Sleeping Beauty, The Oxford Playhouse

Firstly, top marks for the dazzling disco ball. 

And the panto kitsch didn't stop there. As the Dame tottered about (objectively the best character!) I wondered to myself: do pantos always have this many innuendos? Or maybe they were just lost to my childish ears... Maybe it would have been better, too, if some of these jokes were never heard. At a drama workshop series through November-December, we explored the genre of pantomime; if I learnt one thing from there it's that simpler is better. Pantomime - a British spin on the historic Italian Comedia Del Arte - is well-established in its fairy-tale tropes: a straight-forward narrative arc, beautiful set, flamboyant costumes, and classic character types (the hero, damsel, dame, villain, sidekicks, fairy, villagers, fool...). Add onto that some signature lines ("It's behind you!", "Oh no he isn't! // Oh yes he is!"), hurling sweets at children in the audience, lame jokes about the local council and pub culture, and a very catchy group song, then boom: a panto is born. 

Sleeping Beauty at the Oxford playhouse was lacking in some of these essential ingredients and overcompensating with others instead. The resulting cake was certainly interesting, adorned with eye-catching decorations, but unfortunately inedible. Some choices noteworthy for their boldness were made: a wonderfully camp male fairy played by a particularly Thespian actor (whose brilliance was topped off in the finale by a dashing silver disco costume), the fun and vibrant 80's theme (which made the parody songs all the more enjoyable), and the narrative shift from the usual hero-heroine fairytale story to one about platonic love and female empowerment. But these choices took up so much space - or more accurately, required so much additional effort to follow in their deviations from stereotypical pantomime (basically a tautology there) - that there was not enough essential pantomime left. As noted, some of the jokes were a bore, and the script was far too complicated. I was also disheartened that the Dame did not interact more with the audience as usual, and I don't recall ever once shouting "It's behind you!" to the dismay of my inner child. 

Overall, however, the experience was good family fun as ever. Some say it is the purpose of art to give us a new perspective to reflect upon, or at least let us gawk at the magnitude and novelty of human skill (which I certainly was doing during the electric guitar solos - shout out to the live band!). This rendition of Sleeping Beauty gave me much to think about. Enough, in fact, to spill onto this page. But when I go to see a panto, I'm not seeking intellectual stimulation, rather the opposite: slipping into a dream-like world of naive warmth and magic made real. 

Watched on: 12.12.2024

Rating: 3/5