20/12/2023
Adam Stringer and Sam who do a show on HCR on a Wednesday morning 10-12, went to watch the Sleeping Beauty Pantomime at the Brindley Theatre Runcorn
This is there review of the performance.
On Saturday, Sam and I went to Runcorn’s number one venue – The Brindley Theatre– to check out their new pantomime ‘Sleeping Beauty’.
It was buzzing with excitement before the show started and they have been playing sellout shows. Many people return year after year due to the quality of the shows and stars.
We spent time enjoying a drink in the bar and relaxed in the lovely foyer, having a read of the programme which gave you background on all the stars and a synopsis of the story. It’s a great programme – well worth the money.
The show was a bundle of laughs from start to finish – we didn’t stop laughing at all. If you want to brighten up your Christmas – go and see this. The opening was brilliant – get ready for the flying fairy arriving on a moon and captivated the audience from the start. The dancers in it were great and really brought the big numbers to life. The choreographer, Felicity Garvey has done a super job and Ben Parks, the principal dancer, really stood out for his skills. Equally good was the music and orchestra, led by Jez Francis, showing what a difference live musicians can make to a production. The casting was amazing as usual – the Brindley has built up a reputation of top-class performances and this year is no exception. As always there was the pantomime baddie – the bad fairy Carabosse Charlotte Dacia, She was excellent and very believable in the role and received lots of boos! The jester was played by Andrew Curphey, who is a local star and runs his own musical groups to help youngsters develop their own talent. He had the audience in stitches and was a welcome returning star. The Queen, Gertie the Gorgeous, was another brilliant character played expertly Sean Luckham – you’d be amazed at her costumes and makeup, the team had done a great job, and she was an audience favourite. The Princess Beauty was played by Rebecca Lake and she stood out for her stunning singing voice – she played the role perfectly and looked gorgeous throughout. The Prince Valiant was brilliantly cast, with Ashley Johnson playing the role as a very charming royal. The stage was lit up by Fairy Sparkle - played by Scarlet, a star of RuPaul’s Drag Race, who put in a entertaining performance. The panto had a great story, with all the usual audience participation you’d expect. There were some great classic songs mixed in – ‘Everybody’ from the Blues Brothers went down a storm and the ever popular ‘12 days of Christmas’ with the 5 toilet rolls had the audience singing at full volume. The whole production was brilliant – the sets were fantastic, the costumes outstanding. Overall, it was a very professional production, and the audience loved it. We’d recommend it as a great Christmas activity for the whole family. Tickets are still available – take the kids, take the grandparents, everyone will enjoy it. It’s also an accessible venue with staff on hand to help and great car parking or close transport links. There is a BSL performance on Thu 28th Dec at 6:30pm and a relaxed performance Fri 29th Dec at 2:30pm, in addition to regular performances running until Sun 7th Jan. Contact The Box Office on 0151 907 3860 or go online to www.thebrindley.org.uk By Adam Stringer.
Halton Borough Council award winning theatre based in Runcorn with a wide range of shows covering all genres
