There’s plenty of doom and gloom around about the future of opera, which makes this production of Cendrillon a proverbial beacon of positivity.

Presented by the University of Melbourne’s Conservatorium Opera and Orchestral Performance and VCA Design and Production schools, it not only shows how entertaining and accessible opera can be (including the very accessible maximum ticket price of $15). It’s also an outstanding showcase of the next generation of singers and designers.

They are guided by a handful of professionals for this tight edit (about 80 minutes, plus interval) of Massenet’s take on the Cinderella fairytale, which premiered in Paris in 1899.

Among them is director and choreographer Johanna Allen, whose thematic contrast of authenticity and self-obsession will resonate with audiences of this social-media age. She also gives the production an assured sense of movement, including chorus work synchronised with the score (sometimes with ballet steps to boot).

The University of Melbourne’s Cendrillon, Photo © Ben Fon

Opera Australia Chorus Master and conductor Paul Fitzsimon draws a cohesive, usually pleasant if sometimes tinny sound from his...