‘Sleeping Beauty’ marks return of Arts Theatre Cambridge

It’s pantomime season and the newly refurbished Arts Theatre is buzzing with Sleeping Beauty. It feels like a homecoming, showcasing all the time-honoured tropes of our childhoods: the chorus of “OH NO YOU DON’T!” from the stalls, the physical comedy of characters struggling with a ‘slippery floor’, the kids hauled up on stage to share their thoughts and the innuendo which (hopefully) sails just over their heads. The puns are terrible – the Dame admits as much – and we love them for it.

Then there are the local references that seem silly until you hear your own village or favourite shop name-checked. That’s the heart of panto: it makes you feel part of something. It is that rare thing, a classless British tradition, and it’s reassuring that one of the world’s truly popular theatre forms is still thriving in an age where so little is live. More and more of the world moves online, social media platforms come and go, but pantomime marches on.  Best not to question the implications of the Dame in the age of trans rights, or the fact that Sleeping Beauty gets kissed in her sleep without consent. This is a entertainment, not politics.

Dame Matt Crosby, celebrating his twentieth year on the Arts Theatre stage, is the heart of the piece. That longevity shows – he knows exactly how to work the room, when to milk a moment, when to let chaos reign. Steven Roberts also returns with his dancer-like physicality, bringing flexibility and precision to every gesture and pratfall. The villain, dressed in green as is traditional – it’s said to make you look sickly under stage lighting – is Tricia Adele-Turner, who stands out for the irrepressibility of her cheeky and expressive face.

This year’s Sleeping Beauty panto is comfort food for the soul. Welcome back, Arts Theatre Cambridge. We’ve missed you.

Reviewer Isabel McCann