For reasons of space, the review of Sleeping Beauty at The Point Eastleigh that I wrote for the Echo was considerably edited. Here it is in full:

The Point Youth Theatre, directed by Daniel Hill, present a heartwarming tale of friendship and the power of storytelling.

Matt Beames has taken the traditional story of Sleeping Beauty and adapted it to suit a modern audience. The tale is told by the December fairy, played with zest by Hannah-May Coull. We soon learn that the dormant royal is now a Prince (Max Baker). His rescuer is no longer a dashing aristocrat but a working class lass called Aurora, acted with feeling by Ellie Morrison.

The ever present fairy guardians all perform well but, because the sound wasn’t always clear, I did notice that Katie-Anna McConnell is particularly good at projecting her voice.

Oublier, the forgotten and resentful fairy, curses the baby prince to eternal sleep if pricked by a spindle. This isn’t a traditional pantomime but it’s hard to resist booing this villain, played with relish by Megan Beeson, as she tries to thwart the search for the comatose noble.

Aurora’s journey is interspersed with flashbacks that reveal how she met the Prince and what befell him. Charlie Rosser and Roma Fordham are very natural as the youngsters getting to know and like one another. Rhys Tabor is excellent as his kindly, loyal Captain.

Aurora’s companions include a warrior called Gudrun acted with commitment by Alice White and a droll Troll played by Eoghan Butler, who provides much humour. The puppeteers- Alexander Holt, Kayleigh Benham, Grace Keeping and Indi Morrison- do a splendid job of bringing various animals to life. I particularly liked Leah Reeves’ wolf Dregil.

There are dramatic scenes involving the frightening Myrkwood Spirits which are well choreographed. The finest of many songs is the King and Queen’s duet, sung beautifully by Sophie Parker and Aidan Cooper. The costumes, designed by Carl Davies, are excellent, the best being the fairies’ colourful tutus and wild hair.

Sleeping Beauty at The Point Eastleigh continues until 24 December.

Paul Lewis reviews theatre on his YouTube channel One Minute Theatre Reviews and website oneminutetheatrereviews.co.uk 

He owns the arts marketing company Seven Experience.