SLEEPING BEAUTY AND HER WINTER KNIGHT

This is one review that will be a pleasure to write. The only problem is that there’s soooo much to laud in the Lythgoe Family Production of Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight at the Pasadena Playhouse that I don’t know where to begin!

The show is the perfect entertainment!  On every level. For kids and adults. Everyone in or near L.A. must see this show!

It’s pure fun, from beginning to end. There’s absolutely no pain, no boredom, no time wasted. There’s not even one slight negative to say about it!

I can only imagine what fun it must be for children, because it’s uber-entertaining for grown-ups.

Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight is the first show I’m actually thinking of seeing again since The Drowsy Chaperone! And that’s the highest compliment I can give a theatre piece. (This production put that recent dreadful NBC Peter Pan to shame, by the way.)

After seeing their holiday production of Aladdin and His Winter Wish last year without him, I insisted that Mr. X come to this opening night with me. He kept asking me why I was so jumping out of my skin for him to see it, but two minutes into the show, he understood: I wanted him to have this wonderful experience! He enjoyed it so much that he even went to the after-party with no fuss!!! We’ve been together forever, and trust me, that was a first!!! (Just when you think there are no firsts left, Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight comes along.)

Anyway, let me explain what this type of show is. It’s a tradition from England, called “panto,” which is short for “pantomime,” but it’s nothing like what we Americans use that word to depict. Panto, which is usually performed around the December holidays, is a show based on a well-known fairy tale, but is not the exact story. It features singing, dancing, some slapstick comedy, a male actor obviously playing a woman, a bunch of double entendres, and a lot of audience participation, often by loudly booing the villain. And if done right, as with this Sleeping Beauty, (which fits the description to a tee,) it’s tons of fun. [Sidebar: We sat next to a couple from England, who’s very used to panto; they read about it on the cruise across the pond, and they loved it!]

This show made it even more fun by using all songs we already know, including Happy, All Of Me, Eye of The Tiger, and Domino. They even threw-in old school What’ll I Do (by Irving Berlin,) for the real grown-ups in the audience!

I don’t think I’ve ever before seen a theatrical production where every single actor was perfect for his or her role! The entire cast gave it their absolute all.  More perfect casting I cannot imagine. (Props to Becky Lythgoe for that.)

Ben Giroux, as the Princess’ helpful knight-wannabe, kept the whole shebang moving. He was truly wondrous. He must lose ten pounds a show, with all the energy he expends! There’s one section in Act II where he talks to children on-stage, and ad libs the whole thing. He did not miss a step. I hope he continues to be in these pantos every year. I can’t imagine them without him. (Watching Ben, I kept thinking that he just might be the only other person on earth who could have done my former TV show, where I just talked by myself for half an hour in a row, off the top of my head, and hoped it was as entertaining as everyone said it was. I have a feeling he wouldn’t have to be hoping, though, because he would definitely always nail it.)

The revelation here was Lucy Lawless! We were shocked at how funny she was as the villainess!!! I never saw Xena: Warrior Princess, but I had a distinct impression of her from doing that show. And it was not as a hilarious version of Malificent! She had us guffawing!

David Engel as the Nanny (in drag, of course,) was a riot. (It took me a while to realize that the show I knew him from is Forever Plaid, one of my all-time faves.) The two handsome guys, Patrick Cassidy as the King, and young Garrett Clayton as the Prince, added to the frivolity, while still playing traditional roles with aplomb. Olivia Holt made a perfect beautiful Princess, (in the only non-comedic role,) with a sweet singing voice. Hearing American Idol‘s Tamyra Gray, as the Good Fairy, was a true treat. (The audience kept cheering before her numbers were even done.)

Add to all of that the aforementioned already-known popular songs, (fit into the story, of course,) and excellent dancing by youngsters and a few So You Think You Can Dance alumi, (love that loyalty from Nigel Lythgoe!,) and this show is a win-win-win-win-win!

Speaking of Nigel, although, as you may know, I sometimes disagree with him on So You Think You Can Dance, there’s no denying the good he’s done for dance in general. I always applaud him for that. (He even produced an important political dance documentary this year. If you missed my review of it, check it out here: itsnotaboutme.tv/news/movie-reviewdance-dancing-in-jaffa.) And now he’s doing the same for this little-known-in-America British art form. He not only has these ideas, but he puts them into motion, which I greatly admire.

I never mention the entire production team of a show in a review, but I have just got to give them all their props for this one! So, big kudos to not only Nigel, but also to his son Kris Lythgoe, who wrote the show, (and trust me, I was uber-impressed with all the witticisms he came up with,) the entire fam for the mouth-watering (to color-loving me) scenic and costume design, director Bonnie Lythgoe, producer Jason Haigh-Ellery, choreographer Spencer Liff, and last, but far from least, someone I’m proud to know for many years now, the one and only Michael Orland, who’s not only the Musical Director of this show, but one of the most even-tempered men I’ve ever met! (That last part may be because he hasn’t hung around me all that much yet.)

To make the evening even better, (which I seriously did not think possible,) the beautiful Silveri family once again hosted the assemblage for a fabulous Opening Night after-party at adjacent eatery redwhite+bluezz.

Mr. X wore the best Xmas sweater ever, (which I can’t even label an “Ugly” one,) and it definitely added to the festivities, especially for the kids. I think they were more fascinated with the sweater than with Santa! (He was there, too, by the way, taking photos with the kids before the show.)

The menu was brilliant: a full-on Christmas dinner, to go along with the theme of this being a holiday panto!!!  There was a table of wee hors d’oeuvres, like mini quiches, but the main attraction was the hot buffet of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, ham, rolls, and vegetables. And some of the best gravy I’ve ever had!  I really appreciated it all.

The desserts and coffee were set-up in the little “museum” room across the courtyard, (which is all decorated for the holidays, so be sure to visit it when you see the show,) which gave the many children in attendance the opportunity to run off their energy going back and forth between the two areas. (Supervised, of course.)

My favorite extra-special touch was in there, too–a candy bar! If the memory of the great evening wasn’t enough for us, we each got to leave with a little bag of sugar.

That same night, I had given-up going to the opening night of Wicked, and at least three other fun events, for this one. And I never once doubted that I made the right choice! I only wish that it was already time for the next Lythgoe Family Panto! Until then, if you do only one thing for yourself this holiday season, (with or without children,) seeing Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight at the Pasadena Playhouse is the way to go! You might even be sitting next to me, enjoying the fun for the second or third (or even fourth) time!

Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight running through January 4, 2015
Pasadena Playhouse 39 South El Molino Ave. Pasadena 626-356-7529 www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org