Sleeping Beauty takes a Prick by Jon Bradfield &Martin Harper. Songs by Jon Bradfield. Charing Cross Theatre, Villiers Street, London WC2 to 13 January 2024.

4****: William Russell.

“For those who like adult pantomimes – if not, stay home.”

This adult pantomime is well performed, has some funny moments amid an awful lot of filth, and delivers, as someone said after the show, what it says on the packet. As far as I am concerned what it says is “Past its sell by date.” The premise is actually quite a good one – the Queen of Slutvia, a small Baltic state, arguably the only non homophobic one, has just given birth to a baby but it is a baby boy. You can pretty well take it from there. The King having perished his heir to be, his brother Prince Camembert, realises he has lost the job he hoped for and – to cut the cackle Beauty known as Prince Arry of course is put to sleep by a prick and ends up in a space ship for a hundred years along with the Queen. When they are awakened more things happen of a sexual nature and requiring the use of more four letter words than seems actually necessary. If you want a hen night out, a stag night out, a Christmas office night out get pissed in the bar beforehand and take a drink in with you then this may be the show for you but as a contribution to pantomime – and there is no reason why a pantomime should not be gay – it left me cold. Why then four stars? Well it does what it promises and if you spend your money on it and an adult pantomime is the kind of show that you hanker after then hanker no more. Matthew Baldwin is a nicely statuesque Dame, has some half decent drag to wear, and one of the best scenes when he and the Fairy turn up wearing the same hats at the races which sends up the scene in My Fair Lady rather neatly. Gertrude’s horse has to win if all is to be well as after a century in a space ship she is broke. As Arry Tom Mann strides around more or less manfully and would look rather good in tights, while Chris Lane as the villain is suitably boo-worthy – the show gives a whole new meaning to “He’s behind you” – as the wicked Camembert, while as Daisy, the female fairy Jordan Stamatiadis comperes things very well indeed. She and Nikki Biddington, who plays Maria the maid who fancies Arry – whose boyfriend comes from outer space of course - and doubles in later years as a jockey, both cope with audience participation very well and end up together. The set is ghastly but director Andrew Beckett does do his best to get it all to move along briskly, but should have cut some of the cackle. If it is your cup of tea you will enjoy it. For me it was the next best thing to one hemlock.

Cast

Matthew Baldwin – Queen Gertrude.

Niukki Biddington - Myrtle/Maria.

Matthew Gent – Josef/Jonas.

Myles Hart – Zupp.

Chris Lane – Prince Camembert.

Tom Mannn – Prince Arry.

Jordan Staniadis – Daisy.

Natalia Brown, Tim Walton – Ensemble.

Creatives

Director – Andrew Beckett.

Musical Director – Aaron Clingham.

Choreographer – Carole Todd.

Designer – David Shields.

Costume Designers – Sandy Lloyd & Robert Draper.

Lighting Designer – Jamie Matt.

Sound Designer – Keegan Curran.