12 hours Ago
In our household we always say Christmas doesn’t start until we’ve seen a panto, so we braved the blustery wind and rain to head to Darlington Hippodrome for a cult classic, Sleeping Beauty, where the all-star cast was led by actor and musical theatre star Lee Mead and the panto legend herself, Hi-de-Hi’s Su Pollard. It was a packed house and great to see - as always - people of all ages donning their Christmas jumpers and enjoying the festivities. The story begins with Carabosse (Su Pollard) outlining how the birth of the king and queen’s daughter, Aurora (Stephanie Costi), means the crown is slowly slipping from her grasp.
She goes on to explain her devious plan of casting a death spell on Aurora if she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel on her 21st birthday, thus leaving Carabosse as queen. The brilliant Su Pollard is the evil Carabosse who wants to be queen, with Josh Benson as the affable and self-effacing Muddles As the evil Carabosse, Su Pollard is a triumph. She attacks the role with gusto, hitting just the right balance of the character and her own cheeky twists.
It’s evident she’s a seasoned panto legend! The rest of the cast start making their debuts – first the delightful dame herself, Nurse Nellie (Jamie Jones), whose relentless costume changes keep you guessing what she’ll come out wearing next. My favourite was the football pitch dress. Yes, you heard me right – a football pitch dress! The pantomime dame role is my favourite and Jamie doesn’t disappoint as Nurse Nellie, offering just the right amount of adult humour and innuendo to keep the older members of the audience engaged and chuckling under our breath.
Lee Mead plays Princess Aurora’s Prince Charming. That guy can belt out a tune, playing up to the audience with a great Joseph and his Technicolour dream coat parody. After trials and tribulations Prince Charming (Lee Mead) gets his girl - in this case Aurora (Stephanie Costi) My daughter loved the addition of Muddles, played by Josh Benson.
There’s something quite endearing for kids to see someone making fun of themselves and doing silly things, and there was certainly lots of laughter from the kids when he was on the stage. I won’t give too much away and spoil things, but the closing scenes of the first part of the show gave us a true delight and included some special effects that had us all in awe. The traditions of the fairytale remain - the prince fights off Carabosse to wake Sleeping Beauty from her slumber, they marry and live happily ever after with the Spirit of Pantomime (played by Olivia Foster-Brown) casting a spell of her own on Carabosse to ensure she’s nice, not evil, from now on.
Recommended reading: Unwrap savings this Christmas with the Northern Echo! Our biggest sale of the year makes it more affordable than ever to enjoy trusted local news. Subscribe now and stay connected to what matters most. The ultimate test of any pantomime is the laughter and engagement from the children, and this could be seen and heard in abundance.
There was just the right level of slapstick humour and local references and gags to keep the adults giggling. All-in-all it was a whole lot of fun. Bravo Darlington Hippodrome – another cracking panto.
I’m looking forward to next year’s already. Sleeping Beauty is at Darlington Hippodrome until Tuesday, December 31. For tickets call the Box Office on 01325 405405 or visit www.
darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk.
