Review: Cinderella, Bristol Hippodrome

Someone give Christoper Dean honorary Bristol citizenship immediately. Throwing himself into pantomime with gusto, the former Winter Olympics gold medal winning ice skater – here of course with dancing partner Jayne Torvill – may not be known by the youngest in the audience but it matters not one little bit.

With his use of phrases from “Cheers, drive” to “Alright my babber”, cheeky asides, insistence on performing Bolero, and finally a showstopping and gravity-defying dance sequence to that famous routine from 1984, he is the undisputed star of Cinderella at the Bristol Hippodrome. Torvill’s dancing may be perfect but her acting abilities are not as strong as her longterm partner on the ice.

If there was another star here it was the appropriately named Jarred Christmas as Buttons. The Kiwi comedian has a tough act to follow stepping into the shoes of Andy Ford, who over the last few years had almost become part of the festive furniture at the Hippodrome. The camp has been seriously turned down. However, the jokes still come thick and fast from an accomplished performer.

As a stand-up comedian, he even had some enjoyable although rather one-sided banter with a gentleman in the front row known only as “Stripey” who wasn’t keen to join in the fun.

Fun was what this show was all about. It had all the elements: extravagant costumes, tick. Song and dance routines, tick. Pop culture references, tick. An “It’s behind you” sequence with a bear in the woods, tick. Nudge-nudge-wink-wink references to the adults that fly over the heads of the children, tick-tick-tick-tick.

And through it all, Torvill & Dean gliding serenely across the stage – on inline skates rather than ice skates – playing Queen Juniper and King Crimson, a sort of fairy godmother double act sprinkling their magic onto Rhiannon Chesterman who played the title character with panache.

She was joined by an impressive Blair Gibson as Prince Charming in his first professional production, and ably assisted by the deliciously diva-ish Samuel Holmes as Dandini, as well as polished young dancers from Bristol School of Performing Arts and Bristol School of Dancing. 

Tim Hudson and Charles Brunton as ugly sisters Wasabi and Saffron had the best dresses especially an astonishing champagne ensemble featuring an ice bucket and popping cork, and were suitably evil to poor Cinders as well as taking part in a perhaps over-long riff using the names of chocolate bars for inspiration.

Even committed panto-phobes (yes, that’s you, Stripey in the front row on Wednesday evening) will enjoy this production. It’s hard not to get swept away in all the fun.

Cinderella is at Bristol Hippodrome until January 8. For tickets and more information, visit www.atgtickets.com/shows/cinderella/bristol-hippodrome/

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