Sleeping Beauty – Nottingham Playhouse

Writer: Adam Penford

Director: Adam Penford

It’s December, and so it must be panto time at the Playhouse – and as usual, it’s wonderful entertainment.

If ever you needed proof that pantomime doesn’t have to be all about big names and massive casts, this is a great example of the sort of Christmas event that you can find all over the country. It has a cast of just seven adult principals, and it’s as funny a piece as you could expect to see anywhere. Before it even starts, you can feel that the audience is absolutely up for it with a palpable buzz in the air and cheers as the pre-show announcement goes out.

Written and directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Adam Penford, it’s a gem of a script, packed with family-friendly comedy and just enough more adult humour that’s well-pitched to go over the heads of the younger audience members while adding a bit more for their parents to enjoy. It has everything you could want – there’s audience participation (though never in a way that’s going to make anyone feel uncomfortable), good music and lots of mess, with the expected local references and in-jokes thrown in too (and you’ll never hear Loughborough pronounced that way anywhere else either).

Leading the cast is John Elkington as Nelly the Nanny. Elkington is a firmly established favourite with over 25 years of Playhouse pantomime experience under his belt, and he gets a massive reception as soon as he walks on stage. He is the quintessential dame – ready with a quip or an aside, with a variety of amusing costumes, each designed to create some sort of gag. He’s clearly absolutely at home here, carrying the show through with energy while showing great empathy with the young, and not quite so young, audience members brought up onto the stage.

The comedy doesn’t all sit with Elkington, and he’s surrounded by a hard-working cast. Providing some additional comedy is Danny Hendrix as Teddy the Bear, again giving loads of energy to the role despite being dressed in what must be a very warm bear costume. Completely at ease in his role, Hendrix shows good comic timing and isn’t afraid to throw himself around the stage either. TJ Lloyd is another Playhouse returnee, this time as the King, and although he gets less to do than some of the others, he handles his comedy well and complements the others beautifully. Charis Alexandra is an excellent Fairy Lights, the trainee fairy who’s called on to deliver a life-saving spell, with Yazmin King as a well-judged Princess Rose.

Vying with Elkington to steal the show, we have Lara Sas, relishing her role as an evil Maleficent, and Seb Harwood, who gives us the funniest Prince you could hope to come across. Often a bit of a non-role, this is a prince with some real comedy to deliver, and Harwood gives it everything he’s got. This really is an excellent cast, each doing their bit to make the panto what it is.

Complementing the adult cast, we have a young chorus, two teams of seven young people who replace the standard adult dance ensemble – and very good they are too. It’s great to give young people the opportunity to work on the professional stage like this, and it’s actually a shame that they aren’t given a bit more to do than they have.

Back again at the Playhouse is designer Cleo Pettitt, with sets that are vibrant and colourful and some wonderful costumes. There’s also a very impressive dragon that makes an appearance at one point. It’s classic panto, and it all helps to brighten the mood on a drizzly December evening.

As usual, the show is at the Playhouse for a good long run, right through to the middle of January, so you’ll have lots of time to catch it – and as always, they’ve done what they can to make it as accessible as possible, with ticket prices from £17.50, and Pay What You Can and Youth Pass performances too.

It’s a Christmas cracker of a pantomime.

Runs until 17 January 2026