Outnumbered’s Tyger Drew-Honey heads up Basingstoke’s ‘wickedly wonderful’ panto
Sleeping Beauty
at The Anvil, Basingstoke
until January 5
Review by CALLUM SMITH
THE Anvil’s classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty stars Outnumbered’s Tyger Drew-Honey as the charming Prince Vincent, CBeebies’ Joanna Adeyinka-Burford as the bubbly Fairy Snowfall, West End stars Elly Jay, Jenny O’Leary, and David Pendlebury, as Princess Rose, The Evil Carabosse and The King, Nic Gibney as Nanny Nora, and, returning for another year of laughter, Basingstoke’s very own funny guy Chris Pizzey as the hilarious Lester The Jester.
The show opens with an excitingly relevant Wicked medley that will have all musical theatre fans hooked from the off, before diving into a panto tale to see whether love will conquer all. Will good overpower evil? And how many times will you hold your belly from laughing out loud?
Packed with jokes, stunning costumes, and an ensemble that brings this pantomime to life, no matter your age, you won’t be caught napping as this show hits the mark for all ages.
With TikTok dances, songs for young and old, and hilarious laugh out loud jokes – some that will fly over the children’s heads but lead your eyes to the adults to your left. It’s a joy to watch from start to finish!
Tyger and Elly (Prince Vincent and Rose) bring a fun and charming love to this year’s story with the help of Joanne’s Beyoncé singing Fairy Snowfall, while Jenny O’Leary might just be Basingstoke’s best baddie yet, with a wickedly wonderful performance and even wickeder vocals as she opens Act 2 with a flawless performance of I Will Prevail.
Bringing light and laughter again this year is the loveable Chris Pizzey with classic gags and new ones to enjoy, he pairs with Nic Gibney’s Nanny Nora in a joyous evening of entertainment – and can we talk about the costume changes from this year’s Dame! So much fun!
A particular highlight has to be that all-important golden buzzer moment, but we won’t go spoiling that, along with the Act One finale of You Will Be Found.
In all, it’s another triumphant hit at Anvil Arts that had everyone up on their feet and enjoying the festive season.
Sleeping Beauty runs until Sunday, January 5, with a Relaxed Performance on Thursday, January 2, at 2pm.
