IN an age where children are used to computer games and ever more technically brilliant movies, the traditional panto could be in danger of becoming rather obsolete. But once again, the Birmingham Hippodrome has moved with the times and produced a show which had audiences laughing, cheering and, erm screaming, in equal measure!
I was a little concerned this year with Sleeping Beauty being such a ‘girlie’ show and having to take a seven-year-old boy along who kept professing: “there had better not be too much kissing”. But there is so much pizzazz, so much colour and so much fun that there was no need to worry. He loved it, his best friend Heather loved it (“the best bit was the princesses. All the princesses. I loved the princesses”) and, yes, even I was sat there booing and hissing with the best of them.
The previous year we had seen the quite marvellous John Barrowman in Robin Hoodand so my worry was could it possibly match up to the brilliance of that? TV and panto favourite Joe Pasquale is just great fun as Princess Beauty’s bumbling best friend Muddles, flying Peter Pan style off into the audience, clobbering fellow cast members with a clutch of toilet rolls and enjoying plenty of banter with his on-stage mother Lady Passionella (a truly excellent Ceri Dupree, whose costumes changes were simply jaw dropping: Tina Turner, Amy Winehouse and a goldfish bowl being particular highlights).
I did wonder how X Factor finalist Ray Quinn would fare as the handsome Prince Daniel. Would he be too insipid and bland for the role? He didn’t add much in the way of personality to the performance, but his singing was quite magnificent.
The Hippodrome has really raised the bar now, with the very clever use of 3D (a little scary for younger viewers it should be pointed out) and the use of more ‘outtakes’ in the show being used to comic effect. And far from feeling ‘shoehorned’ in to the show they do add to the night out. And let’s face it, with a family trip to the pantomime being quite an expensive business these days you want to feel like you’re getting your money’s worth. So did it measure up? I don’t think they have quite matched the heights they reached with Robin Hood, however this is a magnificent spectacle of a show and comes highly recommended for a family Christmas treat. Also, for me it was the year I had to explain the panto dame to my son: he’s so not impressed!
Sleeping Beauty, Birmingham Hippodrome Showing until Jan 31.
Prices: Tickets start at £13.
Call the box office on 0844 338 5050
This post is part of the Have A Lovely Time 'Great British Panto' Review. Please consider a boost for a charity for children with cancer which does fantastic work but has very limited resources. You can do this by visiting our JustGiving page.
Related posts:
