Sleeping Beauty, Broadway Theatre Catford Review
Photo by Mark Senior
Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Susie McKenna returns to the Broadway Theatre with her second festive offering. She has a long list of Panto credits to her name as a performer, writer and director, notably with over 20 years at the helm of the acclaimed Hackney Empire panto. It’s quite a coup to have her at the Broadway and she has written and directed a show that makes it clear that she has a lot of understanding of and appreciation for the local community.
McKenna’s script is full of all the usual fun that people expect in a good panto – plenty of call and response with the audience from the larger than life characters, a bit of “he’s behind you” silliness, audience interaction, a sing along and a villain to boo. But it also has plenty of topical content and a strong message about living in harmony with our neighbours and not vilifying them for being different. Divisive political figures like Liz Truss, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage (apparently he used to be the King’s Court Jester!) get a mention and poking fun at them goes down very well with the adults in the audience. In a refreshing twist, the beautiful Princess Tahlia is no damsel in distress, but a strong and independent character, more at home with a sword than a tiara!
The set (from Glitter Pantomimes Ltd) is simple and colourful. Costumes and props, by Lotte Collett, are impressive – from Carabosse’s spyglass complete with pop out eye to the forest of thorns that covers King Eric’s castle, they’re well made and have a great impact. The costumes for Dame Nanny Nora stand out – they’re big, bright and bold and even incorporate a bit of social commentary on the NHS and sewage in rivers!
The five piece band, led by Musical Director Ben Goddard-Young produces an impressive sound and it’s a treat to have Morwenna Brown on Harp. Unfortunately, this impressive sound is incredibly loud and the singers on stage are often competing to be heard meaning that a lot of lyrics were lost. Although it was a great idea at the start of the show to set the scene in the style of the opening number from the musical theatre juggernaut that is Hamilton, a lot of the more complicated plot points were missed because of the sound issues, making the story hard to follow. So it wasn’t clear how Princess Tahlia got her healing powers and the fear and hatred towards “Magicals” lost a bit of impact.
Not all of the song choices suited the singers with an emphasis on pop solos rather than singalong ensemble numbers, but Roshani Abbey and Lisa Davina Phillip really stood out, bringing some stunning vocals to the roles of Princess Tahlia and the evil fairy Carabosse.
The hard working cast members keep the energy turned up to 11 right from the start and it doesn’t drop. A small chorus of students from the local Montage Theatre Arts are well drilled but perhaps a little under-used. I would also like to have seen a little more of Durone Stokes as Prince Gabriel. He had excellent presence, vocals and dance skills but the character felt rather undeveloped in contrast with his strong and determined love interest Tahlia.
In the part of Denzil the Dragon, Wayne Rollins was a big hit with the audience, taking to the stage with a battle cry of “MESS ABOUT” that the kids all loved to shout back at him. I didn’t quite understand why the King had a dragon as his Jester, but he was great fun.
The show’s stand out performance came from the brilliant Justin Brett as Dame Nanny Nora. He had fantastic comic timing, rattling through the jokes with great pace but never missing an opportunity to land a punchline. His audience interaction was a highlight, also showing off the great improv skills that serve him so well as a member of the Showstoppers (improvised musical) company.
This production of Sleeping Beauty should be a solid festive hit for the Broadway Theatre. Everybody on the stage is clearly having a great time and, despite issues with the sound and some of the song choices, everybody in the audience will go away feeling thoroughly entertained by Dame Nanny Nora and friends.
Sleeping Beauty runs at the Broadway Theatre until 31st December. You can find out more about the show, including relaxed and BSL signed performances, and book tickets here.
★★★
