The foyer was full of highly excited children, party frocks abounded, all clamouring to own one of the "light up wands for the waving of" or perhaps a large foam rubber hand instead. Some of this sparkling anticipation rubbed off on us adults as we looked forward to our own Chris Harris’s production of Sleeping Beauty. The programme was full of delightful silly games and an appropriate piece on the facts about sleeping, although doing it for a time of one hundred years wasn’t mentioned!
Liza Goddard plays the Good Fairy and comprises everything a good fairy should have at her fingertips, or wand tip, she radiates kindness, carries off a pink twinkly dress to perfection and charms all the boys and girls at once. At the other end of the scale, Gemma Bissix as the Bad Fairy promotes a torrent of boos and hisses at every appearance leaving everybody in no doubt as to exactly how bad she is. The jokers in the pack are Tom Owen, as the lovable tubby King with his foil, Muddles (my mate Muddles as we were all required to shout whenever we saw him) played by Jon Monie. These two get into quite a few scrapes but not as many as Chris Harris as the Dame resplendent in a large flouncy dress. I was very happy to see that slapstick is still alive and throwing custard pies during a kitchen skit between him and the hapless Muddles - we all knew it would be good when they laid down a waterproof sheet on the stage.
So, we booed, we hissed, we shouted ourselves hoarse at the appearance of a large spider "behind yer" as the beautiful Princess fell in love with her Prince and the Good Fairy and Bad Fairy battled between them to do or undo the outcome. The production is fast and lively with lots of good music and excellent singing and dancing from all the cast, and the children from the Dorothy Coleborn School of Dancing. There is a scene when all the toys come alive which is particularly well done. As an added bonus there are some marvellous 3D animation effects which were spellbinding, especially one which had Tim Bonser as the Prince flying through space and time. As well as singing Tim Bonser is obviously a dab hand at wire work!
We had a wonderful evening and to say this production has everything is an understatement. Young or old, nobody could fail to enjoy this from beginning to end, and remember Pantomimes aren’t just for Christmas, if needs be this one will dispel any winter blues you may have right up to January 2010!.
Jacquie Vowles