You are kept laughing throughout
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Oh no it isn’t! Oh yes it is, writes Christopher Peacock.
Panto season is starting up across the nation. After great success last year with Tinderella: Two Big Balls, One Happy Ending, Happy Ending Pantomimes now introduce Sleeping with Beauty (One Little Prick) to the festive lineup.
Pantomimes are a traditional telling of children’s fairytales as family entertainment in a form and style of theatre that hasn’t changed much in 100 years. Certain tropes and character types are needed and celebrated from cross-dressing, evil villains, audience call and response and the pantomime Dame.
In years gone by the humour for adults in the audience came in most part from the performance of the dame with the use of double entendre and innuendo, and this Adult Only Panto doesn’t hold back with the filth and crude humour.
Sleeping with Beauty (One Little Prick), as you could probably tell, is a bastardised telling of the tale of Sleeping Beauty with Princess Rose looking to find her Prince Charming and live happily ever after.
With a jump in and out of Jack the Beanstalk, plus various twists of fortune, Maleficent tries to curse the young prince. The story is a bit here and there and everywhere, but that’s not what you come to this style of show for. Queen Gertrude is every bit as rude as a dame can get and revelled in it. Charlie Mackay played Ham the young orphan and did a great turn getting the audience on board and setting up the call and response that sets pantomimes apart from other shows. With original lyrics to well known songs, what really stood out is the whole cast’s superb vocal and dancing talent.
The performance space was very tight and as a production it is not as slick as other pantomimes you may see this season. But that doesn’t really matter because you are kept laughing throughout. The whole show, in fact, does a great job of laughing at itself; tech cues are messed up, lines dropped and the performers quite literally stumble on the stage. Sleeping with Beauty (One Little Prick) is certainly a raucous, filthy night of fun.
Union Theatre, Old Union Arches, 229 Union Street, SE1 0LR until 22nd December.
Booking: http://uniontheatre.biz/
