Daily Mail
And finally... Is a panto
good for us? Oh, yes it is!
By Bel Mooney for the Daily Mail 22 Dec 2023
It was a mad and magical evening. For the first time ever we took our four grandchildren to the panto and enjoyed a precious evening of festive family fun.
My son and daughter were there, too, and all of us (me at 77, the youngest five) were merrily yelling at the stage (‘Look behind you!’), booing the Wicked Fairy, and laughing our socks off at jokes so bad they were hilarious.
One or two quips were gloriously non-politically-correct too, which just added to the adults’ delight.
The Theatre Royal Bath was the scene for this wacky Sleeping Beauty. So what if the budget is smaller than lavish pantomimes in Bristol or London and there are no big stars?
As an audience you warm to sheer verve and enthusiasm, wondering how on earth the cast can get up and perform for the second time that day.
Bath audiences have their favourites; for example, for 15 years, actor Jon Monie has played a leading comic role, and as hapless Lester the Jester he didn’t disappoint.
Year after year of panto, generations giggling helplessly, just as we were — and children growing up to understand how stock audience reactions like, ‘Oh yes, you are!’ pass into the collective consciousness.
I sneaked a peek along the line of the eight of us, adoring the expressions on the kids’ faces. The littlest one looked quite dazed at times, mouth slightly open, bemused at being encouraged to shout out and loving the whole spectacle.
This is what’s meant by the expression ‘making memories’, isn’t it? Of we four adults, I’d guess three thought they were only there for the children, and yet ended up having a terrific time for their own sakes. That’s the magic of old-fashioned entertainment.
Don’t we all need to boo the baddies and cheer the Fairy Godmother? Whoever you are, I hope you can conjure up a little Christmas magic this year. It’s there. Look behind you.
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Bath Echo
Nick Wilton as Nanny Nora is as glorious as ever alongside the excellent Monie; it is hard to find a better pair in panto.
Full review
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The Bath Magazine
Nick Wilton as Nanny Nora once again proves that, if you’re looking for ridiculously raucous, rollickin’ good fun, there really ain’t nothing like a dame: jocular, ridiculous, a tad Les Dawson-esque and dressed, in all scenes, in outfits of the worst possible taste.
Laden with lashings of good-natured good fun, dollops of wit and endless sprinkles of memorable magic, Theatre Royal Bath’s Sleeping Beauty is a spectacular Christmas wake-up call; an uplifting sparkly celebration in the midst of the murky deep midwinter… oh yes, it very much is.
Full review
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The Bath & Wiltshire Parent
Sleeping Beauty at The Theatre Royal Bath – fantastic festive family fun!
Christmas is here which means panto time at the Theatre Royal is back – and this year, it’s an absolute cracker!
Sleeping Beauty stars EastEnders’ and West End star Neil McDermott as Prince Vincent, Bath favourite Jon Monie as Lester the Jester, EastEnders’ Nick Wilton as Dame Nanny Nora and Hollyoaks’ Sarah Jane Buckley as Fairy Snowfall. And across the board, the cast is just fantastic, delivering performances of real comedy and fun – just the thing for a pre-Christmas evening out!
From start to finish, Sleeping Beauty is comedy gold thanks to a top notch script by writer and silly man supreme, Jon Monie. The truly is every inch a panto classic, with all the traditions that you can imagine - oh yes there are - as well as new scenes and set pieces that will have you laughing in your seats. Add in great sets, a fantastic fairy, some surprise and very impressive special effects, plus the obligatory audience participation, and Sleeping Beauty is a ten out of ten surefire family hit. We loved it!
The Bath & Wiltshire Parent
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The Fine Times Recorder
The essential requirement of pantomime is that it entertains and enchants, and the Christmas show at Bath’s Theatre Royal always does that, aided and abetted by the sheer magic of the venue, as the lights twinkle around the beautiful auditorium and the excitement mounts, all ready for the arrival of the heroes and heroines, goodies and baddies and the comics.
This year’s show, Sleeping Beauty, has been written by the perennial favourite knockabout and local boy Jon Monie.
Anchoring the show, as always in the Bath pantomime, are Nick Wilton as the loveable Dame Nanny Nora, and Jon Monie, this time as Lester the Jester.
The children in the audience loved the excitement and adventure of this re-telling of the Perrault tale, which is a spectacular celebration of the original.
The Fine Times Recorder
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Stage Talk Magazine
This is a traditional panto with all the colour, music and fun you could want from a trip to the theatre with your family.
Graham Wyles. ★★★★☆
Stage Talk Magazine
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Bath Chronicle
We all love Nick Wilton, he is just brilliant every year, and this year as Nanny Nora he is more outrageous and gaudily dressed than ever.
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Bristol Post
Nick Wilton, a firmly established regular as the Dame, wears one outrageous costume
and wigs after the other to the delight
of the young at heart audience.
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Global Mouse Travels
There’s no better way to usher in the festive season than by embracing the enchanting world of Sleeping Beauty at Theatre Royal Bath. This classic fairytale, reimagined with a touch of magic and a lot of laughter, is the perfect family show this Christmas, creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Global Mouse Travels
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Weston Daily Press
A Christmas cracker of a panto in Scriptwriter Jon Monie’s reworked tale of the power of true love. Jon himself takes to the stage as Lester the Jester alongside iconic panto mum Nick Wilton as Dame Nanny Nora. The pair are as hilarious as ever, their comic antics often played as a threesome involving the King (David Pendlebury) ,fussy old father of the Princess.
Full review
