Berkshire

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7073.jpg" alt="South Hill Park Panto Sleeping Beauty" class="wp-image-58415" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7073.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7073-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7073-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7073-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7073-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



As I settled into my sinky, velvet chair for a night at the panto, suddenly an elderly lady took her seat next to me. &#8220;I hope you&#8217;re up for this,&#8221; she said eagerly, excitement glittering in her eyes. Oh yes I was. 



Although I was attending the adult only performance of <a href="https://www.southhillpark.org.uk/shp-events/sleeping-beauty-2023-christmas-panto/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sleeping Beauty</a> at South Hill Park (on now &#8211; 31 Dec), as I looked around, it seemed the grown-ups were just as pumped up for the impending panto mayhem as any kid would be. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7459.jpg" alt="South Hill Park Panto Sleeping Beauty" class="wp-image-58417" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7459.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7459-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7459-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7459-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7459-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



South Hill Park in Bracknell is renowned for its pantos with a super duper modern twist which is utterly refreshing when it comes to a format that&#8217;s been done, done, and then some. The show is directed by Adam Stafford and written by Joyce Branagh (yup, Sir Keneth Branagh&#8217;s sister) who swooped the UK Pantomime Award for Best Script for last year&#8217;s panto, Jack and the Beanstalk.



This year&#8217;s pick, Sleeping Beauty, is a certified classic, having first been performed back in 1806 at Drury Lane. The production doesn&#8217;t veer too far from the Disney version, complete with all the familiar tropes like fairies, kings, queens, dragons, and castles that audiences young and old will recognise. It&#8217;s set in the 1920s and 1970s so lots of fun was had with the beautiful costumes (from Jamie Attle) with garish colours, funky patterns, and exaggerated silhouettes. A visual feast for the eye, backed up with a simple yet stunning set created by award-winning designer Victoria Spearing.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-08414.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-58408" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-08414.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-08414-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-08414-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-08414-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-08414-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Kick starting the show, we&#8217;re introduced to Fairy/Nanny Moppins, played by the incomparable and hilarious Paul Toulson who brings a more modern drag queen-esque quality as opposed to the traditional panto Dame, and evil queen Villanelle (cue the boos) played by Josselyn Ryder. Both pull a blinder with their charismatic performances with engaging ad-libs sprinkled in. Making her professional debut (but you seriously couldn&#8217;t tell) was gorgeous Maisie Scarlett as Princess Briar Rose who brought her youthful energy and sweet bird song vocals to the mix.



There was Grouch the Gen Z dragon with all the teenage sass you&#8217;d expect &#8211; a particular favourite moment was when she started rapping WAP before telling the evil queen she needed to take a chill pill. Plus Prince Percy (Charlie Nobel), Watkins the Butler (Keir Buist), and King Archibald (Nick Murphy) were welcome comic additions to the cast.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-09865.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-58413" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-09865.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-09865-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-09865-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-09865-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-09865-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



On the whole, the actors&#8217; performances were animated, lively, and super energetic, and the junior ensemble did a phenomenal job too. The cast did well riling up a timid adult crowd, who by the end were unabashedly screaming, &#8220;he&#8217;s behind you&#8221;. Anything that went wrong (a wayward ghost who left the stage the wrong side), the actors fully leant into which only made the audience crack up more. It&#8217;s not hard to imagine children to be just as fired up.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-3.jpg" alt="South Hill Park Panto Sleeping Beauty" class="wp-image-58414" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-3.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-3-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-3-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-3-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Pickles, played by Michael Ayiotis, in particular stole the limelight with his magnetism and silly antics as the princesses right-hand man, and is an undoubtable surefire hit with younger audiences. He brings slapstick humour, by the, well, bucket full, with one scene seeing him being pelted by water as he investigates the &#8216;broken&#8217; fountain. Don&#8217;t worry though, he gets his revenge later &#8211; getting splash happy with multiple pitchers of liquid in which one lady three rows in got a particular drenching.



All the big singing numbers were present as expected, starting with a compilation medley of modern pop songs to commemorate the soon to be birth of Briar Rose &#8211; The Supreme&#8217;s Baby Love, Harry Style&#8217;s Kiwi, and of course, Justin Bieber, Baby. Just brilliant. Kylie Minogue&#8217;s Padam Padam got a remix later in the show, as did Bruno Mars&#8217; Count on Me. It was refreshing and entertaining in equal measure.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7795.jpg" alt="South Hill Park Panto Sleeping Beauty" class="wp-image-58419" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7795.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7795-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7795-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7795-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7795-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Quite frankly, I didn&#8217;t know what to expect in a performance that was over 18s only. Would it be more rude? Would there be naughty jokes? Well, I can confirm, yes. Yes there was. And plenty of it at that.



Some of the more kiddy jokes fell flat with the mature audience (whoopee cushions) which is to be expected, but would have undoubtedly gone down a treat with their intended audience. On the night, however, it was more than made up for with a healthy smattering of smut to keep the adults happy. Middle fingers were flying and an F-bomb or two was dropped. When asked what Fairy Moppins looks for in a man, she declared kindness and a big, hm, hm, I think you can guess the rest.



Poor Tim was picked out the crowd at the start of the show, who couldn&#8217;t have been older than 20, and bore the brunt of much of the saucy innuendos, flirtations, and crude references flying from Nanny Moppins. The crowd (and his parents) thought it was hilarious though. You could tell the cast were having lots of fun with it when even they couldn&#8217;t help but crack up at times.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-08740.jpg" alt="South Hill Park Panto Sleeping Beauty" class="wp-image-58409" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-08740.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-08740-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-08740-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-08740-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-08740-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Don&#8217;t worry though, if you&#8217;re taking little people, none of the hardcore smut is in the regular showing which makes up the majority of performances on offer. Just six out of the sixty odd shows left are 18+ (they are popular so worth booking asap).



From the silly songs to the slapstick &#8211; there&#8217;s lots for kids to love. The disco finale mega mix which got the audience on their feet was fabulous, and the hysterical balloon ballet sequence was a particular highlight. The show has a generous run time of 2 hours and 20 minutes which is worth noting if your tiny tots struggle to sit still for longer than an ice-cream interval.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7284.jpg" alt="South Hill Park Panto Sleeping Beauty" class="wp-image-58416" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7284.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7284-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7284-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7284-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Sleeping_Beauty_Dress_23Nov_SVail-7284-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



As the performance progressed, I couldn&#8217;t help but get sucked into the magic with its well choreographed dance numbers, a ginormous puppet dragon so big it was controlled by four people, and well-loved comedic routines to keep me entertained. Sleeping Beauty may have been having a snooze, but I certainly wasn&#8217;t. It was campy and glorious &#8211; but really, you would expect nothing less from a South Hill Park panto.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-09365.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-58412" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-09365.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-09365-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-09365-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-09365-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/SHP_Panto23-09365-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



Good for:&nbsp;Everyone! The adult performances are brilliant if you&#8217;re seeking a bit more grown up humour. Kids will love the regular showing with the bang up to date jokes, slapstick, and familiar songs.



Not for:&nbsp;The prudish may not be so keen on the more risqué jokes in the adult performances.



Grab your tickets to see Sleeping Beauty at South Hill Park, Bracknell, <a href="https://www.southhillpark.org.uk/shp-events/sleeping-beauty-2023-christmas-panto/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. Prices from £23.50.

Review: Sleeping Beauty at South Hill Park

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