The silliest musical of the holiday season returns to the Winnipesaukee Playhouse this year! After a two-year break due to the pandemic, the Playhouse is overjoyed to be bringing back a holiday tradition it started in 2014. Sleeping Beauty: A Traditional English Panto will bring this much-loved tradition back to the Lakes Region from Dec. 16 to 31.
While American audiences may be more used to seeing A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker at the holiday time, all over the UK families will be laughing along to a traditional panto – a stage musical which features sensational songs, dynamic dance, silly slapstick, and mysterious magic. This zany and interactive show will be a treat for audience members of all ages and families are encouraged to come as a group. The show is specifically written with jokes that will appeal to young children, along with double entendres and humor aimed directly at adults. A mixture of favorite pop songs, coupled with classic musical theatre tunes, will also have wide appeal.
In Sleeping Beauty: A Traditional English Panto, King Bumble and Queen Bee want nothing more than a beautiful baby of their own. But when their greatest wish finally comes true, an evil fairy puts a curse on the child. Can Chester Drawers and Nanny Fanny help them keep their princess safe?
Sleeping Beauty is written and directed by the Playhouse’s Producing Artistic Director, Neil Pankhurst, and will be the final show he directs at the Playhouse prior to his retirement. It will encourage kids to get involved in the action, asking them to “boo” the villain, cheer the hero and help the cast along the way. Says Pankhurst, “the show will be fun, silly, and interactive. Parents who worry that their four year old can’t sit quietly in the theatre should rest assured that Sleeping Beauty will keep them interested, engaged, and shouting at the stage – on purpose!”
The cast includes favorite professional actors from the Playhouse’s summer productions, plus talented locals. It also features young dancers from local dance studios. Meredith’s own Teghan Marie Kelly returns to the title role having also played Belle in 2019’s Beauty and the Beast.
Sleeping Beauty will run for fourteen performances over the holiday period with different performance times to accommodate many different schedules. A full list of performance times can be found at winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org. Tickets range from $11 to $19 and can be ordered by calling (603)-279-0333 or online at winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org.