Circa Theatre’s 21^st panto, SLEEPING BEAUTY The Pantomime, written by Gavin Rutherford & Simon Leary and directed by Rutherford, changes up the genre wondrously while sustaining many loved elements. But first, this auspicious opening night included a special appearance from Dame Gavin Rutherford in the one-time-only role of Rosie Bubble, delivering a witty and heartfelt curtain-call tribute to the Circa Panto tradition.

Bear with me while I sketch in the history (please do correct me if I’m wrong):

Twenty years ago (on 19 November 2005), Circa premiered its first pantomime: Cinderella, written by Roger Hall with lyrics by Paul Jenden who also designed the costumes and staged the musical sequences, music by Michael Nicholas Williams, lighting by Jennifer Lal and directed by Susan Wilson, with a stellar cast. Many luminaries of Wellington theatre have embraced and been embraced by the tradition over the decades.

Now, for SLEEPING BEAUTY The Pantomime, musical arranger, director and live-at-the-side-of-the-stage musician Michael Nicholas Williams is the only common denominator – except for 2013’s Mother Goose, written by Michelle Amas. It had music composed by Gareth Farr who co-wrote the lyrics with Paul Jenden and Michelle Scullion was the musical director and live musician. That’s also when Simon Leary entered the fray as Simple Simon and Sheila Horton stepped up to design the superb panto costumes she has been creating ever since. Marcus McShane has been designing the lights brilliantly since Paul Jenden’s Puss in Boots in 2018.

The writing reins were taken up by Gavin Rutherford & Simon Leary with 2019’s Alice in Wonderland, which marked Rutherford’s 10^th year as the “poor lonely widow woman” Dame (his first being Mrs Hood in Roger Hall’s Robin Hood). Susan Wilson’s finale as panto director was The Little Mermaid in 2021. Rutherford took over the following year for Pinocchio, stepping back from the Dame role for Jthan Morgan’s Kahurangi Fairy, a blend of Fairy Godmother and panto Dame, with Jthan’s claim to Dame being cemented in last year’s Treasure Island.

I could go on but will simply add that acting-wise, Jthan, Natasha McAllister, Kathleen Burns and Bronwyn Turei have also become stalwarts of the Circa Panto line-up and feature once more in SLEEPING BEAUTY.

The preset features a lone blue spinning wheel against a forested green curtain which parts to reveal the rest of Ian Harmon’s clever set, lit by Marcus McShane (Lighting Operator, Kate Anderson; Sound engineer & Operator, Oliver Devlin). A sleeping baby takes focus, ‘Good Vibrations’ (Beach Boys) permeates the airwaves, two insect-like fairies – Dawn (Simon Leary) and Day (Kathleen Burns) – announce it’s the first birthday of Aurora Australis, Princess of Wellingtonia, and the full song bursts forth. They confer the gifts of confidence, bravery and charisma on baby Aurora.

But fairy Dusk (Bronwyn Turei) is furious to discover she has not been invited and so casts a spell on the babe: if she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel’s bobbin up to and including her 21^st birthday, she will sleep for … ever? A hundred years, as in the original fairy story? Or is it a thousand? I’m not quite clear on that point. It does seem to change as we whirl through time … Maybe inflation’s to blame.

The antidote to the curse is “true love’s kiss”. There’s no mention of a Handsome Prince but Dusk does have a reluctant minion, Justin Time (Jackson Burling), whose schoolboy attire vibes with Harry Potter – as do the wands wielded by Dawn, Day and Dusk.

Coming to the rescue via a Portal-OO is Anita Minute (Jthan Morgan), not a ‘poor lonely widow woman’ but a Time Traveller (Dr Who vibes), who has picked up a baby Tyrannosaurus called Cuddles (Natasha McAllister). Dusk claims Cuddles as a minion to replace the absconded Justin.

Anita’s powers are embedded in a plumber’s plunger that transports them to different time zones, past and future, in which the Deputy Prime Minister is always Winston Peters. There’s a time in the future when David Seymour is Supreme Leader. A ‘dinosaur’ reference to Shane Jones is also dropped in. (After the show our 12 year-old companion tells us he’s enjoyed the political jokes especially.)

Having been kept away from everyone and everything to keep her safe, adult Aurora (Rachel McSweeney), about to turn 21 and imbued with her conferred gifts, makes her entrance singing ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ (Cyndi Lauper / Robert Hazard). Her fairy keepers just need to stop her meeting strangers for one more day …

Justin is also told not to talk to anyone under any circumstances which suits him because he’s awkward with words anyway – so when the inevitable happens and he and Aurora meet, they use spontaneous sign language. Is it true you can fall in love at first sight? Cue Beyonce’s ‘Halo’. Importantly, Justin has the courtesy to ask Aurora if he may kiss her and she lets him know she would very much like him to (oops, they’ve spoken to each other!).

However, the loving kiss they – and we – long for is variously subverted, not least by Dusk, who revels in our boos and delights in telling us she is responsible for countless irritations we face in life. When Aurora discovers the spinning wheel, she thinks it’s a 21^st birthday present and of course Dusk encourages her to experience the joys of spinning a yarn.

Despite Justin’s attempts to live up to his name and the power Anita’s plunger has to freeze people, the dreaded bobbin prick sends Aurora into a deep sleep and us into the interval.

By now it is clear the entire cast is superb, as are Sheila Horton’s costumes once more. Have I mentioned how superb the singing and dancing is (MD, Michael Nicholas Williams; Choreography, Natasha McAllister & Jthan Morgan)? This is a high-quality yet somewhat different show.

‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’ (Wham!) launches the second half. It’s the year 2924. Cuddles has transformed and takes flight, the giant squid from Te Papa has been used to preserve the sleeping Aurora, the globe has warmed considerably but Anita is frozen thanks to Dusk. Her evil plan includes a poisoned apple – plucked from the Snow White story; cue ‘Apple’ (Charlie XCX) – that turns lovers who bite it into haters, generating much comedy-of-odium between Dawn and Day.

Amid Justin’s increasingly weird dream, Aurora and Dusk face off, enhanced by ‘Wake Me Up Inside’ (Evanescence). The quest to achieve True Love’s Kiss keeps driving the narrative and it frees Dawn and Day to love again, but Dusk remains a threat and people keep being made to disappear …

At last – not before time and having reassured Dawn, Day and Anita he has her consent – Justin delivers the kiss and we arrive at the happy ending to a rousing reprise of ‘Wake Me Up before You Go-Go’, provoking jubilant applause.

But wait, there’s more. Jthan and Bronwyn return. Bronwyn raises a sheet of white paper and, with what has in less than a week become an iconic gesture that’s gone globally viral, rips it down the middle. The audience response – thunderous clapping, stamping and cheering – transcends all we have already expressed. It’s a very special moment to be part of.

SLEEPING BEAUTY The Pantomime brings a fresh approach to an age-old and much-loved tradition. May we hope it will flourish for another 20 years, at least? Where’s that time-shifting plunger?

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