Cinderella

Bristol Hippodrome

THERE is nothing not to like about this brilliant, Bristol pantomime. It is exactly what a traditional panto should be - a glorious, dramatic Christmas bauble of family fun, colour, music, laughter, innuendo and magic.

And yet this Cinderella manages to be modern, too, and to tell its tale with a genuine Bristol accent.

The poster stars are comedian Brian Conley and TV star Gok Wan. But credit should go to the entire ensemble for a show with no let-up on laughter and entertainment.

Conley’s brilliant Buttons holds the performance together with what appears to be an effortless combination of mock spontaneity and self-awareness, while Gok Wan is pretty much perfect as a 21stcentury fairy godmother.

Both spend as much time engaging with the audience as they do with the cast.

As do the brilliant ugly sisters Ben Stock and Neal Wright. Festooned in a constant change of stunning costumes by Mike Coltman, Stock and Wright are wonderful as the villainous pair, relishing their bitchy parts with what sound like authentic Bristol voices.

Meanwhile, Lauren Hall’s virtuous Cinderella is ably supported by Scott Mobley as Prince Charming and Matthew Malthouse as Dandini.

The direction and production make this feel like a big-budget, noexpense-spared show. The sets are vast and impressive, while the visual gags and stage trickery are clever and continuous. Watching the many children in the audience gasp at Cinderella’s transformation for the ball is a delight.

As with every panto, the script works on both child and adult level but - to my ears - there is less gratuitous smut than in Hippodrome pantos of recent years and the performance is more enjoyable for it.

And then there’s the music, which, like the entire show, is the perfect mix of the traditional and daringly modern.

There is, of course, the inevitable section where Conley invites children on to the stage. As one of them - six-year-old Lois, who had come dressed as Cinderella - makes her way back to her mum, Conley muses: “She’s six years old and she’ll remember this moment for ever. That’s the magic of panto.”

Actually, Brian, little Lois is not the only one. I’m sure this triumphant panto will live long in the memory of everyone who sees it.

❝