Review: Sleeping Beauty at the Park Theatre

Sleeping Beauty
Park Theatre
Reviewed on Friday 13th December 2013

Christmas can become a nightmare for theatre reviewers who are put on panto duty as they essentially have to sit through the same formula over and over again. Pantomimes can be great fun but usually as soon as you've seen one, you've seen them all. However, as the new Park Theatre celebrates its first Christmas, Artistic Director Jez Bond has staged a production of Sleeping Beauty which breaks several rules of the pantomime rule-book, bringing something new to the table.

Regardless of the show's content, the Park's intimacy provides a completely different panto experience. The audience are seated on three sides of the stage, both in the stalls and circle, so you become more aware of fellow audience members, meaning when a child tries to run onto the stage, or makes a funny remark such as telling the dame "you're not real", everybody else knows about it. This leads to a more personal experience, an intimate panto certainly works.

The Park's festive show still features the stereotypical panto characters including a Prince, Fairy Godmother and Dame, but it does not pull out the 'oh no I'm not' and 'he's behind you' gags. Of course the audience still boo, hiss and cheer in all the right places, the atmosphere was very similar and just as lighthearted as a normal panto.

The comedy is farcical, exaggerated and slapstick, none of the cast take themselves too seriously and the show constantly makes fun of pantos as well as theatre in general. I would have loved a few more 'jokes for the parents'. Last week I saw Jo Brand make her pantomime debut as the Genie of the Lamp in Aladdin and, as you can image, she made the performance very enjoyable for the adults by throwing in some subtle (and not so subtle) jokes which flew right over the kids head.

The star of the show is the Park Theatre's dog Hazel who has been trained to bark, sit and stay in all the right places. Hazel demonstrated impressive improvisational skills during the second act when she spontaneously began licking and cleaning herself whilst positioned centre stage. Anyone can perform a script, but only a true pro takes matters into their own hands. After giving an award-winning performance, press night nerves became a little too much for Hazel during the bows as she broke off her lead and bounded into the audience. A star is born.

Whilst Jez Bond's production is brave and exciting, more risks could have been taken. I think a show can be appealing to children without being overly patronising and the music style was very safe and vocals weren't always impressive. I love the idea of an alternative panto which really blows the audience away and doesn't rely on cheap laughs. Although the show features some outstanding moments which I do not want to give away, I was left wanting more.

Jez Bond is certainly onto something and I can't wait to see what the Park comes up with next year. If you want to see something a little different over the festive season, this production of Sleeping Beauty is certainly worthwhile, providing an amusingly Christmassy trip to the theatre.

Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)

andrew@westendframe.com

Click here to read West End Frame's interview with cast member Craig Fletcher.

Sleeping Beauty runs at the Park Theatre until 19th January 2014
Please visit www.parktheatre.co.uk for further information and tickets.

Photo Credit: Helen Maybanks

Follow @West_End_Frame