Sights and sounds of Eighties made colourful comedy wall-to-wall fun

AN inventive Sleeping Beauty at the Oxford Playhouse shakes up the pantomime genre in a very creative way.

Written and directed by Toby Hulse, this production is immersed in the music and fashion of 1985.

It starts with the music. Theatregoers are welcomed into a sparkling auditorium (set by Bronia Housman) by Radio Oxland DJs, Janice Short (Zoe Antoniou) and John Rind (Fintan Hayeck), playing Eighties numbers and warming up the audience for the entertainment to come.

There’s more music from a live band (Bart Theide, Georgia Ayew and Lucy Gowen). Steve Allan Jones is the composer and arranger. Through the show, the cast perform lots of Eighties hits and song lyrics are sprinkled liberally through the script. The villain of this panto is Walter the Wicked — the clue is in the name. Robin Hemmings exudes a sinister yet rather suave nastiness.

His daughter Ursula the Unsure (a put-upon Daisy Ann Fletcher) is under his deadly influence. Whether she escapes his controlling clutches remains to be seen. Princess Aurora the Awesome (a charming Sophia Lewis) is about to turn 18 and so become Queen of Oxland. Preparations for her party are under the supervision of Roderick the Rigid (a comically stern Tats Nyazika), who tells Aurora about magic gifts she received when a baby, gifts like resilience, on which she will need to draw as the plot unfolds, and a precious 1985 Smash Hits Yearbook. Orphaned from babyhood, Aurora has been cared for by ebullient and flirtatious Nurse Nelly (Lucy Frederick is terrific in the role).

Aurora also has a friend in Billy the Silly (an affable and funny Max Guest). Walter has laid a curse on Aurora and wickedly implicates Aurora’s friends in fulfilling his evil plans. Not even Aurora’s guardian fairy Mark-O (a beguiling Elliott Wooster) can save her.

He asks Walter, “Do you really want to hurt her?” and there’s a funny slapstick double act as Mark-O tries to thwart Billy’s building of the spindle, but all to no avail. Walter gleefully sings You Spin Me Round as Aurora pricks her finger and falls asleep.

The rivalry between Aurora and Ursula turns to friendship, perhaps more, once Ursula has turned her back on her father’s misdemeanours. Daisy Ann Fletcher and Sophia Lewis have marvellous voices and perform some wonderful duets, such as Don’t You (Forget About Me).

When Aurora awakes from her 1,000-year doze, it’s 1985, but bleak, brown and boring. Aurora and Ursula try to inject some colour into the scene with their fashion boutique and draw in an audience member to become their model.

The plan is to use a time machine to travel back to the scene of the party and reverse the outcomes. When Walter travels in time, his machine is powered by boos from the audience; the travel machine of the good characters operates by The Power of Love.

Back at the party, it’s Murder on the Dance Floor and the members of the Young Company dance to a hit by Wham. Happily, the friends succeed in their quest to put things right. Aurora achieves her dream of being a fashion designer and puts Ursula on the throne in her stead. Ultimately we are reacquainted with Walter working as a waiter in a cocktail bar; when he asks the others, “Don’t you want me, baby?”, the answer is easy to guess!

Lighting by Ashley Bale and Will Hayman, plus Immy Howard’s costumes add to the glamour and glitz. It’s hard to describe the comedy, colour and fun in words, but I enjoyed every minute. This superbly written show offers wall-to-wall enjoyment for all ages and will surely be a roaring success. Grab some tickets, if you can, and party like it’s 1985.

Runs until Sunday, January 5.

Susan Creed