Wales

Cardiff’s New Theatre has gone full festive mayhem this year, serving up a <a href="https://trafalgartickets.com/new-theatre-cardiff/en-GB/event/pantomime/sleeping-beauty-tickets" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sleeping Beauty</a> that’s as camp, chaotic and crowd-pleasing as panto gets &#8211; and then some. Princess Aurora’s doomed birthday gift from her wonderfully wicked aunt Carabosse sets the whole thing spinning (sometimes literally), thanks to a cursed spindle with serious attitude. And yes, Aurora&#8217;s classic pink dress makes its inevitable appearance — because some panto traditions are non-negotiable.



It&#8217;s a gloriously unhinged, joy-packed panto that proves Cardiff knows exactly how to do Christmas, complete with sparkle by the bucketload. The drama and the gags keep on coming, and audience participation kicks off almost instantly, with “she’s behind you!” echoing through the theatre like a Christmassy battle cry &#8211; loud, proud and utterly infectious. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Prince-Gethin.png" alt="Prince Gethin" class="wp-image-2959" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Prince-Gethin.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Prince-Gethin-300x200.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Prince-Gethin-1024x683.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Prince-Gethin-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



The crowd was clearly itching for the arrival of Prince Gethin of Gabalfa &#8211; yes, that Gethin Jones of BBC fame &#8211; back for round two of panto magic. He leans gleefully into the silliness, charms the crowd to bits, and even braves the singing with admirable gusto. He’s not about to quit telly any time soon, but he more than holds his own on the panto stage.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Sleeping-Beauty.png" alt="Sleeping Beauty Aurora" class="wp-image-2966" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Sleeping-Beauty.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Sleeping-Beauty-300x200.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Sleeping-Beauty-1024x683.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Sleeping-Beauty-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Panto season comes with its own set of festive certainties – glitter everywhere, jokes that’ll test your pelvic floor, camp quips for the grown-ups, song parodies, and enough slapstick and sparkly effects to keep the little ones spellbound. Well, Sleeping Beauty wastes zero time ticking off the full panto toolkit – we’d barely made it through the first scene change before the audience was already giggling.



Particular delight comes courtesy of Nurse Nellie, whose perfectly timed “How’s it going? Alriiiigghht,” lands exactly as well as you’d expect with a Welsh crowd. And the moment that truly blows the roof off? A genius twist on Bruno Mars and Rosé’s “Apt.” transformed into a full-on dance “party party&#8221; &#8211; utterly ridiculous, and absolutely brilliant.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Muddles-Nellie-and-Spirit.png" alt="Sleeping Beauty ensemble" class="wp-image-2960" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Muddles-Nellie-and-Spirit.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Muddles-Nellie-and-Spirit-300x200.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Muddles-Nellie-and-Spirit-1024x683.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Muddles-Nellie-and-Spirit-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



And then there’s the on-stage dream team. Owain Wyn Evans dazzles as the Spirit of Pantomime, delivering a steady stream of impressively slick rhymes, class, and just the right amount of theatrical mischief. Alongside him, Cardiff’s undisputed panto royalty Mike Doyle holds court as Nurse Nellie &#8211; a dame who can switch from gently charming the little ones to laugh-out-loud outrageous in a heartbeat. And yes, the man can really sing; we’re talking proper goosebump vocals beneath all that glitter. Push through a few minutes of bickering brilliance between Nellie and Muddles and you&#8217;re rewarded with spine-tingling bars of Elvis Presley&#8217;s The Wonder of You.



Jack Ryan returns as Muddles, armed with sharp comic timing and one of the show&#8217;s true showstoppers as he quite literally floats into the air. Jalisa Phoenix-Roberts is every inch the beautiful, formidable villain as Carabosse, especially when she belts out a rewritten I Will Survive &#8211; cue the loudest boos of the night. Completing the line-up is Welsh musical theatre star Emma Kirk (previously Sophie in Mamma Mia), whose Princess Aurora is so angelic that Disney surely has her on speed dial already.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Carabosse.png" alt="Whole cast Sleeping Beauty" class="wp-image-2962" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Carabosse.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Carabosse-300x200.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Carabosse-1024x683.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Carabosse-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Of course, it wouldn’t be pantomime without a few gloriously chaotic breaks in character &#8211; those little bursts when the cast cracks up and the audience happily follows suit. It’s genuinely joyful watching everyone on stage so clearly having the time of their lives. And, as ever at the New Theatre, everything looks lush. Dazzling costumes, clever sets, slick lighting, and a tireless ensemble bring the whole thing vividly to life.



As for age guidance, this one’s a safe bet for the whole fam. Yes, there are a few cheeky jokes aimed squarely at the adults, but nothing you’ll need to explain on the journey home. And if you’re worried about tiny viewers getting spooked, you can relax &#8211; this Sleeping Beauty is far friendlier than the film versions. No nightmare-fuel dragons, and no creepy forests, just festive fun all the way.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Sleeping-Beauty-Aurora-and-Gethin.png" alt="Sleeping Beauty and Prince Gethin" class="wp-image-2964" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Sleeping-Beauty-Aurora-and-Gethin.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Sleeping-Beauty-Aurora-and-Gethin-300x200.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Sleeping-Beauty-Aurora-and-Gethin-1024x683.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/Sleeping-Beauty-Aurora-and-Gethin-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Sleeping Beauty at the New Theatre is pure joy. From the over-the-top costumes to the sharp, Welsh-flavoured humour, it hits all the high notes. With genuinely impressive vocals and a much-loved fairytale at its heart, it’s Christmas entertainment at its very best. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



Good for: Absolutely everyone – take the whole family! Children, couples, grandparents&#8230;we saw them all in the audience.



Not for: Anyone who struggles to sit still for a long stretches, and children under two. While the front-of-house team are well used to a bit of fidgeting (it is a family panto after all), the show runs for around 1 hour and 45 minutes &#8211; so it&#8217;s not exactly over in a flash.



Book your tickets to <a href="https://trafalgartickets.com/new-theatre-cardiff/en-GB/event/pantomime/sleeping-beauty-tickets" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sleeping Beauty</a> at New Theatre Cardiff until Sun 4th January 2026. Prices range from £21 – £52. Relaxed, BSL interpreted, captioned and audio described performances are available.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-feeling-festive">FEELING FESTIVE?</h2>



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<li><a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/xmas/best-christmas-kids-for-babies-toddlers-and-kids/?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Make a list, check it twice: brilliant Christmas gifts for kids</a></li>



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Review: Sleeping Beauty, New Theatre Cardiff

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