The Stage Newspaper Review 2005

Slapper Beauty

Quite a contrast to the gentle production of Sleeping Beauty which I saw in the same venue just two days before. This is the alter-ego of the classic story, unashamedly given the full, bawdy, adult treatment, which, among all its brash obscenity, remains quintessentially British, like a Carry On film made by a rugby club.

No one could complain of what is on offer here, because the advertising makes it very clear that, if easily shocked, you should stay away. That said, the cast do a fine job putting across a fast moving, wordy script, delivering it at machine gun pace. There are ancient gags galore but the audience lapped it up with affection. The “secret of the black box” is given a novel slant and Carrie Laurence gives a wonderful, over the top performance as Slapper, very much in the spirit of a seaside postcard. She and the equally well endowed Davina Dewrance as the witch are a red blooded man's idea of ‘real women'.

Glen Davies, in several roles, holds the whole thing together confidently, playing very much to the gallery with innuendo and sheer filth. There is a time and a place for such frolics, and this was it.

Mike Martin

Thursday 15 December 2005 11:25 AM