The Sleeping Beauty
Written by Trevor Nicol
Written by Trevor Nicol
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A message from our panto writer, Trevor Nicol:
‘The Sleeping Beauty’ was first performed in 1997 and it has been revived every ten years since then, in 2007 and 2017. Most people know the basic plot of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ where a young princess is put to sleep for 100 years by a wicked witch. This often comes about because the witch doesn’t get invited to the christening of the baby princess. The reason for this isn’t always explained but in my version it’s down to an unfortunate mistake committed by the two daft characters Martin and Lewis. These two names were picked as a tribute to the old Hollywood double act Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, whose movies I recall watching when I was a child. They also used to feature in a series of annuals called ‘Film Fun’ which my uncle collected during the 1950s and 60s and which he then passed on to me and my brothers when we were kids. This story is unique in that it has three good fairies – none of whom are very good at magic. I decided to give them musical names – Allegra, Ronda and Sonata, while the wicked fairy is named Cadavera (continuing my preoccupation with morbid names for baddies!). The usual method whereby Beauty is sent to sleep is by pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. |
It’s surprising how easy it was to obtain one of these, as you always imagine there aren’t many around these days. As with ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Babes in the Wood’ this panto has been performed three times by the club, as well as by Charleston Academy. One of the real fun parts of writing pantos is that you get the opportunity to include local references, which the audience loves. In this show the dame is called Bella Drum, which is always topical owing to the music festival held there every year. Other references over the years have included: Duncan Fraser the Butcher, Coffin John, The Head Gardener and the Gellions.
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Production Staff
Director: Fiona McDonald
Musical Director: Alan MacKintosh Choreographer: Fiona McDonald Stage Manager: Allen Perrin Sound and Lighting: David Russell Dame's Costumes: Cynthia Nicol Wardrobe Team: Agnes MacLennan; Chantelle Allen Set Design and Painting: Allen Perrin; Mary Coulson Stage Crew and Set Construction: Allen Perrin; Maria Devey; Sam Jackson; Charlie Walton; Mitch Mitchell; Robbie Sherrifs Properties: Carla Kelly; Steven Kelly Programme: Graham Eden Publicity: Graham Eden Social Media: Caroline Nicol Front of House: Fiona Grant Written by: Trevor Nicol Lyrics by: Caroline Nicol |
Cast
Ronda: Anne Bamborough
Allegra: Carla Kelly Sonata: Kayleigh MacAskill Lewis: Morag Barron Bella Drumm: Nicholas Nicol Dicky: Trevor Nicol Lord Chamberlain: Jimmy McNaughton King Henry: Brian Howlett Queen Patricia: Eileen Barr The Archbishop: Jason Hasson Cadavera: Lesley MacLean Beauty: Emma Nairne Marius: Aileen Hendry Bruno: Emily Grist Captain Quibble: Jason Hasson King Philip: Steve Kelly Guards: Jason Hasson and Alan Hasson Ensemble: Chantelle Allan, Alan Hasson, Sofie Macleod and Katie Magill Junior Ensemble: Nole Brough, Niamh Hallam, Ben Hasson, Liam Hasson, Sophie Grace Lawrence, Emma MacRae and Caitlin Thompson |
The Sleeping Beauty Gallery
Photographs by Matthias Kremer Photography