Matthew Bourne’s thrilling and evocative love story, Cinderella, is showing at the Mayflower Theatre from Tuesday til Saturday.

One of New Adventures’ most loved productions – set in London during the Second World War – Bourne’s interpretation of the classic fairy tale has, at its heart, a true war-time romance.

A chance meeting results in a magical night for Cinderella and her dashing young RAF pilot, together just long enough to fall in love before being parted by the horrors of the Blitz.

Matthew Bourne explains why he chose to set the world's most famous fairy tale during the 1940 London Blitz.

"I first fell in love with Prokofiev’s score through watching Frederick Ashton’s version of the ballet for The Royal Ballet," he says. "Although composed as a fairy-tale piece, in the style of the great Tchaikovsky ballets, such as “The Sleeping Beauty”, it has Prokofiev’s particular 20th century musical personality stamped all over it.

"Prokofiev’s Cinderella was premiered at the Bolshoi in 1946 and Ashton’s much performed version followed in 1948, but I was intrigued to hear that Prokofiev had actually written the score during the Second World War, and this got me thinking...

"Was this dark period in our history, somehow captured within the music?

"I felt that it was, and the more I delved into the Cinderella story, it seemed to work so well in the wartime setting.

"Darkly romantic in tone, it speaks of a period when time was everything, love was found and lost suddenly and the world danced as if there was no tomorrow."

Bourne has tried to be as historically accurate as possible in this striking production, but he does admit to at least one inaccuracy:

"We have tried to be as accurate as possible and Lez Brotherston, the company and I have spent many hours researching the period and characters through old movies, documentaries and public information films." adds Bourne.

"The crucial incident for us is the famous bombing of the legendary Café de Paris on 8th March 1941.

"On this particular night, the club received a direct hit, killing or seriously injuring nearly 100 dancing couples, cabaret artistes and staff, including the 26 year old bandleader, Ken “Snake-hips” Johnson. Our magical Act Two bombed ballroom, with its ghostly dancing couples and the haunting waltzes of Prokofiev, owes much to this tragic night.

"It represents Cinderella’s dream, as well as her nightmare.

"I will admit, here, to at least one historical inaccuracy, though.

"We do have a GI American soldier character called Buster, who I couldn’t resist putting in for the sake of variety.

"The Americans, however, did not enter the war until the beginning of 1942."

With Lez Brotherston’s sumptuous costumes and sets, which won an Olivier Award for his original designs, and lighting by Olivier Award-winning Neil Austin, Cinderella will be performed in Surround Sound, designed by Paul Groothuis and featuring a specially commissioned recording played by a 60-piece orchestra.

And even though the events depicted in Cinderella happened over 75 years ago, the Blitz experience will still resonate with many audience members as part of their family history.

"I dedicated the original production of Cinderella to my grandparents who kept their families together, in London, during the Blitz," explains Bourne. "My parents, living streets away from each other in the East End, survived the nightly onslaught, I’m happy to say, and they both loved to tell me stories from this time – the excitement, the fear and the friendships made.

"Now they are all gone, but I hope that, the spirit and courage of not just my family, but of everyone who made sacrifices, or who found or lost love during this time are captured in this piece, which has been made in tribute to them."