Sleeping Beauty – Sunderland Empire

Writer: Jon Monie

Director: Victoria Gimby

A wonderful festive greeting from a Youth Choir singing Christmas songs at the entrance of the Sunderland Empire sets the mood for a Christmas treat. The pantomime at the Empire this year is Sleeping Beauty and what a beauty – ‘Oh yes it is’.

The auditorium is filled with excited children – young and old – ready to greet the cast. The anticipation of the magic that is about to unfold is electrifying. “Wakey, Wakey for the pantomime of your dreams” shouts Vesta the Jester (Tom Whalley) and it has begun.

Pantomime is one of the most traditional and beloved forms of theatre and usually the first experience of live theatre for a young audience. It is a British tradition to see a pantomime at Christmas and is seen as a family friendly form of theatre entertainment. This year at Sunderland Empire the pantomime is Sleeping Beauty and the show stars Tom Whalley as Vesta the Jester. Whalley is no stranger to the Empire being a local lad who has been performing and writing pantomimes from a very young age. He is passionate about pantomime and this is his seventh season treading the boards at Sunderland. His enthusiasm and professionalism is clearly shown throughout.

A glittering array of twinkling lights sets the scene for the arrival of Fairy Snowfall (Laura Main) who introduces the story. The scene is depicted behind a gauze showing us the birth of the long awaited baby, Princess Rose. The happiness of the new arrival is soon shattered however by the evil Carabosse (Jordan Lee Davies) who puts a curse on the baby. Carabosse states that before the Princess is 18 she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die. Immediately all spinning wheels in the Kingdom are destroyed. But will this save the Princess? The adventure begins as the Good Fairy Snowfall has other plans to break the curse.

Vesta the Jester (Tom Whalley) appears and immediately involves the audience making them feel part of the show. Whalley’s skill and true professionalism shines throughout. His ‘mother’ Rorina the Cleaner (Miss Rory) makes a wonderful Dame and what panto wouldn’t be the same without a Dame. Every entrance presents us with a new, magnificent costume. Costume design is by Elizabeth Dennis.

Whalley and Miss Rory make a dynamic duo. Their countless double entendres addressed at the adults and lavatorial jokes addressed at the younger audience makes for a balanced array of humour. This two and a half hour show, including interval, is a long time to engage a young audience but they work their magic and keep everyone entertained throughout.

The first half of the show is story driven and the second half includes lots of comedy routines. Tonight the traditional Sleeping Beauty story has a twist though as we see time travel and a role reversal cleverly introduced by writer Jon Monie.

All the traditional elements of panto are seen. There’s the usual slapstick scene, a bit understated in this production. There’s the ghost scene element too with the Lampton Worm making an appearance. This scene gets the audience going with plenty of shouts of “It’s behind you” – always a crowd pleaser. And then there’s the community singing with Team Jester and Team Rorina battling it out to win the sing off.

There’s an excellent ensemble of mainly local dancers with support from younger dancers from The Kathleen Davis Stage School and the SK Dance School of Performing Arts. Kathleen Davis has been providing Babes for the Empire since the mid seventies and they always give a polished performance. The ensemble routines are well choreographed by Chris Whittaker.

This is a well balanced pantomime with larger than life characters such as the baddie, Carabosse, and the more natural ones like Princess Rose (Evelyn Hoskins), Prince Vincent (David Ribi) and The King, played by Peter Peverley, another local actor.

This pantomime is full of energy, laughter, dancing, singing and just overall fun. The audience left the theatre grinning from ear to ear. You definitely won’t nod off as there is plenty to keep you wake. All the traditional elements of a classic pantomime are seen together with the dame’s array of dazzling costumes and the standout comedic performances from Whalley and Miss Rory. It’s definitely an evening of pure pantomime that you will be sure to enjoy. ‘Oh Yes You Will’.

Runs until Sunday 4th January 2026.