Sleeping Beauty - a DREAMY Panto in WOKING!

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the press night of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ - this years Pantomime at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking. This is the first time I have ever been to see the Woking panto, and so I was very excited to be going - and In this review I will detail my thoughts and opinions on different elements within this year’s pantomime!

Sleeping Beauty was filled with panto joy and magic! (Oh yes it was!!). I had a big beaming smile on my face from the very start to the very end, and that proves that no matter how old your are - Pantomime is a wonderful thing as it can bring everybody back together and help you to experience life through the eyes of a child for a couple of hours! 

First I am going to talk about the design aspects. This pantomime spared no expenses when it came to Set and costume. Each and every set was stunning and immersive,whether it was Aurora’s palace, or the evil Carrabosse’s lair, everything was huge and colourful! Not to mention the fabulous costumes. Each costume was as lavish as the last, adorned with glitter, sequins and colour, each scene brought new costumes to the point where you begin to wonder - where on earth are they keeping all of these?!.

The writing by Alan McHugh hit the nail on the head for exactly what you want from a pantomime. The script was funny, silly and fast paced - with a few jokes thrown in for the adults that went completely over the children’s heads (phew!). The choreography was by Aaron Renfree and was executed with slickness and precision by the shows fabulous ensemble made up of: Cameron Boulter, Eleanor Bye, Ethan Fairclough, Andrea Hajiyianni, Taya Latter, Ethan Matthews, Ella Meakin and Kingston Taylor.

Panto legend Christopher Biggins graced the stage (and the sky), as ‘The Spirit of Dreams’. It was truly an honour to finally see Christopher Biggins in a pantomime, and I was seriously not disappointed. For the majority of the show, Biggins speaks to us from the sky, on a giant glittering moon (of course he does!), and provides lots of giggles and interaction from both the children, and the adults.

Faye Tozer, who you may know from ‘Steps’, was our villain, the evil ‘Carrabosse the sorceress’. Tozer makes a wonderful pantomime villain, really playing into the Boos and Hisses from the audience and also treating us to some amazing vocals - including some ‘Steps’ numbers at the end! Tozer is no stranger to a pantomime and this is clear within her performance.

Richard Cadell is Muddles and brings along Sooty and Sweep with him too. It was so much fun to see Sooty in a pantomime - The magic performed in the show was second to none and I truly believe that, the tricks were insane and left my mind boggled, nevermind the children in the audience. I have come away from this mind-blown by what that little bear can do! Cadell is your ideal comedy character, with the audience in the palm of his hand, he commands the stage and wins everybody over instantly with his bubbly and friendly presence. We even had a special appearance from Soo! The whole gang was there! 

Will Richardson was our Prince William, no stranger to a stage, Richardson has impeccable vocal talent, which is shown off to its full ability as he sings some really beautiful songs throughout the show. Richardson also has a talent for comedy as he has some brilliant one liners and physical comedy during the ‘If I did not work at the palace’ scene! I was rolling in the isles laughing! Richardson had a great chemistry with his onstage princess, played by Rhianne Drummond.

Drummond gives a marvellous portrayal of Princess Aurora who, although she spends half the show asleep, provided stunning vocals and a lovely friendly character for the audience to love! 

The ideal cast for a sleeping beauty pantomime, every single performer brought fun and laughter to their roles, including James Paterson and Brenda Longman as the King and Queen too!

Not forgetting the other fantastic things that make this pantomime one of the best: the helicopter and the dragon.. I won’t go into any more detail but they looked incredible and provide a unique experience that you won’t just find at any pantomime!

Overall, This year’s Sleeping Beauty pantomime, at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking is a magical and exciting show, that brings ounces of Christmas festive fun, along with mind-blowing magic, outstanding vocals and lavish costumes. I could not recommend it enough. I believe that this is up there as one of the best pantomimes I have ever seen! 

You will find ‘Sleeping Beauty’ running at the New Victoria Theatre Woking until Sunday 5th January with tickets available here. It is a beautiful show that will leave you beaming cheek to cheek and laughing no matter how old you are. 

If you do go along, let me know what you thought! I’d love to hear how it was!

Wednesday 11th December

Robbie Davies | Robbie’s Backstage Bants

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