Review: Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Bristol Hippodrome – ‘a whizz-popping, high flying, magic conjuring production’

We don’t give star ratings here at Bristol 24/7, but if we did Bedknobs and Broomsticks would earn six out of five.

My, what a production. A whizz-popping, high flying, magic conjuring production. The latest sumptuous treat in what has been an impeccably crafted Hippodrome season.

The show follows the three Rawlins children, evacuated from their London home after the death of their parents in a World War Two air raid. The children are sent to live with the solitary and stern Miss Eglantine Price, but their negative opinions of her are quickly overturned when they discover a wonderful secret: Miss Price is a witch!

Along with their guardian, and later the quirky magician Emelius Browne, the children set off on a grand adventure with the held of an enchanted bedknob.

The show pulls every trick out of the bag to bring the magic of their adventure to life, and so cleverly that the audience can rarely comprehend how the tricks were done.

Broomsticks swoop and spin around the stage, levitated by indiscernible forces. Boots walk themselves across the floor, literally lifting off the ground. Swords swoop, held by invisible hands, and suits of armour come to life. A metre-long stick shoots out of a top hat, to an explosion of confetti.

The show simply bubbles with theatrical wizardry. Or should that be witchery?

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – photo: Johan Persson

Just as astonishing as the magic is the production’s set design – truly a masterpiece of theatrical creation.

The small, cosily-furnished bedroom that greets the audience brings the vastness of the Hippodrome stage right down to the intimate. Yet within minutes of the play beginning, an astonishing visual sequence begins.

The sides of the room are ripped off and the ceiling dragged away. The intimate bedroom is broken apart to reveal a dark, fragmented landscape behind, the burnt-out timbers of bombed houses framing the desolate space. Air raid sirens lash and spotlights sweep the ground.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks full company – photo: Johan Persson

Then, in quick succession, a red moon lights up the stage, a rickety old lamppost is swung into view, a train rattles into creation, an old, oaken door spins to the centre, and the flags and furnishings of a country evacuation office take shape.

It is a breathtaking sequence that melds exquisite set design with pinpoint choreography. Every detail, from the finely inked contours of the moon to the twisted frame of the lamppost, is skillfully and elegantly realised. The timing and precision of the ensemble, who draw the sequence along with perfectly-pitched swiftness, is almost military.

Starring as the eloquent and eccentric Eglantine Price, Dianne Pilkington puts in an excellent performance. Her Eglantine has more than a little of the Mary Poppins about her – an intelligent, poised woman, standing slightly askew to society. Yet she also has a mischievous streak, a desire for fun and adventure that finds itself in her aptitude for witchcraft.

And she’s very funny. Pilkington knows just how to take up the comic opportunities of her part, drawing out the spice in her lines but also batting hard with deadpan humour.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – photo: Johan Persson

Opposite her as the hopeless magician Emelius Browne, Charles Brunton is delightfully quirky. Looking like a Quentin Blake creation, his Emilius is a slightly unkempt, worn man with a kind heart and a bumbling personality.

He has some wonderful moments of physicality, almost prancing across the stage at points, and though his first song felt a little flat, he puts in a well-crafted and entertaining performance for the rest of the show.

In the latter half, an endearing uncertainty and gentleness emerges, as well as a self-dislike that somehow makes him more likeable. The development of his friendship with Eglantine is unforced, and lovely to watch.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks full company – photo: Johan Persson

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a creation of Hollywood’s legendary Sherman brothers, of Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang fame. The show is so undeniably Sherman that it feels almost nostalgic. Here are the oompa beats, the alliterations, the made-up words (‘negotiality’, ‘substitutiary’, ‘awkomfortable’).

Standing out from the rich roster of songs (some of which were added for this production by Neil Bartram), is Portobello Road, a bewitching and witty portrayal of a London market.

This is a truly wonderful production that is by no means just for children. It is only in Bristol for a few days, so I urge you to see it soon – and capture the magic.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is at Bristol Hippodrome, St Augustine’s Parade, Bristol, BS1 4UZ on January 26-29 at 7.30pm, with a 2.30pm matinee show on the Saturday. Tickets are available from www.atgtickets.com.

Main photo: Johan Persson

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