Theatre Review: Edward Scissorhands, Bristol Hippodrome

Summary

Rating: ★★★★
Running Dates: Tuesday 5th March - Saturday 9th March 2024
Where to see it: Bristol Hippodrome
Duration: 1 hour 55 minutes (including interval)

Review

A music laden, nostalgia driven story based on the ultimate outsider.

Matthew Bourne’s latest conquest for the MB treatment is the quirky Tim Burton classic, Edward Scissorhands. Known for taking a tale and spinning its on its head - this is definitely another one for the books.

This is the story of an outsider - a gardening enthusiast, scissorhand wilding awkward man who lacks real social skills taken in by your stereotypical suburban family with 2.0 children. Easy pickings for MB though surely?

There were definitely some ‘embellishments’ on the original story of Edward Scissorhands- adding in moments such as a glorious attack scene that really introduced Edward as the real outsider character from the very beginning.

Mower (our Edward), has undoubtedly studied this character to an absolute T - the pained expression, the amusing ‘run’ - he is an absolute joy to watch. His moments with Kim (played by Ashley Shaw) were endearing - special shout out to the ice sculpture scene which captured first love and the real beauty from this cinematic moment. However, it did lack the freedom of the characters in this scene and the childlike naivety of first love.

There was comedy littered throughout this show - who could forget a bewildering scene of Joyce Monroe (played by Nicola Kabera) failing to seduce Edward culminating in an intimate moment with a tumble drier?! Hilarious. Or the ensemble of stereotypes in the suburban town including the incredibly religious duo with their staccato movements and witty references to god - joined by their rebelling offspring.

The ultimate nod to this show is the exceptional use of set design & lighting. The juxtaposition of the dark gothic start with a jump to the 50’s pastel style suburbia was a real ‘Wizard of Oz esque’ moment and was brought to life with the powerful use of the soundtrack to feel some real nostalgia. This really was a masterclass on how to use music to evoke emotion from the audience.

This was a beauty to watch - but ultimately was missing a bit of heart where some characters appeared more surface level.

Standout Moment: The ice sculpture scene is beautiful

See if: You want to feel nostalgic for this 90’s classic with a twist

Last Impression: Stunning to view but lacking heart

Written by Steph