Sleeping Beauty is packed with all the magic of panto

Sleeping Beauty is often quite a complicated tale but the Priory Theatre gave it everything it needed for a great show.

There’s an excitable fairy (Hannah Muir), the baddie Carabosse (Lisa Webster), the ‘sillies’ Wheel and Deal (Laura Jackson and Paul Sanders), a wonderful Dame in the hands of Dan Blizzard and a tip-top Jingles with a beautiful voice to boot (Liam Hogan-Birse).

Princess Willow (Ellen Turner) and Prince Valliant (Clare Sykes) were perfect. Prince Valliant - armed only with a broom handle - managed to out smart evil Carabosse with not one, but two magic swords. Great fight choreography too.

I often muse about the role of the audience and the level of audience participation required to support the magic of panto (having sat through some where the audience were all but silent) .The Priory first-night audience had at its core a bunch of benevolent Brownies intent on giving it some welly. The spinning wheel delivered to the palace had them determined to save the Princess from her fate. “Step away from the wheel!” came the barked order from the stalls – brilliant!

All in all, this is a great evening out – wonderful sets and great costumes, lovely singing and dancing from the chorus and packed with all the magic of panto that this time of year demands.

Jane Howard