Sleeping Beauty brings time warps and twists
Sunday, 17 November 2024
Sleeping Beauty: The Pantomime, written by Simon Leary and Gavin Rutherford, Circa One, November 16. Reviewed by Sharron Pardoe.
Sleeping Beauty is a pretty familiar fairytale. Baby Princess Aurora is cursed to fall into a deep sleep on her (in this case) 21st birthday after pricking her finger on a spindle and can only be awakened by true love’s kiss.
However, add in a time lord in a travelling Portaloo, three fairies, a pretty impressive dragon and of course a dashing young hero and this tale as old as time (oops wrong fairy tale) is propelled into the 21st Century - and beyond.
As time lord Anita Minute, Jthan Morgan commands every scene with flawles comic timing and dexterity. This is their third year in the “Dame” role, after taking over from Gavin Rutherford’s “poor lonely widow ” (who made a guest appearance on opening night) and Morgan has now completely made it their own.
Jackson Burling played Anita’s earnest sidekick Justin Time with a nuanced naivety and was never more funny than when completely silent. Once he falls in love with Princess Aurora (Rachel McSweeney) his voice is heard , especially in a stunning duet with McSweeney - a blend of Beyonce’s Halo and John Legend’s All of Me, masterfully arranged by Musical Director Michael Nicholas Williams. It brought silence to the theatre.
McSweeney is a beautiful princess but she’s no simpering heroine. She masters the dreamworld where she has been trapped for hundreds of years and eventually saves the day.
Fairy god daddies Dawn and Day (Simon Leary and Kathleen Burns) bring much of the comedy to the show, reminding one of my companions of Kath and Kel from the hit TV show Kath and Kim. They gave the audience a masterclass in pantomime, owning every moment and having the audience in stitches.
Charismatic Bronwyn Turei is the show’s baddie playing the third fairy, Dusk. Seeking revenge for not being invited to the party, she wrecks havoc and we regularly boo her. As Dusk’s minion Cuddles, Natasha McAllister transforms from a fierce dinosaur to a beautiful swan. McAllister is no stranger to pantomime and her comic delivery is spot on.
The voices in this panto were a real highlight with the cast nailing the harmonies in the duets and chorus numbers, all while performing some pretty intricate choreography put together by McAllister and Morgan.
It wouldn’t be a Circa panto without jokes referencing the city and politics and this year they were relatively subtle. David Seymour took a few hits, rates, ferries and the Golden Mile were all targets as well as the job cuts in the public sector.
There’s also lots of toilet humour - the travelling time machine is a Portal-oo, the Time Lord’s controller a toilet plunger - which appeals to the kids in the show, as well as the adults.
Opening night marked 20 years of pantomime at Circa Theatre and it was a true celebration. Director Gavin Rutherford worked his magic once again on delivering a stellar show which had the audience humming and smiling from the first bar of the opening number, Good Vibrations to the stunning rendition of Evanescence’s Bring Me to Life at the end.
The show may have started a little late because of traffic problems but it didn’t stall a fast-paced show driven by some serious star power.
Sleeping Beauty runs at Circa Theatre until January 11, 2025.