Sleeping Beauty at Mountsorrel Memorial Centre (MMC) Review
Written by Emmie for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Produced by TaleGate Theatre, inspiring young audiences has been at the heart of everything they do for over 10 years. Their relationship with the Mountsorrel Memorial Centre has been carefully cultivated over the last four years, enabling more families to experience the magic of a pantomime over the festive period at a more affordable price range compared to other local venues.
This production of Sleeping Beauty oozes potential, breathing new life into the much-loved fairy tale. While it stays true to the familiar story of a young princess and her fateful curse, this production is packed with modern references that resonate with today’s audiences. There’s a lot to love about the show - it’s playful and engaging, offering plenty to delight both children and adults alike.
Danny Mills plays a fantastic and well-rounded Dame. As the only comic in this show, the humour relies heavily on them to deliver. He is instantly likable in the role and embraces every opportunity to inject some improvised comedy into some of the scenes, which landed well with the audience.
The young ensemble, formed by the local Brightlights Theatre School, are a sweet bunch of performers. They do a fantastic job at filling the scenes, and are clearly enjoying their time on that stage. They would definitely benefit from more simplistic routines so that they can perform with more confidence and cleaner movement throughout the pantomime.
The Principal Boy and Girl, Ashton Peat as Prince Valentine and Grace Gauld as Princess Aurora, deliver the most promising performances of the production. Although Peat’s early delivery feels somewhat rushed, he settles into the role by the second half, appearing far more at ease. The show’s musical numbers play to his strengths and allow him to shine. Gauld, meanwhile, is confident and assured throughout as Princess Aurora, bringing a strong and consistent presence to the role. Their duet performances of “A Million Dreams” and “Soda Pop” were particularly memorable and well sung in the show.
Ellie Conory is delightful as Fairy Fabulous, clearly winning over the younger members of the audience, who thoroughly enjoy her lively and engaging presence. However, I didn’t understand why in one area she was performing as the Fairy but was wearing a more ‘villager’-esque costume.
However, the strongest performance of the ensemble came from Bethany Grace Wright. Her wickedly delightful take on Evil Molevola is brought to life with style, supported by a vocal ability more than equal to the character’s demands.
For such a small venue, the quality of this performance is relatively good. There is definitely a way to go for it to become better. The dragon didn’t have quite the desired effect for the fight scene. We were initially amazed by it until we realised it looked asleep for the fight against the prince and moved very clunky. Another issue was the sound levels throughout the show. Although the venue only sits around 200 people, the volume was considerably low. This meant that the musical numbers felt flat, and you would have to hope you didn’t have audience members talking throughout to hear what was unfolding on the stage. Also, please add a slosh scene next year!
Despite mixed execution, this production of Sleeping Beauty’s greatest strength lies in how it brings the community together in a warm, inclusive theatrical experience. I definitely would return next year.
Plays until 23 December 2025
★ ★ ★
