Review: SLEEPING BEAUTY, Beacon Arts Centre

Evil Carabosse (Jane McCarry) has killed her twin sister Queen Morag (Rachel Flynn) and cursed her neice Aurora (Rachael Kendall Brown). Aurora grows up believing that Nellie MacDuff is her mammy and she knows nothing of her royal destiny that will come to light on her eighteenth birthday. 

It’s another year with our much-loved cast of the Beacon. Jimmy Chisholm is, as always, an incredible dame. Lee Samuel excels in the wee daftie role as Muddles, a sweet lad who just doesn’t quite know what’s going on. Jane McCarry has played both the goodie and the baddie at the Beacon over the years, and it is clear she thrives in the baddie role. Mark Cox is Slimeball this year, and he seems to revel in playing the wee tube. 

The spirit of Queen Morag isn’t normally a prominent role, but it would be criminal not to feature as much of Rachel Flynn’s talent as possible so we’re treated to a fair few belting numbers, including “When You Believe”.

The love story has been well-handled, and it's somehow believable that Aurora has fallen for Prince Angus (Charlie West) in the space of just one song. These two characters receive enough stage time that their romance feels central to the plot, unlike many productions of Sleeping Beauty. Special mention also goes to Rachael Kendall Brown for stepping into the role of Aurora at the very last minute for this run with a wonderful performance.

There’s all the silliness you would hope for from a panto, and there’s a lot of jokes that will appeal to the adults as well as the kids. Sleeping Beauty is fast-paced and well-crafted with a punchy script and a talented cast. 

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