On April 21, Rossini's "La Cenerentola" will open after a five-year absence at the Metropolitan Opera.

The opera, which dates back to 1817, is a retelling of the famous Cinderella story by Charles Perrault. The story, however, is given a different spin as it does not have a fairy godmother or the glass slipper.

The opera was first seen at the Met in 1997 in the company's current production by Cesare Levi. On that occasion, the production was performed 12 times and was brought specifically for Cecilia Bartoli. The superstar mezzo soprano was accompanied by Mexican tenor Ramon Vargas as her Prince Charming and Alessandro Corbelli in his Met debut in the role of Dandini. Simone Alaimo sang the role of Magnifico while Michele Pertusi took on Alidoro. James Levine made a foray into the bel canto repertoire conducting the first performances of the opera and it was later broadcasted on TV.

That season Jennifer Larmore would take on the later performances of the run with the rest of the remaining cast.

Larmore returned in 2000 for six performances with Bruno Campanella at the podium in his Met debut. Argentine tenor Raul Gimenez sang the Prince while Corbelli and Alaimo reprised their roles. John Relyea, who later become a fixture at the Met, made his debut during this season.

In 2002, Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez made headlines when he sang the role of the Prince alongside Sonia Ganassi, who sang the title role. Corbelli, Relyea and Alaimo returned to the production while Edoardo Muller conducted the orchestra for five performances.

In 2005, the Russian mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina sang the title role for the first time at the Met. Barry Banks sang the role of the Prince while Ildar Abdrazkov sang the role of Alidoro. Alaimo returned in the role of Magnifico while Simone Alberghini made his debut in the role of Dandini. Antonello Allemandi also made his debut that season. During that season the opera was performed six times.

Four years later, Latvian mezzo Elina Garance returned to the company in the title role. While the opera was only performed three times Garanca impressed and turned into one of the biggest stars at the Met. That season, Maurizio Benini conducted the work with Lawrence Brownlee as the Prince. Alberghini and Relyea reprised their roles from previous season while Alessandro Corbelli returned to the opera but this time as Don Magnifico. The production's run concluded with an HD transmission that eventually became a DVD release.

This season the opera returns with an all-star cast. Joyce DiDonato will headline the production as Angelina. The mezzo has sung the role around the world to great acclaim. Meanwhile Mexican tenor Javier Camarena will share the role of the Prince with Florez who returns to the role after 12 years. Pietro Spagnoli will make his Met debut as Dandini and Luca Pisaroni will sing Alidoro. Corbelli will reprise his role as Magnifico. The production will be presented six times with the last show being transmitted Live in HD. The Met's Principal conductor Fabio Luisi will preside over the podium.