The Sleeping Beauty – Church Hill Theatre

This traditional Panto is great family entertainment, including cheesy jokes, audience participation, sing alongs and all the familiar ‘panto’ tropes. Edinburgh People’s Theatre throw themselves into this retro production, and you find yourself laughing, singing and shouting out ‘behind you!’, almost in spite of yourself. It’s enough to make even a moody teen smirk!

On the night I attended the massed ranks of Brownies and Guides and large family groups fairly filled up the well appointed and comfortable seats of the Church Hill Theatre and provide plenty of atmosphere and hilarious heckling in all the right places. When dame, Derek Ward, as Queen Dorothy asks if his ‘bum looks big in this’, he looks suitably hurt by the inevitable audience responses.

Mandy Black’s assured direction and choreography means that this rattles along at a good lick, makes excellent use of the whole auditorium and prodigious work for the large cast.

The big chorus numbers in particular, under Anne Mackenzie’s excellent musical direction, and seemingly making use of every rail in the wardrobe, are a delight to the eye and the ear. The tartan clad troupe are in fine voice for ‘Marching Through The Heather’ in the first half and even more effective immediately after the interval in a lusciously costumed dream-inspired Egyptian performance of ‘Mr Sandman’. The best number though is left till last in the unexpected (and brave), ‘Anything Goes’, complete with period costuming and excellent choreography.

Despite the multiple changes in direction, as evidenced above, the story of Sleeping Beaty is also well told, without ever taking itself too seriously. Principle Characters, Al Brown wonderfully upbeat and an excellent narrator as butler Billy and Gordon Braidwood suitably dry as King Nollikins. When the two team up they make a fine double act, no more so than in the recalling of the Alphabet-busting 26 names of the newly born princess.

Derek Ward’s Queen Dorothy makes a fine dame, brusque and mouthy without being grotesque, and interacting well with the responsive audience throughout.

Lynsey Spence’s Princess Aurora manages to build a believable romance with her Prince Charming, Carol Bryce’s splendid, thigh-slapping, Orlando, although I would have liked them to slow the tempo a little for their big number, All I have to do is Dream.

Villain, Carabosse, is played with just the right amount of threat by Lizzie Dell, without being too scary for the youngest audience members. But it is her cat Spindleshanks, played with abandoned relish by James Sutherland who threatens to steal the whole show, his wonderful movement and feline strops about wanting to be ‘the little old lady’ are just hilarious, as are his pouting, arm-crossed sulks – love it!

One cannot help but be carried along by the general enthusiasm and joy of this production. From the programme you see actors doubling as set builders, set painters, programme designers, wardrobe coordinators and wig dressers. All done for the love of the theatre, and a true antidote to the big bad world beyond its walls.

Reviewer: Greg Holstead

Reviewed: 13th December 2024

North West End UK Rating: