Sleeping Beauty – Broadway Theatre, Catford

Broadway Theatre’s Christmas pantomime Sleeping Beauty brings harmony to the people of Lewishtonia and Westminsteria, despite their differences.

Sleeping Beauty at Broadway Theatre, Catford

The first pantomime version of Sleeping Beauty was performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in 1806. How things have changed since then, as Catford’s Broadway Theatre puts on a modern retelling of the classic fairy tale for 2024 audiences. In this latest version our princess, Tahlia the Beautiful (Roshani Abbey), is not quite the damsel in distress awaiting her handsome prince.  She is instead a confident and assertive young woman, who is as happy to set off to rescue Prince Gabriel (Durone Stokes) as she is to spread the pantomime’s message of coming together despite differences.

One thing I love about living in South East London is the annual crop of fun, entertaining and politically-engaged festive theatre.  Whether it’s at Theatre Peckham, Brixton House (where Alice in Wonderland has made a return this year) or now Catford Broadway, I’ve enjoyed a number of socially-aware productions which don’t compromise on Christmas magic and fun.  Sleeping Beauty is very much in this vein. 

The adaptation is by Susie McKenna, who also directs. It’s written specifically for this theatre and its local community, with plenty of South East London jokes as well as those poking fun of the powers in Westminsteria. There’s even a strong parallel with Lewisham’s status as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary. Pantomime is often lauded as the first way many children experience live theatre and performance. If it’s also teaching them to think critically and be better citizens and people than some real life political role models, then pantomime has achieved its second, activist aim.

Oi Oi Saveloy!

Original songs by Ben Goddard-Young help to offset the jukebox numbers, and show off impressive vocal ranges (albeit with some lyrics lost to the sound mixing).  Glitter Pantomimes create a wonderful set out of traditional elements like painted backdrops, as well as some exciting flourishes like an oversized ogre and use of UV paint.  The costumes, by Lotte Colette, are of an imagination and execution I would expect to see in the West End. This is particularly the case when it comes to the Dame’s frocks and the young performers in animal roles. And speaking of dames we have all the necessary panto elements like… a cheeky dame (Justin Brett as Dame Nanny Nora), call and response with Wayne Rollins as Denzil the Dragon, and a truly delicious baddie in Carabosse (Lisa Davina Phillip).

I had a great time shouting “Oi oi saveloy!”, joining a singalong and being thankful I wasn’t quite close enough to the stage to enjoy a dose of Dame Nanny Nora’s magical elixir.  There were a lot of very strong performances, and some unexpected hidden talents including a brass section formed of a fairy godmother (Natasha Lewis as Willowsnap) and a king (Ben Fox as King Eric the Undecided).  Lisa Davina Phillip has a really wonderful voice as well as natural comic timing, while Roshani Abbey as our heroine is most at home when given a big song to finish the show with.

Catford is easy to get to from Central London, and Broadway Theatre easy to reach from either local station.  If you’re in the market for a family Christmas outing or just some fun, festive frivolity, Sleeping Beauty has just the right blend of tradition and modernity to please almost everyone.  And finding ways to get along despite differences is perhaps a good lesson for many of us just before the holidays.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3.5/5

Sleeping Beauty on until 31 December 2024. More info and tickets here.