home | accolade | articles | acting | festivals | guestbook | groups | greenroom | links | news | plays 1 productions | photos | quotes | reviews

spacer.gif (810 bytes)

SLEEPING BEAUTY
Knollsea Productions
Mowlem Theatre
Swanage
January 2003

IF you start off with a good script you really can’t go wrong, and writers Brian Travers and Pat Jones came up with a real cracker for this seasonal offering. With lots of laughs, nothing too corny, pitched at a level that all ages could enjoy and with masses of imaginative innovations, it hit the jackpot in every scene.
And because Brian also directed – and played a glorious dame, Nurse Dockleaf – he got exactly what he wanted from his outstanding cast. Seven Flower Fairies, led by the excellent Anemone (Malcolm Green), Bluebell (Steve Haw) and Dandelion (James Chelton), provided laughs galore – their Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy had to be seen to be believed. And Ro Smith most definitely found her niche, and great audience rapport, as a wonderfully evil, red-taloned Carabosse, complete with gormless sidekick Henbane (beautifully played by Pat Jones).
There was romance too from the delightful and sweet-voiced Princess Peachblossom (Claire Palmer) and her handsome, dragon-slaying Prince Reliant (Rikki Adolphe), and lots more comedy from Jingle the Jester (Stewart Jones) and the rest of the cast. The costumes were bright and colourful, and full marks too to the props team, not least for that amazing dragon.
Swanage residents can sleep peacefully now.

Linda Kirkman
Courtesy of the Bournemouth Daily Echo.
last Back