The good fairy whispered the magic word "spectacle" into the ear of Sleeping Beauty director Marion Wyatt and spectacle abounds in this production. The leading role is appropriated by the set, where a kind of thatched gothic with medieval ornamentation is supported by costumes originating in Camelot, but with a detour to Lord of the Rings - all supplied by the Kevin Wood Organisation. Within this inviting frame, the tale is driven along by lively performances from a cast headed by Gerry McLoughlin as Queen Celia, Conor Tallon as King Bertie and Caroline Spillane as Faery Goodmother. The authority with which these players tackle the inanities of the plot leaves the rather straight-laced Princess Beauty and her Prince with nothing much to do, although they do even that very well. If there is an occasional danger of losing the plot, it's only because there are several plots to lose: this lavish fantasy offers Darth Vader the Musical, Riverdance, The Lady of Shalott and even traces of The Rocky Horror Show in its compound approach. The awesome responsibility of maintaining the coherence of Ian Wild's script falls chiefly to the wickedest of wicked fairies, and Christine Scarry's torch-singing rendition is one of the several delights of this production; another is the dancing horse of Aisling Byrne and Daniel Maguire - and indeed there is some excellent dancing to the choreography of by Donna Daly Blyth. There are problems for musical director David Hayes balancing the chorus and the band in terms of decibels, but that's not likely to bother the young audience.
Sleeping Beauty runs until January 20th; Booking: 021 4543210