Sleeping Beauty Pantomime At The Winding Wheel, Chesterfield Review
TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST/S FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW.
Reviewed by Katy Nettleton
Sleeping Beauty Pantomime at The Winding Wheel, Chesterfield. Running from the 6th December to 3rd January.
A traditional pantomime, which reignites the child in you!
This was my first time visiting a Chesterfield Pantomime, and I was not disappointed. The whole show had every child (that includes the adults) laughing and singing along.
The evil sorceress Carabosse (played by Michelle Collins) casts a curse which means on the Princess’s 18th birthday she’s destined to die after pricking her finger. Fast Forward as the years have passed and the curse takes holds, it’s up to the cast to rescue the Princess… but how can they do this?
This was a traditional pantomime, which followed the Sleeping Beauty story, however with a few twists and turns! But I wouldn’t want to spoil these by sharing such details. All I will say is, you won’t be disappointed.
The whole cast burst onto stage, with energy and excitement on their opening night, with no signs of nerves or stumbles on script. Maybe, a few more “ad-lib” script adaptations would bring added humour, but I think this is purely from a personal point of view, because I always try to work out if these were planned or not!
A well-loved, larger than life Dame, (Dame Dolly Dolittle, played by Andre Vincent) brought humour and warmth in equal measures to the show, and gave many, amazing vocal performances. As usual with a Dame the outfits were outrageous, funny and truly comical, which supported the whole performance.
A pantomime wouldn’t be a pantomime without a Muddles! And you will not be disappointed, this cheeky Chappy played by Lloyd Warbey was brilliant. His portrayal of the role was brilliant, and even got a reticent audience singing along!
Michelle Collins, playing Carabosse does a tremendous job in playing the villainous Carabosse. She clearly was having great fun and enjoying being on stage. I had never seen Michelle in any plays before, and was amazed by her vocals, as I was not expecting this.
The stars of the shows for me, were Jai McCowall (Prince Benedict), Olivia Bailey (Princess Ariana) and Ella Tweed (Guardian Fairy). Their vocals were purely amazing and the way in which they performed was pure magical, and the way in which they characterised their parts was pure brilliance. Their harmonies would not be outplaced at a musical and truly made me get goose bumps.
The show was supported by local dancers, and I love this added touch to a pantomime, that alongside children getting on stage. These are experiences that an audience remembers, as do the children. My son is going to try and get on stage next year!
The set was quite simplistic with the use of minimal props and curtains; however, I really appreciated the quaint-nance of this (I know this is not a word, but I think it sums it up!) and it provided the perfect backdrop for the amazing performances of the cast.
Rating: I would give this a 4 out of 5 and I am only dropping a point as sometimes the music was too loud for the singing and acting, however I would recommend it to everyone. It really did ignite the Christmas spirit in me and my family!
Tickets cost from £16.00
For more information please visit https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/events/chesterfield-pantomime or call the box office on: 01246 345 222.
Address: 13 Holywell St, Chesterfield S41 7SA