If you’re looking for all the right ingredients for a rollicking good panto then head down to Oxford Playhouse this Christmas where Sleeping Beauty is enthralling theatre-goers young and old this festive season.
From villains and fairies to spinning wheels, sweets, water pistols, singing, big dresses and bawdy jokes, it’s all going on as Sleeping Beauty opens in Oxland, where Walter The Wicked is already hard at work. ‘It’s an absolute juggernaut of a panto’ Walter The Wicked on terrorising Oxland and causing mayhem in Sleeping Beauty at Oxford Playhouse this Christmas
It’s the eve of Princess Aurora‘s 18th birthday as preparations for her big party ensue. But Walter The Wicked (Robin Hemmings back as the baddie for a second dastardly tenure) has other plans, building a time machine to send her off to the 80s after she pricks her finger.
Exactly what a panto should be – homegrown, hearty and hilarious
Luckily his daughter Ursula The Unsure (Daisy Ann Fletcher and her beautiful voice) questions his evil intent and takes a shine to Princess Aurora, as they set up a vibrant 80s fashion boutique to spice up an otherwise drab 80s.
And while WHAM style CHOOSE PANTO and WAKING BEAUTY t-shirts, head boppers, neons and rah rah skirts (costume designer Immi Howard surpassed herself) prevail, the 80s feature everywhere.
The sets are incredible (thanks to Bronia Housman) and the epic hits just keep on coming. From Queen to The Human League and Culture Club, the older members of the audience sang along with gusto. And as the drama deepens and the pace picks up, a fabulous cast and story-line replace the usual gimmicks.
Throw in Nelly the Nurse (Lucy Frederick) who plays the dame unusually as a woman, not that it lacked a masculine presence, her great banter with the crowd, outrageous dresses and flirting with Walter, keeping us on our toes.
Along with Billy The Silly (a returning Max Guest), invisible fairy Mark-O (Elliott Wooster), Roger The Rigid (Oxford’s Tats Nyazika), and the joyful Sleeping Beauty Young Company, Walter’s plans are continually thwarted.
We didn’t want it to end as Princess Aurora (the gloriously independent Sophia Lewis) and her looming throne beckons, the audience leaving with joy in their hearts and hope for the festive season.
Exactly what a panto should be – homegrown, hearty and hilarious.
Sleeping Beauty at Oxford Playhouse runs until January 5. Book at https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/sleeping-beauty
