Inside Salisbury: The glitz, glamour and fun at Panto
Review: Wiltshire Creative's Sleeping Beauty
By Annette J Beveridge
I am going to confess something here. I am not really a Panto fan but when I was asked if I wanted to provide a review of Wiltshire Creative’s Sleeping Beauty, I duly found and released my inner child and immersed myself in a world of glitzy make-believe.
Sleeping Beauty is a well-known tale. It is about good versus evil and true love winning out. This year’s adaptation sees Princess Stella (Lottie Mae O’Kill) being whisked away to Salisburyshire Plain for her own protection after the evil Fairy Badflix (Natasha O’Brien) curses her as a young baby condemning her to death at the tender age of 21.
Read more: Early Bronze Age Cist found
The King (Neal Craig) beseeches the evil Fairy’s sister Fairy Frappucino (Claudia Kariuki) to protect his child and she manages to conjure up a protection spell to reduce the deadly curse. Now Princess Stella will only sleep for one hundred years if she pricks her finger on a sewing machine needle.
The King hires Nanny Fanny Adams (Scotty Armstrong) to protect her and Princess Stella is raised in complete ignorance of her royal connections but Stella is desperate to learn about her family. Does she even have one? Where does she come from?
There are moments of sheer madness - enter Mike the Magnificent (Joseph Peacock) who brings a sense of quirkiness, energy and fun to the stage. His growing friendship and blossoming love for Stella soon has the audience on side.
As always, the Panto Dame brings a sense of naughtiness - with a large dollop of double-entendres for the adults in the room. But there is something for everyone. From slapstick dunking to fabulous choreography, there is even the much-loved audience sing-a-long at the end.
As for the Panto Villain - Fairy Badflix, a self-proclaimed telly addict, she was the perfect baddie for all of us to boo.
Now, here’s the thing.
I laughed, I booed, and I hissed and I’m certainly not the usual audience member. It was fun and in typical panto style, your senses are overwhelmed by colour, creativity and great performances.
The cascade of bubbles filling the auditorium added a magical feel.
Review Studio Theatre’s Night Must Fall
Why are pantomimes so popular?
I think we sometimes forget how much we all need a bit of silliness and laughter and I did laugh. The moment the panto started, I forgot about everything for a while and that’s why British Panto works. It is an escape from reality and it takes you back to the innocence of childhood.
The actors did a superb job as did the dancers.
Read more: Fayre smashes charity fundraising
It was a great adaptation, filled with colour and energy. The tried-and-tested story was brought firmly into the present.
Directed by Ryan McBryde, I would say that if you want an evening of pure entertainment and fun, go along.
Children are going to love it, but looking around the audience, I think all the adults booed, hissed, and clapped with genuine amusement. It was silly, imaginative, and nuts, but that’s great.
The Panto is on until Sunday, January 12, 2025
