SLEEPING BEAUTY

How I love a proper pantomime, and over recent years how I have come to depend on Brighton Family Panto to deliver the goods, oh yes they do! (and no answering back). In the newly named Jason Sutton Theatre, in the recently renamed  Doubletree by Hilton, formerly the Brighton Metropole we find this year Sleeping Beauty.

Now as plots go Sleeping Beauty is pretty slender, so thank goodness that director Jordan Langford and choreographer Jack  Pallister are on hand to take writers Tim Slater and David Hill’s classic, gag filled and locally topical script forward with aplomb. As teams go this one is pretty dreamy for sure. Between them they work the magic that is essential in bringing a fun seasonal and traditional entertainment together.

But into that mix you have to bring together a cast that is sufficiently talented to make it work. Many of us know the work that David Hill and his company E3 do year on year, but why it has taken him so long to don the drag and tackle panto dame I do not know, he is made for the role, and his dame is proper, totally trad, huge, flamboyant and clearly a man in a frock. That is the essential element of playing dame, something that the much missed Jason Sutton embodied. Hill pounds the stage, terrorising one poor young man in the audience and belting out the songs like a good ’un. It’s a comedy star turn with frocks to match.

Sharron Starr is simply marvellous as Fairy Fabulous and boy can that woman sing, and to have a fairy who is, well shall we say not “posh” is delightful. Ellie Earl is delightfully cute as Princess Aurora, sweet voiced and well matched to Samuel Levene who is handsome, charming and rather understated, nicely so, as Prince Phillip, and a lovely voice too. In fact there isn’t a weak singer on that stage, from the principals to the excellent ensemble who throw themselves into every scene.

Of course every panto needs a comedy stooge, a Buttons or a Wishee Washee, and here we get Chester The Jester played with real charm and energy by Ethan Makey. Chester is there to win over the hearts of the audience and his boyish charisma does just that. And he can turn on a sixpence too as he proved when three tiny kids chosen from the audience are joined by an impromptu toddler, clearly stage struck, who decides that his time has come and mounts the stage uninvited. You have to hope that his parents caught the moment on their phones so they can taunt him with it in years to come.

Musically the whole is driven forward with class by Josh Mills and his merry band of musos, so wonderful to have live musicians when in modern times we are given all to often recorded tracks.

The set is pretty and pretty traditional with a very beautiful front cloth but if I have one quibble it would be that far too many scenes were played in front of that cloth, no doubt necessitated by the  problem of not being able to fly in sets from above. And this is probably something I and very few others would ever notice.

So there you have it, or have I missed something… Well of course I have, every panto needs a baddie, a force for evil and chaos, and they don’t come more wicked that Carabosse. BBC Radio Sussex presenter Allison Ferns, a few years back was only known as one of the stations nicest presenters, charming, stylish and proper… well not any more. In recent years she has taken on roles in these pantomimes and proved not only that she can act, be properly comic but also that she can really deliver a big number, wow, what a voice! Carabosse was never better, dramatic, funny, camp and chilling. And working with the ensemble to create a huge dragon whilst singing, well it was excellent in every sense. I recently saw Sophie Ellis Bextor live and Ms Ferns’ version of Murder On The Dance Floor had me in fits as she clearly poked fun at Mrs Ellis Bextor’s clipped Sloane Ranger pronunciation. This is a career defining moment and one that surely marks a change when early next year she takes to the stage in a serious one woman performance of a new play, Flutter-Bye, by Steve Barrey, look out for that one for sure.

I had a great time and I wasn’t alone, the audience rose as one for the finale and left with smiles on their faces. If Christmas is all about the kids, then this is the show to see, and there’s plenty to keep we grown ups happy too. And should you like it saucier then why not head down for the “Adult” version on the 28th and 29th of December when the phrase “It’s behind you” will no doubt take on a far different meaning!

Andrew Kay

19th December

The Jason Sutton Theatre, Doubletree Brighton

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