Sleeping Beauty 2022

Teignmouth Player’s Pantomime Sleeping Beauty embodies the very essence and magic of pantomime.

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From the moment you take your seat, your journey into the enchanted lands and realms of the fairytale world begin. Greeted by a vibrant lighting scape and an upbeat opening number, the talented cast promise you a memorable and joyous few hours from the outset of this production. 

Ensuring the enchantment of fairytale is established firmly from the beginning of the show, Fairy Lavender, played by Elizabeth Borbon, sparkles charm and ‘goodness’ that passes seamlessly from stage to audience. Starkly contrasting Lavender’s sweetness, Ben Tisdall’s Carabosse, oozes wickedness and malevolence. The conflict between good and evil is clearly drawn out from the beginning of this tale and the audience desire that the hero of this story will soon triumph over adversity in the face of virtual despair.

And of course with Sleeping Beauty the inevitable despair centres on our ill fated heroine. Mary Borbon’s Princess Aurora epitomises grace and gentleness. Her Prince, played by the talented Emma Firth, is the perfect principal boy; her solo in Act two is delivered with style and innate musicality. Fortunately, as the fairytale dictates, love reverses Aurora’s fate and these two have their happy ending. Charmingly, Amy Burton- Smith’s narrative includes a flashback to our two heroes chance childhood encounter. This moment is beautifully portrayed by Ezme Firth and Becca Smith/Maddison Shill who provoke smiles from the audience as they sweetly sing a love ballad together. 

No pantomime is complete without an element of absurdity and a good dose of slapstick comedy. In this rendition of Sleeping Beauty, Burton-Smith includes two  partnerships that are guaranteed to provoke laughter and mirth. Laura Wilson-Back’s Queen Bustlebum is skilfully played and she demonstrates that she is fully versed with both the blatant and nuanced elements of pantomime comedy. Her partner- King Bustlebum compliments her well, as he bustles and bumbles around the stage with comic aplomb. Reddy and Willing, played by Piran Wills and Gavin Smith respectively, are wonderfully in tune with each other and joyfully revel in being farcical and ludicrous when the script dictates. As the master of farce and preposterousness, Andy Killen, shines in the role of Dame Trotty- this is an actor who is clearly au fait with Pantomime

gags and his comic timing is impeccable. His sidekick- Boring Alice- is played by Karen Allen who, as usual, dazzles on stage. Allen shows her acting experience in this production and you are immediately endeared to her character from her first appearance. Her moments with Slumber, portrayed by Louie Robb are both poignant and comic; a hard feat to accomplish and one both actors should be congratulated for. 

An unexpected moment of comedy comes from the characters of the Gypsies who all work as an effective collective to bring further comedy to the stage. A special mention must go to Angela Mayo- Caroll (Freda) whose spectacular singing voice not only adds to the chorus of Gypsies but the overall ensemble numbers. Burton-Smith’s script ensures everyone sparkles and the carefully timed puns and gags delivered by the talking trees, enthusiastic chefs and jesters are delivered cleverly. 

Carmen Louise’s choreography is dynamic and full of energy. The UV scene in the midst of Act One is a visual spectacle and one of the best representations of this Pantomime tradition I have ever seen on an amateur stage. If there is to be any criticism of this pantomime it is that the music backing tracks could have perhaps been edited to a more professional standard-one that matched the talent on the stage. However, due to the cast enthusiasm and diligent work of the choreographer, this small flaw is completely overcome. 

Overall this pantomime is worth every penny. It is full of vibrant costuming , technical brilliance, cast enthusiasm and absurd hilarity. It demonstrates that the tradition of Pantomime is alive and thriving in the South West. Well done Teignmouth Players!

Review by Layla Crabtree