Sleeping Beauty: The Classic Tale From The Comfort Of My Own Home!

Hello world! Welcome back to another blog! In this blog I will be taking you through my thoughts of when I watched the Nottingham Playhouse’s On Demand version of Sleeping Beauty, which I watched on 13th January 2026.

This class fairytale tells the story of a young girl being sent away after the evil Maleficent put a curse on Princess Rose, where only true loves kiss would break the spell. This version had both Act 1 and 2 set 100 years apart. Which I thought was very clever.

Yasmin King took on the role of queen and then later on Princess Rose. What I love about this character is that not only was she kind and gentle, but she also had a sassy personality which I quite liked. This was seen with her interactions with Prince Albert, and when she defeated Maleficents dragon Derek, and it was something very refreshing to the classic fairytale. 

Seb Harwood took on the role of Prince Albert. He was my favourite out of all of them, as his over the top posh accident had me smiling, he was full on, and managed to balance it out with a beautiful moment with Princess Rose in act 2 when she woke up from her deep sleep. Those are the makings of a brilliant leading male, and I am curious to now see him in a comic style character. I also loved the chemistry between Yasmin and Seb, and a definition of how sometimes relationships take time to evolve into something magical. 

Charis Alexandra took on the role of fairy lights. I loved this character, and her want kind personality is just what you would expect from the magical character of the show. I also loved the concept of her having to work to get her real fairy wings, which was a nice twist to this classic fairytale. 

John Elkington once again took on the role of the dame, with this character being Nanny Nelly. After watching him in Jack and The Beanstalk (which you can read a review of it here: https://www.theautisticactress.com/post/jack-the-beanstalk-a-way-to-make-theatre-more-accessible), I knew he would smash this once again. He once again managed to crack some brilliant jokes, and was brave enough to get someone from the audience to “Be an Understudy”. Whilst the audience member themselves wasn’t so keen, like a true performer he is it didn’t let them get to him when they declined the offer . 

Danny Hendrix took on the role of Teddy. I can see why the kids loved him, as he had the personality, energy and kindness the comic character needs. The jokes he said also gave me something to chuckle, and I loved his call and response line, bringing some nostalgic memories (God rest Brucies soul). 

TJ Lloyd took on the role of the King. I loved how he cared so much for Princess Rose, particularly after she fell for Maleficent's curse. And it also symbolises how true love's kiss isn’t just from a romantic perspective, but how a love between father and daughter can resemble that feeling as well. I think this is a good lesson for young people going forward, showing that there are different kinds of true love. 

Finally, Lara Sas took on the role of the evil queen maleficent. She really brought the role of this classic villain and really made it her own. From her evil laugh to also her humour when trying to flirt with Prince Albert, she really was the definition of light and shade. And her solo mix of “Abracadabra” and “Bat Out of Hell” really showed her vocal range, and my word she has a strong set of lungs! 

The songs in the show were also fun to join in. These included “Shut Up and Dance With Me”, “You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful” and “Dancing On The Ceiling”. “Everything Is Awesome” after Teddy introduced himself to the audience and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” during Rose’ first birthday we’re also a classic, and it got me bopping along in time! 

Throughout the show there were of course many traditional things seen in a pantomime. These included two ghost gags, one in the forest in act 1, and then again in the desert in act 2, using the call and response from the audience to tell them that the monster is “behind you”. There was also the classic “Oh No there wasn’t/there was” gag which is also an iconic moment. There was so plenty of jokes used in the show, some of which I haven’t heard of before but I’ll definitely take them with me. A few of them included Teddy making a joke about having a party on the roof, a joke about a party pooper, and rose telling jokes linking to Henry 8ths wives. I’ll definitely be taking some of those with me for future references!

I don’t think I haven’t any downsides to the show, other than not being able to see it in person. Mind you, even though I was feeling alot better on the day, I knew I still could’ve been contagious with what I suffered with. And as I was going on a day out the following day, I thought to myself “better safe than sorry”, so all I can say is, thank god for on demand services like this.

Overall I would give the show a full house of 5 out of 5. After not being able to do a pantomime last year due to reasons beyond my control, I did feel abit deflated. But seeing this show made me realise how much I love this genre. So even if it’s the same situation again, pantomime will always have a place in my heart! And as mentioned before, having a on demand service for those who are struggling financially or find in person stuff overwhelming I think is a great use of accessibility, and something which I think all theatres should have, even if it is for a limited time. 

And that is it for my review of “Sleeping Beauty” on Demand at the Nottingham Playhouse. Let me know if you’ve seen it on demand or in person and let me know your thoughts on it. Also click the link below to find out more about how you can support this amazing workplace, which include shows coming up, jobs that are listed and for performers out there, how you can get involved in their next projects.

Homepage - Nottingham Playhouse

See you soon for another blog. Until next time…

This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)