Sleeping Beauty

The Theatre was very festive and the front of house welcoming. The audience, including several youngsters, amounted to around 100 and, once warmed up, they joined in with some enthusiasm.

There was a great deal of information in the attractive programme with biographies, some dress rehearsal photographs and a comprehensive list of backstage personnel. It also listed previous pantomimes performed since 1981. It made very interesting reading.

The set was, as usual, very well thought out, with the cleverly decorated, attractive, interior of the castle central with a garden area one side of the apron and the kitchen area on the opposite side. The exterior of the castle was achieved by lighting depicting a wall projected onto the tabs. There was also the clever usage of a barbed wire effect across the castle to represent the spell cast by the wicked witch Carabosse. A great deal of attention had gone into these effects. At the same time, there was ample room on stage for the cast to perform and carry out their dance routines. With, at times, around 35 cast members, this must have taken careful planning and a great deal of rehearsal time.

It was good to have a talented live band and the lighting was superb throughout. Both factors added to the overall enjoyment of the panto.

The cast all performed well, although there appeared to be a slight problem from time to time with the sound, despite the use of microphones. It was virtually impossible to hear Aimee-Rose Howard (Chef Fresh), which was a shame as she was clearly well rehearsed and had good stage presence. Nick Simmonds, as Nanny Nonsense, performed well and was particularly impressive when interacting with the crowd, particularly when a youngster wanted to be squirted with the water he had been spraying over the audience! It was Nick’s first time as a Dame but hopefully not his last. He, along with Oliver Fry, in his role as the entertainer, Jester Jez, were instrumental in keeping up the pace of this, somewhat lengthy, panto. Natalie De Gruchy, as the evil Carabosse gave a standout performance. Her facial expressions were a joy, her diction perfect and she cleverly managed to get the audience to dislike her from the outset. This was her first panto but she will, no doubt, be appearing in more in the future. The youth element of the cast was delightful. Nicholas Newson as The Stork made the audience gasp at his cuteness. The Young Auroras were all very angelic, sang well and brought a smile to the face. Lizzie Giakoumelos, as Princess Aurora, sang beautifully and had good stage presence.

The singing and choreography were both outstanding and all the cast deserve congratulations as it must have taken some considerable time to learn and perfect the moves and sing so well. The Fairies were all competent singers in their own right, but were ably backed up by the rest of the cast. Well done to everyone.

The variation on If I Were Not Upon the Stage requires good timing and this was spot on and deserved the laughter and enthusiastic round of applause. Well done to all the principal characters involved in this sketch.

As previously mentioned, this panto was rather long but the cast kept up their enthusiasm and did not appear to tire. The audience were treated to an enjoyable evening and full credit should go to everyone involved. Clearly a great deal of work had gone into this production.

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