The Sleeping Beauty
Oxford Playhouse keeps up its long-standing tradition of well-crafted, warm-hearted pantomimes, with this cracking Sleeping Beauty. There may be no gimmicky celebrity cameos, but there is plenty of panto gusto to keep both kids and parents happy. All the usual elements are intact and in fine fettle - a glittering set, replete with sparkly sapphire mirrorballs, a spitting villainess (Carrie Ellis) and a hairy fairy godmother (Stephen Aintree).
There are also some nuggets of comedy heritage for those who can spot them. Robin Armstrong’s Miffins the Jester - the star turn of the night - evokes the best of Frank Spencer as he effortlessly tumbles his way through mishap after mishap.
Richard Stacey’s King Hamonday, on the other hand, seems to have bounced straight out of one of Kenny Everett’s old TV shows, his esoteric wackiness offset nicely by Abi Finley’s goofy Queen Egathella. Stephen Aintree even turns in a Ken Dodd tribute as he leads an ensemble performance of Happiness.
Nostalgia is clearly a key theme this year, with an eighties dance sequence for the mums and dads - fans of Adam Ant and Queen are in for a treat. Although, as with all good panto, there is something for everyone here. All in all, a riot of the very best kind.
Production information
- By:
- Peter Duncan, who also directs
- Management:
- Oxford Playhouse
- Cast:
- Stephen Aintree, Lois Urwin, Joseph Attenborough, Abigail Finley, Richard Stacey, Robin Armstrong, Carl Au, Chris Adams, Anouska Sophie Eaton, Sophie Le Brun
- Lighting:
- Ashley Bale
- Costumes:
- Amanda Hambleton
- Choreography:
- Alan Bradshaw
- Musical direction:
- Darren Reeves, Paul Terry (supervisor)
Production information can change over the run of the show.
Run sheet
- Playhouse Oxford
- December 6 2008-January 18 2009
Content is copyright © 2012 The Stage Media Company Limited unless otherwise stated.
All RSS feeds are published for personal, non-commercial use. (What’s RSS?)