Sleeping Beauty – The Customs House, South Sheilds

Writer: Ray Spencer & Graeme Thompson

Director: Ray Spencer

Reviewer: Linda Barker

Sleeping Beauty - South Sheilds ‘Tis the season to be jolly and nothing is more guaranteed to leave you feeling jollier than a trip to the Customs House to see this year’s riotous production of ‘Sleeping Beauty.’

Once again, the cast is led by panto stalwarts Bob Stott and Ray Spencer as Dame Dotty and Tommy, respectively. There is an abundance of their trademark slapstick and near-the-knuckle humour, which has the adults in the audience in stitches.

Peter Darrant resumes his regular role as villain of the piece – this season he is Evil Chancellor Lord Darling – and is aided and abetted by Helen Embleton, who makes her panto debut as the Evil Fairy Narcissis. This double-trouble partnership is the focus of much booing and hissing and the pair seem to revel in their all-round nastiness, whilst providing an element of camp-vamp fun.

Lucy Rafton – who played the title role in last year’s production of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ – returns to play Princess Primrose of Jarra. I was pleased to find that her confidence and ability has grown in the space of twelve months and her performance was all the better for it.

The plot, such as it is, revolves around failed fairy, Narcissis wreaking revenge upon kindly King Street, played by Graham Overton who had banished her from ‘Cooksonville’ long ago. At the christening of the baby Princess she turns up uninvited and proceeds to cast an evil spell that will see Primrose prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel before her sixteenth birthday and die.

Fortunately, the third of her Fairy Godmothers has not yet bestowed her gift upon the child and is able to reduce the spell to a century-long slumber, which will be broken by true love’s first kiss.

Here lies the task of Prince Walter of Howden (Afnan Ifitkhar), who may have the status and wealth of royalty but fails to deliver the dynamism of performance given by his fellow cast members.

Fresh from completing drama school, Rachel Teate, Rebecca Currie and Lindsay-Anne Dagg make a talented trio of fairies and in addition to providing a fair proportion of the musical numbers, they also deliver some great moments of comedy – mostly at the expense of the hapless Fairy Nuff (Dagg).

A particular highlight for the younger members of the audience came in the form of Derek the dragon, supplied by the fabulous Kallini Puppets. This animated, Sleeping Beauty - South Sheilds 1 talking little character was a sure-fire hit with all the kids.

The mix of local references, current pop songs and traditional panto values combined to produce a fun-filled festive frolic of a show that ensures ‘the little panto with the big heart’ remains an essential element of Christmas in South Tyneside. Don’t miss it!