Review of Westacre Theatre’s Sleeping Beauty: Spellbinding production is a classic tale reimagined
Imaginations were awakened - along with a central character - in a spellbinding production at a riverside theatre.
Sleeping Beauty is the festive treat this year at Westacre Theatre - a retelling of a classic tale with a twist - and I went along to the sell-out opening show.
The stage is lit in technicolour - as if covered in fairy dust - set in a forest, where Fairy Goody awaits to take the audience on a fantastic adventure.
Written by Rufus Norris this unexpected tale of what happens to Beauty when she wakes up includes a baby-eating ogress and a table slave.
Faces, young and old, were transfixed from the beginning as the fairy - who breaks wind every time she casts a spell, yes you heard it here first - played mischievously by Becky Owen-Fisher guides us through the story.
Told from a different perspective, our heroine Sleeping Beauty awakes in a world of ogres, princes, talking rose bushes and more in a fantasy wonderland created by the cast.
There are some tender moments from Beauty’s father as actor Andy Lofthouse sings to his baby daughter - and then he doubles up as the ogre in a superbly designed costume.
The Queen played by Doreen Aitken is suitably irritable, and she doubles up as the hilarious table slave in Act II which was quite unexpected and the audience found it really funny.
Young Beauty is portrayed by Bethany Halls - with a lovely moment as her new birthday dress falls out of the sky before she pricks her finger on a spindle and is sentenced to 100 years of sleep.
Sadie Grist, who directed the play along with Becky Owen-Fisher plays a sassy adult Beauty saving her babies from the ogress who can’t resist the temptation to eat them.
Of course, it is a happy ending after all to this fairytale - with great singing from adult prince Alex Bright, the comedy jester played tongue-in-cheek by David Connor and some fun moments from young prince Aidan Purkins interacting with the fairy - and not really wanting to kiss Beauty (a girl, yuck)!
The play is a lovely antidote to pantomime and a great way to enjoy the festive season - but you’ll have to find out for yourselves…
For further details visit https://westacretheatre.littleboxoffice.com/
Sleeping Beauty runs until Tuesday, December 24.
