Hyde Little Theatre's Sleeping Beauty The Pantomime Movie was truly a production of our Covid times, writes Nigel Skinner.

Screened back in the summer at Hyde Festival Theatre it was a remarkable achievement, only available to enjoy at the time to limited socially distanced audiences.

Unable to bring the panto to the stage due to the pandemic and lockdown, the cast were filmed to create a truly unique experience with a limited number of actors only able to appear behind protective screens to interact with the film.

It was a memorable moment and unique theatrical record.

However, nothing can beat live theatre and a packed auditorium - not least one filled with screaming and very excited children (not to mention adults).

A cast of almost 50 couldn’t wait to bring Sleeping Beauty to the stage proper at Hyde and reveal the remarkable results of their hard work stretching back almost two years.

The result was truly phenomenal as this panto production brought a packed house down night after night (not to mention a number of morning and matinee shows thrown in).

Barry Crossley’s Sleeping Beauty was positively brimming with relentless action as the panto puns came thick and fast to an appreciative audience who were involved in the journey from the get go.

The traditional tale was given a few twists along the way and laced with local jokes too which only added to the appeal.

The journey sets off at a relentless pace but amazingly just doesn’t stop - a testament to the entire cast and crew.

The characters sang, danced and acted their way through more than two and-a-half hours of non stop entertainment, displaying boundless energy amid the endless action, scene changes and traditional interaction that engaged the audience every step of the way.

Talented Kat Rawlings as Sleeping Beauty Princess Aurora was effortlessly appealing throughout and possesses a singing voice that captivated and entertained everyone.

While Jem Marshall-Ayre as her Prince Valiant was equally as captivating as the pair performed some memorable duets, not to mention stepping forward with the traditional slap of the thigh to save the day.

Gavin Chadwick as evil fairy Carabosse immediately had the audience booing and hissing at the tops of their voices in a fantastically chilling costume complete with devilish horns.

Meanwhile Simon Sullivan as the traditional panto Dame Nurse Nelly - also cleverly doubling as Nurse Smelly - was simply superb with endless ad-libs ably assisted by his sidekick Stephen Hague as Muddles.

Kimberley Ross and Karen Abaelu made for an appealing double act too as Spit and Polish. Paul Wood as King Putupon attempted to keep some semblance of order in the palace and was hilariously assisted by the brilliantly funny Daniel Cope as Lord Chamberpot.

Kathryn Shelton as Fairy Stardust waved her wand wonderfully too as she saved the day to complete the principal cast.

But no panto would even exist without its complement of fairies, dancers and chorus and there were some truly magnificent performances from some equally young cast members, split into two groups to perform across all of the shows.

Expertly directed by Daniel Oliver with choreography by Clare Pascoe and Sue Bradbury, not to mention a small army of volunteers behind the scenes and front of house, this was a panto everyone involved with can be hugely proud of.

Playing to full houses, the 12 show run, increased from the usual seven, included a ‘relaxed’ performance for an autistic / sensitive audience and several shows for families who otherwise would not be able to attend the theatre with a fabulous 450 donated seats. 

The panto was enjoyed by no less than 2,645 people in all and also raised £600 for the Festival Theatre. 

This was certainly one panto that kept on giving and was just what everyone needed in the countdown to the festive season after last year.

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