Another new review for Sleeping Beauty, now into its final 10 days at The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury. High praise for the production, and Toyah, by the British Theatre Guide.
As soon as ‘Bring Me Sunshine’ sweeps across the auditorium spreading its melodic happiness during the overture, the audience knows they’re in for a good time. Last year’s Cinderella at the Marlowe Theatre was a resounding success, but somehow Evolution Productions has managed to top it with this year’s festive treat Sleeping Beauty.
Not only does the production boast an excellent Comic and Dame, it has one of the finest Villains in Pantoland in the form of Toyah Willcox’s Carabosse. An experienced pantomime performer, Willcox knows how to work an audience and ensure she gets the boos her character so desires. Her involvement in the schoolroom scene works well as she tries to think up ways to prick the Princess and a mysterious birthday card efficiently lures Beauty to her fate.
• Continue reading at the British Theatre Guide. Read more Sleeping Beauty reviews here.
A second review, published on Thursday, of Sleeping Beauty by Kent Online.
Where the mishaps are magical
The mark of a great panto is how unscripted those apparently off-the-cuff moments appear. Great writers weave in sequences where things seem to go wrong, that are in fact, carefully choreographed mishaps. Equally the mark of a great pantomime actor is how convincing they can make these “slip ups” appear. In both cast and script, Sleeping Beauty at the Marlowe Theatre had these qualities in abundance.
The crowd were even left wondering whether members of the audience were in fact, strategically placed crew members, such was the hilarity of some of the heckles. “Don’t touch it!” shrilly screamed someone at the back as Carabosse, played deliciously devilish by Toyah Willcox, revealed the last working spinning wheel in the land to Beauty, played by Faye Brooks.
• Continue reading at Kent Online. Read their other review, from 6th December, here.
Another positive review for Sleeping Beauty at The Marlowe Theatre, this one by Inquire Live.
Sleeping Beauty is the pantomimic treat at the Marlowe theatre this year. Paul Hendy’s vibrantly stunning, glittering, unashamedly hilarious show will have you in gleeful spirits and ready for the upcoming holidays. Where else will you find a heart-warming fairy tale, countless gags, sing-alongs, wacky costumes, and a well-rounded cast of actors, comedians, dancers, and a fire breathing dragon, all in the same place? I’ll give you a clue: Nowhere.
Toyah Willcox as Carabosse was sassy, edgy, and her rock numbers were electric.
• Continue reading at Inquire Live.
Yet another positive review for Sleeping Beauty at The Marlowe, this one by This is Kent.
Good Fairy Katrina Bryan from children’s TV show Nina and the Neurons has cast her magic spell the Marlowe Theatre to create a spectacular production of Sleeping Beauty. In the wake of last year’s hugely successful pantomime Cinderella, production company Evolution had a lot to live up to.
The cast and crew do not disappoint. Sleeping Beauty has all the ingredients for a festive family treat packed with glitz, glamour, camp comedy and a fire-breathing dragon.
Former punk princess Toyah Willcox is enchanting as the evil queen Carabosse. She has great stage presence and basks in the boos and hisses as she plots against the beautiful princess who *****s her finger on a poisoned needle and falls asleep for 100 years.
• Continue reading at This is Kent.
Laughs, frights and too much water at Marlowe panto
It’s that time of year when hundreds of people gather in one place to watch a man dressed as a woman dressed as a jockey riding an ostrich.
Or at least that was my expert assessment as I sat down at the Marlowe on Tuesday to watch this year’s panto Sleeping Beauty.
Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates, as the charming Prince Michael, and ex-punk princess Toyah Willcox, playing the evil Carabosse, were given star billing.
• Continue reading at Kent Online.
The third review of the day for Sleeping Beauty, and it’s another one full of praise from Kent News.
Writing a pantomime can be no easy task. There before you sits an audience as diverse as Alec Guinness’ CV and all with the expectation that their hard-earned money spent on the tickets will deliver laughs and pratfalls a-plenty.
With that in mind, there’s also the added complication of weaving in the particular talents of your eclectic cast – drawn from a wide variety of showbusiness disciplines – and still make sure you don’t lose sight of driving the storyline along.
Toyah Willcox is an excellent Carabosse, endlessly eliciting boos and jeers as her character looks to kill the young princess.
• Continue reading at Kent News.
A positive review for The Marlowe Theatre’s Sleeping Beauty, and Toyah, by The Stage.
This rather wet show meant that my notebook was soaked during the water pistol chase. And water spouts out of every corner and orifice in a hilarious slapstick scene set in a bathroom with Lloyd Hollett – very accomplished as Jangles – and Ben Roddy, terrific as Nurse Nellie. But water makes for wonderful comedy, and Hollett and Roddy know how to exploit every drop of it.
Rather drier, but also in fine form, is the ever-youthful Toyah Willcox, who cackles, curses, sings and dances like a teenager as Carabosse, the wicked fairy.
• Continue reading at The Stage.
Sleeping Beauty reviewed by The Public Reviews.
It’s panto time again and Paul Hendy and Emily Wood’s Evolution Productions is back in residence at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre. This production brings the sunshine back to a cold winter’s evening with plenty of laughs and heaps of audience participation.
The ‘big names’ this year are Toyah Willcox as Carabosse the bad fairy, and Gareth Gates as Prince Michael, closely followed by children’s favourite Katrina Bryan as Fairy Moonbeam. Toyah Willcox has an incredible energy and presence, and her vocals are strong in her rock numbers, as expected.
• Continue reading at The Public Reviews.
