Darlington Hippodrome – until 31 December 2024
4****
It’s almost Christmas, so what better way to celebrate than a trip to the pantomime.
We joined the inhabitants of the land of Darlo, just before Princess Auroras 21st birthday. Aurora had a curse put on her at birth, by her evil aunt Carabosse who is desperate to be Queen. But the Spirit of Pantomime has thwarted her plans and destroyed all the spinning wheels, so Aurora can no longer prick her finger. However Carabosse tricks Prince Lee of Long Newton into giving Aurora a spinning wheel as a birthday present. But when Aurora pricks her finger, The Spirit of Pantomime puts Aurora to sleep until she receives her true loves kiss to wake her up.
Josh Benson as Muddles is the back bone of the show, hardly ever off the stage he brings so much fun and energy to every scene. Jamie Jones joins him as Nurse Nellie, showcasing an amazing array of fabulous outfits, all made by Jamie himself. Whilst he had more stage time this year, he was still underused. More Jamie next year please.
Prince Lee Mead showed off his stunning vocals, treating us to “Any Dream Will Do”, and also some duets with Stephanie Costi (Aurora). Su Pollard shone as Carabosse, fantastically evil but with a sensational pair of legs, I hope I look that good when I am 75 (she really can’t be 75!!!). And Olivia Foster- Browne makes sure we get a happy ending as the Spirit of Pantomime.
Scarlett Behl, Ben Carter, Natasha Fenn, Joseph Hasnaoui, Alice Lupton and Kasey Robinson make up the ensemble, moving seamlessly from dancing villagers to dancing demons and wedding guests. And the live band, Tim Hammond, Peter Brent, Tim Farmer and Ben Phillips are excellent instrumentalists. And a big shout out to the technical team for all the magic
Sleeping Beauty is a family favourite, full of daftness, jokes, wonky donkeys, audience participation (5 year old Ronnie was hilarious). Grab a ticket now for some festive family fun!