The Wilmslow Guild Players' festive production this year is "The Sleeping Beauty" by the popular pantomime author Norman Robbins.
Grace Reed, this year's director, wanted a traditional pantomime. She said "We have not presented 'The Sleeping Beauty' for eighteen years and I felt it was time to produce it again. When I discovered that our old friend Norman Robbins had put a new twist on the story by having Sleeping Beauty first meeting her Prince before she went to sleep, I knew this was the version I wanted to do."
The story has all the elements required for a pantomime. The bad tempered fairy Carabosse is upset for not getting an invitation to the Princess's christening, so she casts a spell that she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel on her sixteenth birthday and will die. The Good Fairy changes the spell to one hundred years sleep, after which the Princess is of course woken by her prince leading to a happy ending.
"Traditionally the Principal Boy role is played by a lady," Grace continued, "but the Players had difficulty in finding one suitable this year so we have cast a young lad, Matthew Cotton, who has been with the Players for some years. Amy Carter has worked on choreography for the Players for several years, so it was time for her to play the Principal Girl. The traditional role of a man playing the Dame is retained and as one would expect from this author the pantomime has some new jokes and some of the old favourites."
"We have a lot of people that come to see our pantomime year after year," said ticket secretary Bill Beton. "In fact we have some regulars whose children have grown up, but they still like to come to boo the baddies and cheers for the goodies. We have a small intimate theatre that only holds eighty and is set three quarters in-the-round. This works so well for panto because the audience are so close to the action."
The pantomime runs from 14th to 17th December at Wilmslow Guild on Bourne Street. Performances start at 7.15pm. Tickets cost £6 for adults and £4 for children and can be booked by calling 01625 520126 or emailing [email protected].
Photo caption: The Prince (Matthew Cotton) wakes Princess Aurora (Amy Carter).
