PWC SLEEPING BEAUTY REVIEW 

PWC Sleeping Beauty at The Tyne Theatre and Opera House

Last Friday afternoon our guest blogger, Lindsey of www.confessionsofamummy.com, and her son attended the PWC Pantomime production of Sleeping Beauty at The Tyne Theatre and Opera House on behalf of InNewcastle. This was the first time her son had been to a pantomime so, as you can imagine; he was super excited for the production.

The pantomime was presented by the PwC, as part of its community affairs programme.  Who or what is the PwC you may ask? The PwC Pantomime started out as a small show at the Chaucer Theatre in London in 1987, but is now embarking on its 33rd year. It is a full-scale production, running for a week in the West End and touring to Newcastle for additional shows. This year’s production, Sleeping Beauty, is brought to life by around 200 PwC staff and alumni, both on stage and behind the scenes, in their spare time, covering everything from acting, singing, dancing and directing to script and lyric writing, costume design, make-up, lighting, sound, backstage crew, music arrangement and playing in the band.

Their aim is to bring joy to children, particularly to those from inner-city schools and charities, by giving them the chance to see a theatrical production at a professional theatre, and ignite the spark in them for a life-long love of the performing arts.

Entering the theatre, we were surprised to see the bar / snack area closed, however due to the nature of the event and there being mostly school children there this made sense. We made our way to our seats, away from the hustle and bustled of very excitable school children. I was pleasantly surprised, after the bar / snack area being closed, that the theatre staff were handing out an array of chocolate, snacks, soft drinks and programs, free of charge, to both children and adults. This was such a nice touch and, as you can imagine, my little one was over the moon with his candy collection.

The PwC Pantomime was a modern take on the classic Sleeping Beauty story. Follow the story as Prince George and his faithful sidekick, Derek the Dragon battle the evil witch Insomnia, as they attempt to come to Sleep Beauty’s rescue. With songs from the charts such as Bruno Mars, Shawn Mendez, Baby Shark and Rag ‘n’ Bone man, to name but a few, you’ll be singing along and up on your feet in no time.

Obviously, being a pantomime, audience participation is a must but you’ll be acting out the words when prompted and singing along to Diddy Dragon without realising it. Seeing just how much fun my son was having, I kind of felt bad I hadn’t took him to the pantomime sooner as he was completely in awe of the performance laid out in front of him. He was spelled bound by the on stage pyrotechnics, hilarious slapstick humour and YouTube references.

A slick, colourful and engrossing show with many highlights, that kept both kids and adults alike on the edge of their seats. The number of excited children was staggering, and, from the moment the curtains open the children were captivated by this magical adventure. It’s safe to say that this may have been my first pantomime with my son but it certainly won’t be our last. From the catchy songs, belly busting jokes to beautiful stage scenes we cannot wait to return to The Tyne Theatre & Opera House for another pantomime.

Tickets for the pantomime are £16.50 for adults and £8.50 for children (under 16). This is absolutely worth it just to see your kid laugh, smile and having a sing and dance. Until next year PwC, we look forward to seeing what you have up your sleeve for next year!