Review: Sleeping Beauty Panto hits The Sunderland Empire Theatre

With the festive season upon us, Panto returns to Sunderland! With Sleeping Beauty calling the Empire Theatre home from the 12^{th of} December 2025 to the 4^th January 2026. A wacky and whimsical Panto retelling of the classic fairytale, following the story of Princess Rose, who is cursed by the evil fairy Carabosse, to perish on her eighteenth birthday via. Spinning Wheel. Written by Jon Monie, adapted for a Sunderland audience by Tom Whalley and directed by Victoria Gimby.

Fairy SnowFall (Laura Main), with ensemble.  Sunderland Picture: DAVID WOOD

Accompanied by a passionate ensemble, with children from The Kathleen Davis Stage School and SK Dance School of Performing Arts. Lead by a spectacular cast, of Evelyn Hoskins and David Ribi as Princess Rose and Prince Vincent, both leaning into the fairytale nature of the performance, and while giving us the straightest performances of the cast, their charisma on stage makes them a joy to watch.

A great foil to the more flamboyant and whimsical duo of Rorina the Cleaner and Vesta the Jester — played by panto favourites Miss Rory and Tom Whalley — their experience shines through, carrying much of the show’s comedy. They are standouts thanks to their physical humour, self-referential comedy and tasteful use of innuendo. Peter Peverly also adds another layer of comedy as the aged, witless king, drawing laughs through his misunderstanding of modern trends and his pompous demeanour.

Additionally, Jordan Lee Davies’, flamboyant and passionate portrayal of the show’s villain, Carabosse, was a delight to watch from their audience interactions to Davies eating up the scenery in every scene, and we can’t forget the shows narrator Fairy Snowfall, portrayed by BBC’s Call the Midwife’s own Laura Main, who gracefully guides the audiences through the parody and quips of the show, even taking part of some of it herself at times, while still grounding the fairytale nature of the show and helping it move along.

Vespa The Jester (Tom Whalley) and Rorina The Cleaner (Miss Rory). Sunderland Picture: DAVID WOOD

While the choreography and musical elements of the show were perhaps not as overwhelmingly complicated or groundbreaking in comparison to other shows, you’ll be treated to a journey through 2025’s music hits, along with some older favorites. Songs such as ‘Golden’ and ‘Where is my husband’ are placed in the narrative of the story in true Panto fashion and performed wonderfully by the cast.

These performances are further enhanced by the wonderful costume and stage designs, by costume designer Elizabeth Dennis and scenery designers Jon Harris and Jonathan Bishop. Pairing with the shows animated and technical lighting element to further build the sense of a fantasy realm around the audience.

While the show is clearly aimed at a younger audience, and at parents bringing children to the Sunderland Empire, I went in expecting it to be almost entirely geared towards kids. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much consideration was given to the adult audience.

The production often toes the line of adult comedy in a child-friendly way, using locally targeted satire, fourth-wall breaks and cleverly placed innuendo. It successfully finds a middle ground where both children and adults can genuinely laugh out loud.

With frequent references to Sunderland itself and wider pop-culture moments, Sleeping Beauty proves to be an ideal family show — offering something for the kids and something for the parents. Overall, it is a charming, laugh-out-loud production that is over the top in all the right ways.