Wow. There aren’t many ballets capable of rendering me speechless, but Matthew Bourne’s version of Cinderella last night did just that - and it seemed that the packed audience at the Bristol Hippodrome agreed.

Retold and set during the Blitz, this magical fairytale held me spellbound - a tale so familiar, and yet completely turned on its head, with only the shimmering slipper representing everything that has ever come before.

This interpretation starts with a Prologue of Pathe film before moving on to the Family House, where we first set eyes on Cinderella and meet her strange extended family.

The dancing really takes off in Act 2, at The Café de Paris, where Cinderella and Harry (her Prince Charming) are brought together for a ’brief encounter’ before being torn apart by disaster and then reunited in Act 3.

Director Matthew Bourne takes Prokofiev’s music to another level - as he himself admits “with real emotions and dramatic longing” - inspired in no small part by the classic films of the 1940s, with a fatalistic undercurrent that is hard to ignore.

Every member of the company played their role to perfection, but mentions must be given to Kerry Biggin as Cinderella, Sam Archer as the Pilot, and Madelaine Brennan (also associate director) as the evil, predatory Stepmother , who elevated this show from something great to something truly spectacular.

Special credit must also go to the suave and sophisticated Christopher Marney, who played the role of the dancing Angel with all the grace and flair of a young Fred Astaire.

The set and costumes were not only immaculate, but worked like magic to transport the audience from one location to another - from the family house to the Café de Paris, the bombed-out streets of London to the Underground. I have never seen the stage of the Hippodrome so transformed, and it is obvious that Lez Brotherston - responsible for set and costume design - is a master in his field. Teamed together with Neil Austin’s lighting and Paul Groothuis’ sound, you have a truly magical combination.

There are so many superlatives to choose from, applicable to every aspect of this production from the standard of dancing to the on-stage characterisation , that it is impossible to cover everything.

Purge yourself of everything you think you know about ballet, Cinderella or stage productions and go and see this show. It’s a night you will never forget.

Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella is on at the Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday, May 21