The Sleeping Beauty

With a large cast of Principals supported by a big Chorus, and a Company of dancers from the Lyme School of Ballet, LRPS certainly embraced the challenge of their new venue and served up some traditional pantomime fare with this production. All the characters in this well-known tale were played sincerely, with a lovely mix of adults and youngsters both in the main and supporting roles and in the Chorus.  The Good Fairy brought an attractive quirkiness to the part, and while the Evil Fairy made a suitable foil she was perhaps a touch too nice, but was ably abetted by her decidedly meaner sidekick Spindleshanks. The King made an amiable partner for the very impressively costumed Queen, at times a little too high-pitched but otherwise a strong and confident performance as Dame. Jilly was a convincing Jester and the tongue-twisting patter with the King was well done. The baking scene in the first half with the rat puppet was good fun, and the ballet sequence cleverly showed the passage of time, moving the story forward to a dramatic ending of Act I, as the grown-up Princess pricks her finger on the spinning wheel. What to do now with the entire castle in slumber for 100 years? Well LRPS had the answer! With a spectacular opening set the scene with Carabosse and the Zombies to “Thriller” was very effective with some good choreography. The musical sequence “I’ve Lost my Dream”, with Jilly on roller skates, seemingly barely able to keep her balance, was hilarious, and deservedly brought the house down! This production had great sparkle and energy, with an impressive set and backdrops and bright colourful costumes.  Groupings were well-positioned on stage, and the auditorium was used to good effect for varying exits and entrances. The musical numbers were well-chosen and played, with some big blockbuster chorus numbers, although some songs a little long. The red and silver theme made for a stunning finale, and excellent lighting and sound throughout added to the quality of this production.

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