Sleeping Beauty

As soon as I walked into the reception area, I was given an overwhelming friendly welcome and was very kindly accommodated by the generous  Front of House management. With few seats vacant on this opening night, the impression is that the magical, buzzing atmosphere generated by performances by Harlequin Pantomime Productions for 17 years, continues to appeal to all ages. This performance of Sleeping Beauty was an all singing, all dancing package with a focused story, lots of laughter with humorous comments and jokes pitched at all ages, and a wonderful cast. This pantomime demonstrated the talents of those not just on the stage but also the skills of the director (Alf Rai); Musical Director (Rob Murray); and choreographer (Lisa Farmer); who never fail to deliver an astounding panto. The set was enchanting, the scene changes seamless and together, with some impressive (and exaggerated), stunning costumes, this world was brought to life with colour and imagination. There were some notably quick costume changes, and these were very smoothly done. Lighting effects were state of the art and sound quality was technically accurate, perfectly timed and professional.

Alf Rai’s direction ensured a pacy and involving production, with a’ feel good’ vibe, a blend of comedy and a well-chosen cast. This was in some ways a modern retelling of the classic fairytale for 2025 audiences.  Giving the show extra energy was the live music and crafted musical numbers credited to MD, Rob Murray. Having created too, the musical arrangements, he could be heard making an impact on the keyboard, accompanied by Sunim Koria on bass and Dave Shipley on drums. Choreography was vibrant and dynamic, an absolute joy to watch. Lisa Farmer’s choreography created some visually cohesive and polished dances in this show. I especially enjoyed the dance team perform the Cancan and, the ensemble’s performance to the number,’ Colour My World,’ which was uplifting and joyous.

The cast was very talented, the principals were very entertaining. Fairy Starburst was played by Stacey Smith, and she added more than a touch of magic to her role. She had a lovely stage presence with loads of confidence and clear vocals. She delivered a commanding performance, the,’ perfect good fairy’. Ellie Farmer was truly brilliant as the wicked baddie,’ Maleficent.’ She is quite a singer too with powerful vocal tones, a versatile performer. David Ball’s role as Russell Crowe was suitably subservient and submissive, an effective accomplice to Maleficent. Matt Wirtz played Muddles with infectious energy and from the moment he stepped onto the stage he engaged us all with his banter, quick wit, unabashed sense of fun and good humour. His rapport with the audience was swiftly established and before the end, Matt had the audience eating out of his hands who were easily persuaded by this showman to join him singing, ‘I am the music man…’ with some brave improvisation. Harriet Homers performed the role of Aurora with great charisma. She has a voice with a mesmerising quality. Her perfect pitch vocals matched her expressions and movement on stage.  She was perfectly matched with Jack Cottis who played Marco, her love interest. He had a soulful voice and, in his endeavours, to capture the heart of Aurora, asleep in the castle, he was equally as athletic. Both actors gave their roles depth and character. Nurse Nelly was played by Paul Bowman with gusto and great hilarity from the moment he appeared on the stage, wearing the most outrageous costumes and wigs. Paul is an experienced and much-loved dame and with Matt as Muddles, the pair played off each other the way best double acts do, bringing fun and evolving jokes to this production. Paul easily had the audience involved and joining in, he commanded the stage as we enjoyed his larger-than-life character. His role was a busy one with frequent costume changes and quick wit, a fabulous entertainer. Dave Callaghan brought a nobly sensitive touch to his role of King William. His initial appearance of a rather confused king needing medication was convincing but thankfully his character’s recovery was swift and interactions with cast members were full of frivolity. This pantomime had the right blend of tradition and modernity so when Alex Jeffreys played the role of Amadeus, (who was the real prince), he was not stereotypical as a prince from a fairy tale. He adopted body gestures and verbal tones that were relatively camp and demonstrated his resistance to kiss Aurora to awaken her. Alex played the role with passion and utter charm.

The cast of this production of Sleeping Beauty is to be congratulated for all the hard work that has gone into rehearsals. Their chemistry on stage brought everything to life, a fairy tale of magical mayhem completes with marvellous musical numbers and jam packed with jolly jokes. Well done to Alf Rai and all the cast and crew. Thank you for inviting me.

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