By Clare Brennan.
Nothing says Christmas quite like a pantomime and Sleeping Beauty – Belgrade Theatre’s gift to you this festive season – is a real treat.
From the moment you take your seat you’re surrounded by colour, the dazzling curtain offering a tantalising taste of what’s to come.
It’s Wendi Harriott as sequin-clad diva Carabosse who sets the scene for our journey through this fairytale land, her villainous voice and soaring vocals filling the theatre to the rafters.
But from there it’s the genius of writer and director Iain Lauchlan and comic partner Craig Hollingsworth which really gives this show its sparkle. This duo, who star as Nanny Fanny McWheeze and Mumbles respectively, has worked together at the Belgrade for the past 13 years and it really shows – every joke and every comic moment is pure polished perfection.
They clearly love performing together as much as the audience loves watching them and their passion for pantomime sets this show apart from many others. One moment in particular brought the house down – almost literally – a moment of split-second brilliance which we’ll be talking about for a long time to come!
The whole company works their socks off to entertain, in particular Aonghas Ewen as Azurial was a total delight. The staging and scenery are fabulous and the lighting and little tricks take this show to the next level.
This is flawless family comedy at its absolute best. It’s Christmas wrapped up with a great big bow.
The show runs at Belgrade Theatre in Coventry until 3rd January. Tickets are available HERE.
