Broken Legs Blog

Nottingham Playhouse’s annual pantomime transports us to the village of Sherwoodshire, for a slightly convoluted retelling of “Sleeping Beauty”. As usual, the pantomime features Nottingham’s favourite Dame John Elkington, this year in the role of Nelly the Nanny, and whilst Elkington continues to enjoy great rapport with the audience, he struggles a bit this year with a script that leaves a little to be desired. As always for the Playhouse, it is the fantastic set from Cleo Pettitt and costume designs from freelance costume makers Jo Birkett, James Goss, Annalise Walker, Jude Ward and Kat Winter that make this production stand out, with Nelly’s frocks becoming ever more absurd, and so much sequins and glitter that this show is truly a spectacle to behold.

The story starts on the Princess Rose’s first birthday, with a rousing Take That number that kicks things off in style. We are introduced to Charis Alexandra’s Fairy Lights, a fairy-in-training whose magic doesn’t always go to plan (although, like many things in this pantomime, this thread is not always utilised as much as it could be). Alexandra is a breath of fresh air, delivering a sassy, modern take on the usual fairy godmother character, adorned in flickering lights and with a ‘Learner’ plate slapped on her back. It is thanks to Fairy Lights that Princess Rose’s Teddy Bear (Danny Hendrix) is brought to life, and Hendrix spends the next couple of hours entertaining us with numerous dance routines and cheeky smiles.

Things take a sour turn when the Evil Maleficent (Lara Sas) turns up and casts a wicked spell on Princess Rose, which leads Rose’s parents to decide to lock her away until her 18th birthday. Sas is a joy to watch, clearly relishing the villainous role and squeezing every last “boo” from the audience. She delivers excellent vocals, particularly in a rendition of Lady Gaga’s recent hit “Abracadabra”, which morphs into Meatloaf’s “Bat out of Hell”. Sas takes us on a wild rollercoaster ride throughout this show, creating a character that is so deliciously evil we cannot help but love her. And keep your eyes out for a stunning costume change in the bows!

The play then fast forwards 18 years, thanks to a bit of hefty exposition from Fairy Lights, which quickly explains that Rose’s mother has conveniently passed away, meaning that Yazmin King, who appeared as the Queen in the opening scene, can take on the role of our titular sleepy protagonist. A few jokes are made about Rose looking more and more like her mother, and it is these fourth wall breaks that often draw the biggest laughs, whilst a lot of the rest of the humour often feels a little forced or falls flat. A scene which sees Elkington’s Nanny and Hendrix’s Bear attempt to bake a cake is particularly lack-lustre, and the device that covers Elkington in slime doesn’t work quite as well as anticipated.

The standout star of the show is undoubtedly Seb Harwood’s Prince, whose over-the-top reactions never fail to draw a laugh from the audience every time he appears onstage, bounding around on a hobby horse and pronouncing everything in an exaggerated accent. Just when we thought the time skip shenanigans were over and done with, we get another jump 100 years into the future, which gives Harwood opportunity to play as the 118-year old Prince, before he is magically transformed to his youth by Fairy Lights. His love affair with Princess Rose feels a little sudden and forced, but it’s pantomime, so we don’t question it too much.

Also along for the ride is TJ Lloyd’s King, who has some very funny scenes – a flirtatious encounter with Maleficent includes some jokes for the mums and dads – but is under-utilised. The second half seems to take several random detours from the usual plot, with scenes set in a desert and a dragon’s lair which are definitely not from the original. However, this allows Pettitt to have her fun with more and more outlandish sets, and each one is stunning, with numerous pieces of scenery expertly slotting together to create a 3D backdrop all painted in her signature cartoon style. It is the visual spectacle that will live in the memory of children and adults alike afterwards, even if some of the jokes are better off forgotten.

The pantomime also excels in its up-to-date references, with a rendition of K-Pop Demon Hunters clearly appealing to the children in the crowd, whilst a mention of the infamous “six-seven” meme (which goes completely over my head, I must admit) draws the biggest reaction of the evening. This is a pantomime crafted specially for 2025, and specially for Nottingham, with jokes made at the expense of surrounding areas, and some sneaky references to Nottingham City Transport, who sponsor the show. Yet the pantomime also strays occasionally into political territory, with some seemingly misplaced jokes at the expense of both Nigel Farage and the monarchy, which elicit boos from some members of the audience, and awkward silences from others. I understand the Playhouse wanting to use its platform to make political statements, but these moments drag the audience away from the magic of pantomime a little too much.

Overall, this pantomime is worth seeing for the design alone. Elkington’s costumes are as outrageous as ever (yet seemingly unrelated to the plot – a costume resembling a fish tank is never even referenced in the script, and another dress designed to resemble a full English breakfast seems to be there for the sake of a single line), whilst Rosanna Bates’ choreography is top notch, with a dance sequence to “Dancing on the Ceiling” being a particular highlight. However, it is the convoluted story, under the direction of Adam Penford, that distracts too much and can let this pantomime down at times. If you can look past this, grit your teeth through the forced humour and focus on the joyous characters and delicious scenery, then you are in for a very enjoyable time indeed.

Tom Morley, December 2025

Review Round-up:

Elemental Theatre: Sleeping Beauty – 3 stars from ETC, who call the pantomime “colourful, cheerful, confidently performed, and family-friendly in the most accessible ways”

Kev Castle Theatre Reviews: Sleeping Beauty – Kev Castle was more impressed with the humour than I was, stating “there are a lot more jokes and one liners in there that the cast deliver at times like a pump action gun.”

Beyond the Curtain: Sleeping Beauty – BtC were also blown away by the incredible set design, saying “from gorgeous painted curtains to larger scenery, every part of Pettitt’s design is well imagined and enhances the entire production”