Was It a Just Dream?

Last weekend my husband and I watched the newly-received la Cenerentola with Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Florez.
We loved it. Needless to say that the voices were great - it's self-explanatory. It was no surprise for me though - I watched clips on You Tube a while ago. The acting was great as well. Besides the leads, Dandini and Don Magnifico were absolutely wonderful. That duet, when Don Magnifico kept following Dandini, thinking he was a prince... superb acting - hats off, everyone!

The costumes were... a bit funky in a way that they looked as if cut out of construction paper by a bunch of kids. Oh well, it is a concept and deserves to be respected as such.

However, we were a bit struck by the unexpected twist of the finale, when Cinderella is left on the stage all by herself, sweeping the floors again.

Was it just a dream?

Her happiness, her love, her liberation - could all that be just a dream? And the reality is that she will be tortured and humiliated for God knows how much longer?

Somehow, to me personally, it's still a question. Somehow, there is still hope that even if it's a dream, it might come true. Just like in the Nutcracker (the story itself and some productions), Marie wakes up to realize that the prince and his magic kingdom were a dream. But wait, who is that standing in the doorway? It's her godfather, who came to introduce his handsome nephew to her. She looks at the guy and knows right away - it's him! One way or another that dream is becoming reality!

I would really like to think about la Cenerentola the same way. Maybe when the curtain falls, the fairy tale will begin?

It really makes me wonder what Joyce herself thinks about it. How did she personally feel about it being up there, on the stage? Just a dream or a dream to come true?