Sleeping Beauty Awakens At The Darlington Panto

Sleeping Beauty is a pantomime for all ages with a cracking cast who all appear to be having the time of their lives on stage, with the good-natured bonhomie flowing over to the audience.

Pollard, now aged seventy-five and with at least fifty pantomimes under her belt, excelled as the pantomime villain. Many forget she can hold a tune too, though with Lee Mead, who shot to prominence after winning the BBC series Any Dream Will Do to take the role of Joseph in the West End, any opportunities to sing were mainly left to him.

From predictably giving a rousing version of Any Dream Will Do to, in the next scene, performing the Taylor Swift hit, Shake It Off, his versatility soon became apparent, playing the handsome and debonair Prince Lee. The musical score struck a pleasing balance between modern and traditional songs that lent itself to all ages of the audience.

Josh Benson as court jester Muddles brought his years of Panto experience to the Darlington stage for another time, having starred in last year’s production. Having been a regular Panto star at Halifax's Victoria Theatre and later producing and creating family entertainment at York Maze, Josh Benson's instant rapport with the youngsters served him well.

Jamie Jones as Nurse Nelly must have had at least ten costume changes, with each outfit becoming more extravagant, all adding to the sparkle and glamour. Designed by himself, the flamboyant dresses matched his personality as the Panto Dame.

Olivia Foster-Browne as the Spirit of Pantomime was given the space for her character to shine, with Stephanie Costi as Princess Aurora having the chemistry between herself and Prince Lee that was totally believable.

The choreography by Stephen Alexander and Alan Harding saw the dance ensemble, who danced beautifully as various characters and interacted with ease with the main cast.

Despite all the many special effects, the slapstick version of If I Were Not Upon the Stage received the biggest laughs of the performance. The routine can descend into chaos, but here it is acted for maximum fun, with, of course, Benson taking the brunt of the hilarity.

In Sleeping Beauty, Darlington has a pantomime that is colourful, spectacular, and extremely funny. Oh yes, it is!

Runs until Tuesday 31st December 2024
www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk