Recognised annually as one of the best in the country – the Greenwich Theatre pantomime is even more special this year as it represents a cornerstone in the theatre’s 50th anniversary celebrations – and Andrew Pollard – the dame of dames – can’t wait to get “the family” back together for a Sleeping Beauty that also pays tribute to Ewan Hooper, the man who saved the building from demolition back in 1969.
A stellar cast will bring to life the story of a time-hopping sleeping princess and an artistic director fighting to save a derelict theatre. The year is 1851 and Princess Anastasia is born of Tsar Ivar the Mildly Irritable and Tsarina Bertha. The fabulous Fairy Fabergé blesses the princess but when the wicked Rasputin appears and casts an evil spell on the little princess all seems lost. Meanwhile, in 1969, Ewan Hooper is planning his grand reopening of Greenwich Theatre before a peculiar stranger summons him back in time. Can he, with the help of some trusty allies, save both the theatre and the doomed princess?
Sleeping Beauty, last staged at Greenwich Theatre in 2006 when Andrew Pollard gave his first-ever performance as the theatre’s pantomime dame, features dazzling new sets and costumes, incorporating the wonderful world of Sovereign Russia and a sprinkling of 1969 London.
Alongside a host of new surprises set to be unveiled in the retelling of this classic fairy tale, audiences will also enjoy seeing returning faces, with the British Pantomime Awards-nominated Anthony Spargo appearing as the villain, and musical maestro ‘Uncle Steve’ Markwick and the band creating all the wonderful music.
Sleeping Beauty runs from Friday 22nd November 2019 – Sunday 12th January 2020