Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty is the age-old tale of the Princess cursed at birth by the evil witch. The Princess pricks her finger on a needle on her eighteenth birthday and falls into a deep sleep only to be awakened by a true love’s kiss. Although this version, written by Tom Whalley,  was a little different from the traditional storyline that most youngsters and adults are familiar with, it had all the elements and ingredients of much that is characteristic of the British panto.  Dryburn Theatrical Workshop certainly knows how to put on a great show. Directed by Michelle Coulson, Choreographed by Helen Wilson and Musically Directed by Brian Pennick, this pantomime was lively, colourful and certainly a fun-filled performance with the cast giving their all in order to engage the audience.

Joe Coulson, as Muddles, gave a splendid performance.  He had an excellent rapport with the audience and delivered his musical numbers confidently. In the character of Nanny Nurse, Malcolm Quinn played the perfect Dame.  He gave a confident, professional performance, and had an excellent rapport with the audience.  He delivered his lines well, and his one-liners and innuendoes were very funny both to the younger audience and the more mature ones. There were two very confident performances from Phil Martin as Lord Lucifer and Karen Scott playing Carabosse, both maintaining their characters throughout. Carabosse was particularly unpleasant, and they both raised the right sort of boos and hisses from the audience. Three sterling performances were delivered by Rebecca Scott, as Fairy Kindheart, Annette Morris, as Fairy Goodwish, and Mandy Kennedy, as Fairy Liquid, again all delivering convincing performances. Libby Kennedy played Princess Beauty with a good stage presence, delivering her musical numbers well, and had good diction. I particularly enjoyed the chemistry between Libby and Joe Coulson. Good performances from Sarah Hutchinson, as Queen Camilla Parker Bike, and Lee Passmoor, as King Keegan, again a good pairing and excellent stage presence.  Strong performances came from Adam Donald, as the Captain of the Guard, and Gary Eglington, as Herald.  Special mention must go to Naomi Skelton and Amy Davies as the Courtiers and Ghosts, Charlotte Siddoway, Isha Dubre and Abbie Stewart, as the Princes, and Isha and Charlotte as Black Beauty. A special mention must go to the dancers who added so much to this production as did the chorus.

The pace of the performance was good and I particularly enjoyed the community sing song “The Little Green Frog” which brought the audience to life. This production was filled with high energy and ran at a quick pace enabling the cast to milk the many gags, one-liners and innuendos. The set looked great, and the production team worked to a high standard. The lighting and sound effects were good as were the costumes, and greatly enhanced the production. Without exception this was a great show that had the audience hooked from the start and provided two hours of excellent entertainment. Well Done Dryburn Theatrical Workshop on an excellent performance.

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