Most folks like to hang onto their favorite slippers. But, for one legendary young girl, losing one proved more than worth the trouble.

The Maine State Ballet has opened a Linda MacArthur Miele-choreographed production of the dance classic “Cinderella,” set to music by Sergei Prokofiev and performed by a cast full of professionals and students at their Lopez Theater in Falmouth.

Full of color and comedy, in addition to some fine dancing, this “Cinderella,” at a compact 90-minutes-plus-two-intermissions, provides a delightful visit to the world of ballet. The duskier shades within the musical score add some mystery to the proceedings but the light of romance richly shines through.

Adrienne Pelletier was the cinder-girl on opening night (she will alternate in the title role with her sister Rhiannon Pelletier during the run of the show). Her relatively small stature helped to make her Cinderella’s girlishness credible as the oppressed youngster is swept up into a magical world of lavish parties and handsome princes. Her early solos touchingly revealed her character’s longing as she glided and spun across the wide stage, dreaming of liberation from her labors serving a wicked stepmother and stepsisters.

Pelletier’s later partnering with her Prince Charming again had the sense of a girl gradually overcoming uncertainty and celebrating a new life ahead, once that special slipper found its way back to her.

Local ballet stalwart Glenn Davis, as the prince, was a steady presence, executing numerous lifts of his newfound love with a firm yet delicate grace.

Rhiannon Pelletier, on this night in the role of Fairy Godmother, led a colorful quartet of seasonal Fairies, including dancers Emma Davis, Sadie Schwartz, Kallee Gallant and Kendra Murray, through distinctive introductions that led to an ensemble passage that wove nearly two dozen dancers into a dazzling swirl that filled the stage.

Among the dance interludes, Kallee Gallant stood out as a sinuous Princess of Persia and Roberto Forleo was a hoot as a frustrated dance instructor for the stepsisters.

The comedic movement and pantomime succeeded in gaining many laughs from the multigenerational audience. Whether at center stage or hovering around the periphery, Christine Marshall, as the stepmother, and Caitlin Bodlovick and Christina Williams, as her daughters, proved hilarious. Arie Eiten, as the nimble but put-upon Court Jester, also earned laughs.

Costumes and scenery by Gail Csoboth and lighting by Frederick Bernier add important touches to this latest visit to a world where dreams come true.

Steve Feeney is a freelance writer who lives in Portland.

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