"I must admit to feeling somewhat out of place as I took my seat for the annual panto at the Nottingham Playhouse.

Pantos are a British institution and kids love them.  I can certainly recall going to a few when I was younger, and Sleeping Beauty - Kenneth Alan Taylor’s 21st consecutive outing in Nottingham - is just how I remember.

A packed house, lots of wide-eyed children, plenty of raucous audience participation, a host of naff gags and a pinch of hidden innuendo chucked in for the old ’uns.

They’re a lot more fun if you’ve got children with you though, so I suppose the acid test here was whether it could entertain two 25-year-olds for a couple of hours.

And while I can’t claim to have been shrieking ’he’s behind you’, or even booing Maudlin the Mean, or even volunteering to join the other five-year-olds on the stage for a sing-song at the end, I can report that there were several moments that raised a laugh.

A cracking medley of songs performed by Taylor as Nurse Nelly Noggins, Michael Remick as King Phillippe and Jeffrey Longmore as Queen Gertrude, instantly come to mind - the rendition of I Believe in a Thing Called Love by The Darkness was hilarious.

Taylor inevitably steals the show and a glance through the programme clearly indicates the remarkable impact he has had on writing, directing and starring in Christmas productions at the Playhouse since 1984.

But he is ably backed by an experienced cast.  Michael Kirk stands out playing the token baddie to perfection, instantly turning an army of children against him from his first moment on stage.

With a panto, the proof of the pudding is definitely in the eating.  This is something for the family and, in particular, the kids.

It is therefore, best judged by their reaction and those around me certainly had a great time.

Waving their glowing wands, laughing their heads off and clapping along to the songs with their parents would all suggest this is good, wholesome family entertainment."

James Blount

"As this would’ve be the first time that I have seen a pantomime, I must admit I was slightly dreading it. I thought it would be full of the old clichés, "It’s behind you!" and being chased around the stage. I was however, pleasantly surprised. I had heard great reviews about Kenneth Alan Taylors’ previous pantomimes and as it was his 21st panto, I knew it would be something special.

Some of the classics were there such as the ever-changing costumes of Kenneth Alan Taylor as Nurse Nelly Noggins and there was some slapstick in the form of ’the hammer on the head’. But there were also differences to other panto’s as Prince charming was played by a male, and not a female. Paul Spicer as Price Charming was excellent. He could dance, sing, act well and he definitely looked the part. Kenneth Alan Taylor was fantastic and he definitely lived up to his reputation. He was hilarious when ad-libbing and you could tell that all of the actors were really enjoying themselves. Michael Kirk who played Maudlin the Mean was great. He really seemed evil and you found yourself booing along with everyone else whenever he was on stage.

The set was amazing and nothing like what I was expecting. Whether it was Maudlin’s lair or the cottage in the woods, it was all up to an amazingly high standard. The costumes also matched the high standard of the set and were fantastically designed.

I had totally underestimated pantomimes and I really enjoyed Sleeping Beauty. It is running until 16th January and I would recommend anyone to see whatever your age, as there is something for everyone."

"Sleeping Beauty, written and directed by the talented Kenneth Alan Taylor for the playhouse’s 21st pantomime anniversary, is a fantastic evening out whatever your age.

The show opens with a fanfare and a troupe of young dancers who make up for what they might lack in experience with lots of enthusiasm."

"Writer and director Kenneth Alan Taylor steals the show completely, with an outstanding panto-professional performance as Nurse Nelly Noggins, but credit must go to Michael Kirk for his wicked performance as Maudlin the Mean.  All in all, the acting standard was of the highest quality, the ad-libbing from the more experienced members of the cast faultless and hilarious"

"the cast’s enthusiasm and obvious delight to be taking part makes it a must-see Christmas panto!"

Karyn Eden

"The Nottingham Playhouse’s pantomime has achieved nigh-on legendary status since Kenneth Alan Taylor took over as artistic director in 1983. Twenty-one pantos later, and he still manages to write, direct, produce and star in a really great production. Taylor is one of two dames, playing Nanny Noggins alongside Jeffrey Longmore’s Queen Gertrude, and the faux-bitchy characters of the two play off wonderfully with the addition of John Elkington’s forgetful King Hubert and Michael Remick’s straight played King Phillipe.

The casting, it has to be said, is downright superb, ignoring the traditional idea of casting washed up celebs and soap stars, employing real talent instead. I can promise you here and now that you will never see a bad guy, either in serious or comedic theatre, who is as good Michael Kirk’s Maudlin the Mean. Absolutely brilliantly played, with some tremendous overacting and above all, the most expressive eyes I have ever seen. The performances of Francesca Ellis and Julia Harrison-Jones as Fairy Wisheart and Princess Rosalind are perfect straight-faced panto performances, and an excellent foil to the elder cast members’ tomfoolery. The lead male role is that of Prince Alexander, and in a surprising twist, Kenneth Alan Taylor chose to cast a male in a role usually filled by a female. Nonetheless, Paul Spicer is sickeningly good, with the looks, dancing, singing and acting skills to go a very very long way. Remember the name, that’s all I can say. He is faced by a tremendous challenge when on stage with an improvising Taylor, desperately fighting to keep a straight face as the elder fired comments at him, “don’t ad lib when I’m ad libbing!” being one of the many.

The improvisation has always been special, and with the script lacking a little compared to previous years, there is a lot of room to manoeuvre for the pantomime veterans. The audience on the press night was an intelligent and enthusiastic one, and repeatedly found double entendres where they were not meant to be and anticipating gags, leaving Taylor to yell “not yet! You’ll ruin it for the kids!” One got the impression that the King of Nottingham panto enjoyed playing with the audience’s intuition, and was unashamed at the repeating of very old jokes, “I don’t know how we get away with it!” being one comment he made.

The all-important set was brilliantly fantastical without the tacky, glitterati of many of the larger scale celeb pantos. The designer, Terry Parsons, is an old hand with an excellent portfolio of big shows, and he brings some sophisticated magic to the Playhouse.

Overall, even for cynical 17 teenagers like myself, this was a wonderful evening that everyone should see. Immediately. Go on, what are you waiting for? All right, later then. But you do have to see it. I am a self confessed Nottingham Playhouse panto addict, and am seeing it again on New Year’s eve, but even after more than 10 year’s of panto-going, I consider this to be one of the best. It will probably appear from this review that I’ve gone a little over the top. Maybe I have, but it might just leave you as enthused as I was. The most fun you will ever have, and a dire warning to everyone who has a spinning wheel lying around. Particularly if it happens to be a neon coloured spinning wheel. Want to know what the heck I’m going on about? Well go and see it. You’ll find out then, won’t you!"

"Every year for the past who knows how many years, I have had the delight of going to the local pantomimes shown in Derby. Unfortunately, they have stopped producing them at the Derby Playhouse, which was a great disappoint to me. But after watching ‘Sleeping Beauty’ at Nottingham Playhouse, my disappoint turn to happiness, as I have realised that I may have found a new venue for my pantomime viewing pleasure!

In celebration of the 21^st anniversary of the director, Kenneth Alan Taylor presenting pantomimes at Nottingham Playhouse, the legendary story of Sleeping Beauty is now showing, between the 26^th November and 16^th January. This is the first pantomime I have viewed here at Nottingham, and I have to say, if this production is an accurate representation of the last 21 years of panto, then I have missed out on some great shows!

I have never tired of pantomimes personally, and Sleeping Beauty is just like your typical panto production. You can laugh at the ever changing costumes of the classic dame Nurse Nelly Noggins, played wonderfully by Kenneth Taylor himself, and you can hiss and boo at the scary Maudlin the Mean, performed very convincingly by Michael Kirk.

Enjoy the beautiful sets, from the palace to Maudlin’s lair, chuckle along to the amusing modern references that come so common with this kind of performance, and enjoy singing along with the cast, whether you are meant to or not! Every time I go to a pantomime I leave feeling in high spirits, and almost can’t wait to go back next year. This year was no exception, and I hope that others who go will feel the same when they go home as well. Get into the spirit of pantomime, and help celebrate 21 years of magic!"

"For the past 20 years the theatre’s former artistic director Kenneth Alan Taylor, has penned and appeared in the Playhouse’s feast of family fun, and this year’s 21st anniversary offering is an early Christmas present that doesn’t disappoint.

Over the past two decades the number of different costumes worn by ’Dame Ken’ in each production has been a source of amazement to audiences, but in this current production now being staged 75 times until Saturday 15th January - he excels himself

As Nurse Nelly Noggins, he is ably aided and abetted in a series of gags, old and new, by an enthusiastic and energetic cast, many of who have a proven track record in previous Playhouse pantos."

"a panto that has truly coem of age and is a winner from beginning to end."

Tony Spittles

"It’s Pantomime season again and Sleeping Beauty at the Nottingham Playhouse is an absolute must see for all the family - whether they are aged four or 104! As always with Kenneth Alan Taylor productions, anything goes, and it certainly does here as he celebrates his 21st pantomime at the venue with a fantastic festive cracker. A tried and trusted cast ensure a show rich in entertainment bounces along with lavish, often outrageous costumes, songs and jokes galore and plenty of surprises. Glitz and glamour abound and a captivated audience are entertained to the full. Designer Terry Parsons has excelled himself with some inventive, creative scenery and changes while clever effects add to the spellbound atmosphere. Where else can you see singing rabbits, King Hubert playing ’air guitar’, songs from Dolly Parton to The Darkness to The Beatles and much, much more? ’Tis the season to be jolly. Go on, treat the family and enjoy this 21st birthday frolic!"

 Kev Miles

"*****

They really don’t get much better that this – cheeky, frisky, completely in your face and outrageous. Nottingham’s Sleeping Beauty (though how the poor lass could have a decent kip through the racket of excitement in the auditorium is anyone’s guess!) has to be in the top three of the national seasonal entertainments this year, and that’s a judgement made before most of the rest of her rivals have finished their rehearsals.

To go to a matinee of a pantomime when there are about four or five vast school excursions flocking through the doors is not, forgive me kiddies, almost certainly the average mortal’s idea of Hades on a very blunt skewer. At Nottingham, it became a positive joy. The youngsters loved it, and warmed to the show a split second after the band opened up the afternoon. Principally, I think, this is because Terry Parsons’ sets aren’t so much bright and attractive as eyeball-scorchingly brilliant. If his colleagues and rival designers discover that they can’t find any glitter anywhere else in the country this year, I can supply them with the reason why – there are about ninety-two tons of it at the Playhouse, twinkling away to the point where it might be wise for the cheery and unfailingly enthusiastic attendants to offer sunglasses to the unsuspecting punters in the foyers.

Parsons is not subtle – but the sets are awe-inspiringly sumptuous, incandescent with invention. This is where you’ll find the nicked Sharon Osborne’s jewellery casket – bling, bling BLANG!

In contrast, Kenneth Alan Taylor’s script – for the record, this is his twenty-first consecutive Playhouse panto, and he also directs and stars – is groaningly familiar. Taylor is the thief of bad gags, and no bewiskered old chestnut goes unused. But this is no bad thing, for Kenny knows how to flip a joke onto its side, how to slot in a routine, and how to make the mums and dads wince with his sheer effrontery. The kids, of course, who will never ever have heard of the "You’re next to an idiot" backchat, or who will have forgotten it from last year’s outing, lap it all up in sheer delight.

What is endearing about this energy-packed show is that there’s a perfect balance and blend of romantic schmaltz (not too much that the young ones start feeling embarrassed and somewhat queasy) great good humour, knockabout camp fun, and that blinding spectacle. And anyone who can produce a show which contains musical numbers originated by composers and artistes as varied as Sondheim, Cole Porter, Dolly Parton and Tchaikovsky (among many others), and who still holds the house in thrall deserves every respect that you can give him.

Taylor is, of course, someone rather special, a Dame in direct descent of the great and glorious Norman Evans, lifting his bust, adjusting his wig, flouncing on stage in a succession of mind-boggling costume changes, and leering with a lusty confidence at the leading man. For yes, there are some slight departures from your usual panto. The Prince, once upon a time, would have been a thigh-slapping well-endowed lass in long boots. This time it’s young Paul Spicer, who looks as if he has escaped from a very wholesome boy band, and who could be the slightly risqué older brother of a lot of the young ladies in the audience, which is probably why they have a frisson of excitement every time he appears on stage.

We have a first rate villain in the shape of the wicked fairy Maudlin the Mean, played with malicious bad will by Michael Kirk, [...] and I don’t think I’ve heard a young audience united in such a maelstrom of hoped-for vengeance for quite some time. Watching kids standing in the aisles and giving him a vigorous thumbs down, time and time again, shows that a) Mr. Kirk has hit his mark with an absolute certainty and that b) panto is alive and well and kicking with an unprecedented verve at the Playhouse. The rest of the cast? Magic."

"I went in, OK, I admit it, with a "flipping kids, here we go, Christmas show" heavy hearted attitude, and emerged with a smile on my face and a spring in my step. This is a tonic on legs, and a pantomime in the best, richest, most enjoyable sense. Earthy, loud and wonderful. A bit like its onlie begetter, in fact"

Phil Penfold

"It’s panto time at Nottingham Playhouse which means a Kenneth Alan Taylor extravaganza. Celebrating his 21st season with Sleeping Beauty this absolute cracker like all good pantos, is a wonderful mix of colour, dance, terrible jokes and a good old sing along.

Panto is a regular event in our house so with Jessica (13), Hugo (11), Gill (30 something) and me we can be a pretty tough audience to please… but pleased we were.

This production of Sleeping Beauty, the timeless tale of good vs. evil, of romance between royalty and a sprinkle of magic fairy dust, has it all and much, much more.

Taylor plays the outrageously brilliant Nurse Nelly, who is entrusted with Princess Rosalind’s (Julia Harrison-Jones) well being for 21 years, after she is cursed by the particularly evil Maudlin the Mean (Michael Kirk).

Having destroyed all the spinning wheels in the Kingdom in an effort to stop the princess pricking her finger, Princess Rosalind’s parents King Philippe (Michael Remick) and Queen Gertrude (Jeffrey Longmore) await their daughter’s return, where upon she will marry the drop dead gorgeous Prince Alexander (Paul Spicer). As the plot heads toward a dramatic climax – will love finally conquer all?

The cast are fabulous and it would be wrong to mention anyone in particular because all involved gave so much, I will however give a quick mention to those who sang "I Need a Hero" more times than I can recall. It pleased an ecstatic audience who were thoroughly enjoying the show. Well done Kenneth, Jeffrey and John – Bonnie would be proud.

I can’t praise highly enough the actors, costumes, sets, music and extras it was a fantastic performance all round.

Here is what the tough audience thought:

Hugo (11) : "It was cool….very funny and I really liked the costumes, much better than the theatre Royal" – 9/10

Jessica (13) : "Yeah…it was good! Very funny for older kids too, I thought the costumes were brilliant" 9/10

Gill (30 something) : "We’ve been going to the panto since the kids were little, and this is by far the best I’ve seen or can remember. It was like watching a carry on film, starring Dame Edna Everage. Keep an eye out for the singing bunnies they’re very funny – 10/10

Me : I promise having seen this panto I’ll never again have a little moan about going to see another. Kenneth Alan Taylor has done a fantastic job. It was a thrill to watch, a feast of colour and the rendition of I Believe in a Thing Called Love by the Darkness made it all worth while. The sets, costumes, performance and music were absolutely first class - 10/10

Go and enjoy."

Phil Myers (and family)

"Kenneth Alan Taylor has come up with the goods yet again in his 21st Pantomime with the Nottingham Playhouse.

Writer-director Kenneth Alan Taylor continues to do what he does best – taking a traditional fairy tale and turning out a sparkling evening’s entertainment in the best pantomime tradition.

One of the joys of the Playhouse Panto is that we know what to expect, the audience love it, the cast (many of whom return year after year) feel like old friends and a wonderful time is had by all. The performance overran due to the many encores, something I suspect will happen every time.

Kenneth Alan Taylor’s legendary dames are as much a part of Christmas in these parts as roast turkey and stuffing and this year his Nurse Nellie Noggins is no exception. His banter on stage with fellow actors and his witty and sharp retorts to good-hearted hecklers from the audience trip off his tongue without respite.

Jeffrey Longmore returns as the second dame. His repartee with Taylor is hysterical; they can clearly read each other, anticipating and responding to ad libs with lightening speed.

One difference this year is that we are treated to a rather handsome prince in the form of Paul Spicer, rather than the female principal boy. He certainly appealed to the audience, provoking wolf whistles and cheers at each time appearance. I could swear I heard my fifteen-year-old niece boo when he actually awoke the Princess with a kiss.

Our villain is particularly villainous. Maudlin the Mean (Michael Kirk), is a larger than life evil fairy, who has a touch of Shirley Bassey about her with her flowing, feathered dress and theatrical movements.

We danced, we sang, we cheered and booed – and that was just the audience. From the very young to the very old, I couldn’t see one audience member who was not participating in the fun and frivolity. Sheer Christmas escapism!"

Jen Mitchell

"Cometh the hour, cometh the man: the decorations are up, Santa’s in his grotto and the compilation CDs are on the shelves, so step forward Kenneth Alan Taylor and his great cast of sidekicks to put some real pizzazz into Christmas.

It’s a role he has successfully filled in Nottingham for two decades since Jack and the Beanstalk hit the Playhouse stage in 1984.

And with Sleeping Beauty, the 21st KAT (my third by the way), the bar is raised another notch.

Where do you start?

The set design and lighting were irresistible, right up there with the best of the West End; the music sure and strong, and the young chorus (there are two squads ... was it the red team we got on Saturday?) were step perfect.

But the meat of panto is, as ever, the principles. And the class of 2004 is as fine as you could wish for. Michael Kirk as Maudlin the Mean, my family’s choice as man of the match, was glorious, and the rest - John Elkington (King Hubert), Francesca Ellis (Fairy Wisheart), Julia Harrison Jones (Princess Rosalind), Jeffrey Longmore (Queen Gertude), Michael Remick (King Phillippe) and Paul Spicer (Prince Alexander) - were within touching distance.

And then there is our Ken, the driving force as writer, director and outrageous dame. As Nurse Nelly Noggins he holds court during some great set-pieces - a fabulous striptease in particular - but has enough nous to step aside and give his talented, experienced team their head to drift away from the script at will, while still somehow keeping the night (almost) on track.

The storyline sticks to tradition, but it’s almost incidental, and there are enough modern references ... I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, hits from the charts and medleys of join-in favourites ... to ensure no heads are nodding and young and young at heart are wide awake and involved right to final curtain.

The voices are particularly strong this year, and a mention in despatches here to Francesca Ellis, Julia Harrison Jones and Paul Spicer, who played the handsome lead with a deft dash of silliness.

In short, Sleeping Beauty looks fantastic (Terry Parsons take a bow), sounds great (ditto John Morton and his pit crew) and is a real antidote to the some of the dross, especially on TV, that is passed off as Christmas and family entertainment these days.

So seize the moment, call the box office, pay your money - and be prepared to let yourself go for two hours plus of no-nonsense family fun.

This KAT is purrfect."

Andy Collins