Is Stanton Welch’s Cinderella as magical as its forebearers?

That’s the question going in to the Wortham Theater Center for the Houston Ballet’s latest mounting of Welch’s more modern take on the age-old fairy tale, which he first premiered in 1997 with the Australian Ballet.

You know the story, but a very abridged version goes like this: Once upon a time, lived a young woman named Cinderella, who was treated like little more than a servant by her stepmother and two stepsisters. One day, with a little magical intervention, Cinderella gets the chance to attend a ball where she meets a prince. But like all good things, the evening must come to an end at midnight (so say the magic), and in her haste to leave, Cinderella leaves behind a single slipper. The prince uses the slipper to track her down and save her from her wretched life. They live happily ever after. The end.

Welch’s Cinderella retains the wicked stepmother and stepsisters, as well as a ball, a midnight deadline and a slipper that just won’t stay on. But instead instead of a doormat waiting for a prince to save her, his Cinderella is a fighter, and instead of any "bibbidi-bobbidi-boo" spouting fairy godmother, it’s Cinderella’s deceased mother and a graveyard full of ghoulish minions that get Cinderella ready for the ball. If that sounds a bit macabre, that’s because it is. But it’s also representative of what Welch has done so masterfully with this ballet: riding the tonal shifts of Sergei Prokofiev’s lyrical score.

Prokofiev’s score can go from ominous to optimistic in seconds – just take a look at that graveyard scene. It has notes of darkness as well as whimsy, all of which the Houston Ballet Orchestra, under the hand of Ermanno Florio, approach with superb skill. Welch embraces the theatricality of Prokofiev’s music, and mines every bit of humor, with a fun and varied approach to movement. From the sweeping romance of the work’s pas de deux to the herky-jerk style of the undead, and the all-too brief shuffling and pulsating dances from the Spanish Princesses (Adelaide Clauss and Natalie Varnum) and the Arabian Princess (Yuriko Kajiya) – not to mention every head bobble and chicken neck – Welch leaves nothing to be desired. Not only is this true for the dance, it’s true for the characterization.

In patchworked overalls and short hair – think Natalie Portman’s post-V for Vendetta-pixie-crop short – with her arms crossed, feet planted and chin up, Mónica Gómez is a scrappy Cinderella. She’s not one to be pushed around without pushing back (literally at times) or let her stepsisters show her up, like when she puts them to shame with a series of fouetté turns. But Gómez also imbues her Cinderella with wistfulness; it’s in the longing in her face as she gazes at her deceased mother (an exquisitely elegant Karina González), or the sadness when she looks upon her father (an absolutely defeated Aaron Daniel Sharratt).

Gómez is also exuberant, and particularly charming when paired with Connor Walsh’s Dandini. Walsh looks enchanted as Dandini, and the pairs interactions culminate in a pas de deux straight out of, well, a fairy tale. Tender and joyous, and topped only by a second pas de deux in the third act.

Harper Watters, with a dramatic red lip and perfectly arched eyebrow, owns this show as Cinderella’s stepmother. Easily the most enjoyable character to watch on stage. Watters cuts an imposing, intimidating figure, backed up often by the over-the-top antics of Nikita Baryshnikov and Elivelton Tomazi, who play stepsisters Grizabella and Florinda. And yes, they’re on pointe and it’s a lot of fun to see.

Jack Wolff only has eyes for himself as the Prince (though Cinderella does briefly catch his attention). Wolff’s Prince is a perfectly preening, pouty, finger-gun shooting, winking dolt, and Steven Woodgate is his relatively benevolent father, the King, who is constantly pushing the marriage agenda. Simone Acri puts in an admirable effort as Buttons (and makes an exciting exit at one point in first act) but the character itself is a bit of a hard sell. And, out of nowhere, props to Saul Newport for earning much deserved laughs from the crowd as the dance instructor.

The world of Welch’s “once upon a time,” designed by Kristian Fredrikson, looks a bit like the late 19th- or early 20th-century and is full of both the beautiful and the grotesque. There are nightmarish mannequins come to life, a carnival that Pennywise would fit right into and skeletal masks for the undead army, aside the stained-glass glow of Cinderella’s home, a peacock-adorned ballroom, and the most dramatic of choices – stark black staging in the third act, which eventually gives way to a gorgeous night sky. Lisa J. Pinkham provided the lighting concepts for the show, which makes good use of spotlights to draw the eye.

Now, there is one other thing I feel strongly about in a much less positive way: Two boob grabs, by two different characters, in one show is one too many. There’s only one dickish character who should be inappropriately copping a feel.

Other than that, the conclusion is pretty simple: Stanton Welch’s Cinderella isn’t just as magical as its forebearers, it’s even more memorable because of its scrappy heroine, excellent cast of supporting characters, and some tweaks that make the story just a bit more real.

Performances will continue at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays through March 3 at the Wortham Center, 501 Texas. For more information, call 713-227-2787 or visit houstonballet.org. $25-$220.