PERFORMANCE & COMEDY

Bristol Hippodrome (to Sun 8 Jan)

PANTO From its royal boxes to its red velvet stalls, Bristol Hippodrome is gloriously old-world. With no principal boy or ugly sisters, though, this 'Peter Pan' is not - which leaves much riding on the power of David Hasselhoff to turn JM Barrie’s enchanting fairy-tale into a proper Peter Panto. Fortunately, The Hoff's broad shoulders can take it. At nearly a foot taller than any of the other cast members, Hasselhoff cuts a fit and dashing figure - he has also has a lovely singing voice and his soft American burr is both manly and booming, rendering his Captain Hook a very fine villain .

He's also well supported on all sides. From Hook’s camp crew to the tribe of Red Indians, the show is replete with real dancers and real divas (Donne Hines, Lakesha Cammock and Linda John-Pierre), accompanied by a real orchestra. As a result, we are transported to an ‘On Broadway’ Neverland, although the real star of the show, first mate Smee (Andy Ford), could not be more homegrown in his manner and wit. A natural clown, he sweetly commands the stage, skipping and hopping about the place, and popping gags like a man who has truly failed to grow up. He clearly knows the ropes and regales the audience, young and old.

My six-year-old sat enthralled from beginning to end, only asking if the crocodile was real and if the lost boys were really going to walk the plank. The 11-year-old and his friend hooted uproariously at the jokes, although they were also very enthusiastic about the costumes and scenery. No one could fail to be impressed by the set's transition from London to Neverland, which is nothing short of magnificent.

And underneath it all, Barrie’s notion of growing up endures. Wendy (Janine Esther Cowell) epitomizes a particular kind of femininity, so rigid with gung ho that, in her presence, any boy would baulk at the prospect of adulthood - a suggestion of the deeper hues of meaning behind this work. A thoroughly entertaining evening, and an all-singing, all-dancing success story. (Adriana Dorsett)

Copyright Adriana Dorsett 2011