Writer: Liam Mellor
Director: Chantelle Nolan
Regal Entertainments Ltd have brought an Easter spectacular to the Liverpool Epstein Theatre in the form of the panto Sleeping Beauty. Sleeping Beauty tells the tale of Princess Aurora (Mia Molloy) who is cursed at birth by the evil Carabose (Rachael Wood). Once she turns 18, Aurora will sleep for 100 years, unless the curse is broken by true loves kiss.
The show opens with a bang! A performance of the song Brand New Day featuring Fairy Sparkle (Katy Mac) and the fabulous adult dancers bring colour and energy to the stage. Mac has great vocals throughout and she is everything you expect a fairy to be, bubbly, full of energy and sparkle! Special mention to the two male dancers, Callum Fairfield and Jack Trafford, who perform their routines brilliantly and look strong and commanding in their partner work and lifts!
The jovial Chester the Jester (Reece Sibbald) steals the show and whenever he is on stage he generates the biggest reactions from the audience! With jokes aimed at both children and adults alike he excels in the comedy role and you can see why panto is his forte!
The costumes are amazing throughout – from Carabose’s red sparkly outfit in act one to the several outfits worn by Dame Queenie (Mark Two) they do not disappoint! It was a surprise to read that Two and his wife designed and made the costumes he wore as they are so extravagant! The outfit worn in the 9 to 5 number also added hilarity to the performance! During the “Celebration” for Auroras 18th birthday the dancers also came out as other fairytale characters, which added to the excitement for the children in the audience and was a great touch!
It was also nice during the celebration scene to see that not only could the Prince (Lewis Burrage) sing, but he could also dance and he looked comfortable in all routines performing them with ease.
This panto is old school and so it’s no surprise when the water pistolscome out and the audience get super soaked! There were screams of delight from children as Queenie sprayed water over them and their adults and it was really funny when she started to cry “real” tears!
The YMCA number was also very well done! Again, it is Sibbald who totally steals the scene – he definitely has comedy in his bones! His recap of the show is executed excellently and it’s no surprise that he is the overall hero of the panto!
The show is great from start to finish, but at two and a half hours long (including an interval) it seemed unnecessarily long. For example, the perfect python scene is hilarious at first, but it could be a lot shorter to maintain its impact. There’s also a song that Molloy sings beautifully (which Sibbald does make a joke about during the recap), but it ruins the continuity of the panto as it makes no sense that she would be awake.
Overall Sleeping Beauty is a huge success! If you want something fun to do with the kids this Easter then you won’t be disappointed by this panto! Aimed at children and adults alike, it is funny, upbeat and everything you want in a pantomime! It’s crackin’!
Runs Until Sunday 16th April 2023
The Reviews Hub Score
It’s Crackin!
