Sleeping Beauty at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre Review
Danny Beard as Carabosse
Written by Clare for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
As the big day gets closer, there’s nothing more festive in theatre than a trip to the pantomime. Wolverhampton Grand Theatre’s offering this year is Sleeping Beauty. Its book writers and stars Ian Adams and Tam Ryan’s third creation is complete with comedy, slapstick, local references and even a ferocious beast in the second act, it is Christmas magic at its finest.
The music used this year is a good range of recent hits such as APT and Lava Chicken as well as some musical classics such as Cell Block Tango from Chicago and I’m All Alone from Spamalot, all of which got the panto treatment.
This in-house production, directed by David Janson and choreographed by Natalie Bennyworth, had all the pantomime traits including custard pies and chaos as well as sparkly sets and costumes designed by David Shields. It had something that everyone young or young at heart could enjoy.
Ian and Tam brilliantly take up the comedic roles again as before, this year playing Dame Mary Fortune and Mickey Fortune respectively. The fact that they have written the show together and that have worked together for a few years really shows in their chemistry. Also flexing their comedic muscles, local man Zak Douglas was hilarious as Gerald the Herald throughout the show, especially when under the command of the evil Carabosse, and Debra Stephenson as Queen Bertha of Bilstonia, dazzled with her amusing impressions.
Fellow local lad Solomon Davy played the dashing Prince excellently alongside Princess Beauty (Aurora) played by Georgina Iudica-Davies, playing the doting young couple thrown together at a young age who are deeply in love…it is panto after all.
The highlight for me however was the casting of Danny Beard as Carabosse. As I have never seen Drag Race, I had limited knowledge of Danny before the show began but I was blown away, from their first entrance. I looked forward to each appearance of the baddie throughout the show, with their verse of Rise Like a Phoenix to close act one being a vocal highlight.
This panto from the Wolverhampton Grand is a highlight each year in my calendar and this offering is no exception, complete with a finale megamix to boogie out to, it’s definitely worth getting a ticket for before it ends its run on 4th January 2026.
Find out more and book here.
★★★★★