Sleeping Beauty cast announced as Corn Exchange Newbury heads back to school
By Grace Hatchell
Sleeping Beauty cast announced as Corn Exchange Newbury heads back to school
Well, here’s a school where staying awake in class could prove particularly difficult. Corn Exchange Newbury has announced the cast for its Christmas pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, and this year’s fairy-tale trouble is heading straight for the classroom.
Running from Friday 27 November 2026 to Saturday 2 January 2027, the production takes us to the Berkshire School for the Best Behaved. That name sounds like tempting fate to me. Headmistress Madam Marvellous already has her hands full keeping the pupils in order, before a wicked fairy adds a terrible curse to the timetable.
With Sleeping Beauty facing a snooze lasting a century, the whole school must help break the spell. I’ve sat through meetings that felt about that long, but at least nobody expected a prince to collect me afterwards.
Returning writers Plested, Brown and Wilsher are behind this school-day spin on the story, promising live music, festive surprises and plenty of audience participation. This is their eighth pantomime for the Corn Exchange, with Clare Plested directing the production she has created with Adam Brown and Amanda Wilsher.
There are familiar faces among the cast, too. Graham Mackay-Bruce returns as Madam Marvellous, while Jenny Perry takes on Fairy Badflix. Both have previously appeared in the venue’s productions of Beauty and the Beast and Robin Hood and Maid Marian.
Harry Sweetman, who played Robin Hood in last year’s pantomime, returns as Prince Peter, while Grace Kelly Miller is back as Fairy Bejazzle. With Bejazzle and Badflix on the register, I suspect the school secretary has quite a job.
Jacob Aldcroft joins as Mike the Magnificent, with Aoife Haakenson playing Sleeping Beauty, named Luna in this retelling. Annabelle Lee, Elena Christie and Ricardo Mendes complete the ensemble.
Behind the scenes, Mark Walters designs the set, with costumes by Carl Davies and choreography by Miranda Wilford. Ben Barrow is musical supervisor, Isabella Guilar is musical director, Gabriel Finn provides the lighting design and Nathan Smith the sound design.
The theatre has also announced a range of accessible performances. A BSL interpreted and relaxed performance takes place on Sunday 6 December at 4pm, followed by a captioned and relaxed performance on Sunday 13 December at midday. There is a further BSL interpreted performance on Tuesday 15 December at 1.30pm, a dementia-friendly performance on Monday 28 December at 1pm, and an audio-described and relaxed performance on Tuesday 29 December at 5pm.
Sleeping Beauty is suitable for all ages, apart from the designated adults-only performances, which are for audiences aged 18 and over. Do check which performance you’re booking before inviting the entire school run.
Tickets are priced from £20.25 to £37, with booking and performance details available on the Corn Exchange Newbury website.
A fearsome headmistress, unruly pupils and a fairy with a grudge: that’s quite the end-of-term report. Get your shouting voices ready, Newbury. Keeping quiet in this classroom is unlikely to be encouraged.
