.co.uk Glamour and decadence ... in Ashley Page's 2005 production with the Scottish Royal Ballet, 17th-century French costumes were juxtaposed with modern references from Vivienne Westwood to John Galliano Photograph: Bill Cooper Photograph: Bill Cooper/guardian.co.uk Maguy Marin’s 2003 production of Cinderella by Lyon Opera Ballet took place in a child’s world, populated by dolls and toys Photograph: Tristram Kenton Photograph: Tristram Kenton/guardian.co.uk A Grimm tale ... a 2008 production at the Lyric Hammersmith returned to the stark fable written by the brothers Grimm in 1812 to create an unusually dark and gory show Photograph: Tristram Kenton Photograph: Tristram Kenton/guardian.co.uk Not for the faint-hearted, this show was billed as being suitable only for seven-year-olds and older. Elizabeth Chan played Cinderella and Daniel Weyman was the prince Photograph: Tristram Kenton Photograph: Tristram Kenton/guardian.co.uk One very posh pumpkin ... Cinderella stepped from a blue Bentley in the ROH's 2007 production of Rossini's La Cenerentola, the European version of the tale Photograph: Elista Kemp/PA Photograph: Elista Kemp/guardian.co.uk Cameras and curlers brought Fellini and the 1950s to this operatic take on the classic Photograph: Neil Libbert Photograph: guardian.co.uk Time travel, a shoe factory and a grand hotel on the eve of the second world war ... there were quite a few surprises at Curve Theatre's 2007 production Simply Cinderella Photograph: Tristram Kenton Photograph: Tristram Kenton/guardian.co.uk Razzmatazz and the jitterbug ... Simply Cinderella had a catchy score by Grant Olding, and Savannah Stevenson did it justice in the title role Photograph: Tristram Kenton Photograph: Tristram Kenton/guardian.co.uk Writer and director Susie McKenna developed a reputation as the queen of pantos at Hackney Empire. Her 2006 production of Cinderella was no different ... a mix of tradition and innovation Photograph: Tristram Kenton Photograph: Tristram Kenton/guardian.co.uk Panto's best-known fairy godmother ... the famous drag queen Danny La Rue. In his heyday in the 60s, La Rue was Britain's highest-paid entertainer, famous for his saucy cabaret act Photograph: Martin Godwin Photograph: Martin Godwin/guardian.co.uk Yards of shimmering sequins and towering wigs transformed Peter Robbins and Nigel Ellacott into the Ugly Sisters. This champagne-and-caviar cast is a far cry from the classical dancers you might expect from the ROH production , which runs until 5 June 2010 Photograph: Graham Turner Photograph: Graham Turner/guardian.co.uk