Sleeping Beauty Review by Brian McEwan

The good news is that PBDS don’t look like falling asleep for an indeterminate

number of years after their latest spectacular sell-out ‘Sleeping Beauty’,

although sadly for the senior citizens within the audience, the aging process

will not have been temporarily arrested.

In seeking to avoid repeating myself from previous reviews, I’m well aware

that cast, backstage, costumes, technical crews, FOH et al expect and indeed

deserve mention.

For me however – and especially in pantomime – it’s really

got to be the overall effect that matters, and that means teamwork. While

every audience member and, in particular, the proud parents may justifiably

look dewy eyed at their performing offspring, they must ultimately reflect that

the amazing community backdrop that is PBDS is what brings youth and age

together in performance.

Whether or not younger cast members might aspire to future careers in

theatre, their social development, encouraged by societies like PBDS, clearly

outweighs the solitary bedroom mobile encounters which so bedevil their

youthful development.

Enough of this half-baked philosophy I hear you cry, and so back to ‘Sleeping

Beauty’ before we all pass out. On a miserable January night Pratts Bottom

Village Hall was a place of community light, warmth and laughter with an

expectant audience assured of yet another magical pantomime experience.

And so indeed it proved to be. The resounding opening overture threw open

the curtains to a blaze of amazing costumes, skilled choreography and vibrant

chorus which never flagged throughout the traditional tale. To my shame, I

found myself cheering Carabosse and so happy to see her reconciled with her

family at the end. Nanny Nightnurse has now become firmly established as the

PBDS traditional ‘Dame’ without whom, as for traditional ‘Villain’ Carabosse,

no pantomime would be complete. The Fairies bravely kept our hopes alive for

Princess Aurora while Muddles energetically sought support for Old King Cole,

his Queen of Hearts and Princess Aurora their daughter despite their spinning

wheel oversight.

Highlights aside, for me however was the youthful ensemble which has happily

increased in numbers year on year to the extent that PBDS can now boast two

teams playing alternative performances!

The ‘technical side’, and by that I mean all those on the last page of the

programme, are to be hugely congratulated on creating a show which would

do credit to a city never mind Pratts Bottom village. The overall effect of

professional lighting and sound plots (the latter hugely enhanced by mikes

attached to the principal characters for the first time), music and wonderful

costumes made for the icing on a delicious cake which was ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

Brian McEwan

Photo Jon Louder