Superb, clever, funny and musical 'Sleeping Beauty'

By CLARK GROOME

The British pantomime version of Sleeping Beauty that People's Light and Theatre is presenting through Jan. 2 is nothing like the Tchaikovsky ballet or any kind of mime you've ever been accosted by on a street corner or in a mall.

This beguiling show tells the same story Tchaikovsky does, but it does it in a way that is so engaging and intelligent you're likely to wonder why the British tradition of holiday pantomimes hasn't made it across the ocean more frequently.

What you'll experience at People's Light is a group of first-rate actors doing all sorts of silly things, many of them involving the audience, in a way that delights the kids in the crowd, which by the time the show ends includes just about everybody in attendance.

With good music and clever lyrics by Gary Smith, this Sleeping Beauty has been adapted by People's Light's Kathryn Petersen and Vince di Mura. The ensemble tells the story about the two witches who compete for power and the two suitors who vie for the hand of the sleeping beauty who's been asleep, thanks to the wicked witch's curse, for 100 years. That's quite a nap.

The nimble and funny production, which Abigail Adams has deftly directed, features a cast that shines from top to bottom. While Susan McKey, Christopher Patrick Mullen, Pete Pryor, Tom Teti, Billy Wheelan, Roslyn Ruff and Mark Lazar have the most to do, the entire company is superb.

Perhaps the showiest turn in the piece comes from Mark Lazar who plays Mother Hubbard. This isn't a drag act. It is, like Dame Edna and the role Harvey Fierstein played in Hairspray, a nuanced and absolutely honest performance. Lazar is an actor whose skill and craft have never been more apparent than in this role.

The physical production is -- as one would expect from designers James F. Pyne Jr. (sets), Maria Jurglanis (costumes) and Dennis Parichy (lighting) -- a perfect complement to the acting and the story.

What so impressed me about People Light's Sleeping Beauty was how it never, and I mean not once, went too far. The temptations were great. Scenery chewing was an expectation that I had going in and was delighted to find none at all.

Another impressive element was that the show appealed equally to the youngsters and the adults. The best art for kids -- Dr. Seuss, the movies of Shrek and Beauty and the Beast and the Muppets are examples -- appeal to different ages in different ways. This does that too.

There are some smart alecky asides that the kids won't get but will engage the adults. There's some silliness that's kid-oriented but not so juvenile as to turn off the grown-ups.

All in all, the People's Light and Theatre Company production of Sleeping Beauty: A Comic Panto in the British Style, is jolly good fun, and stunning theater.

For tickets to Sleeping Beauty, playing through Jan. 2 at People's Light and Theatre Company in Malvern, call 610-644-3500 or visit www.peopleslight.org.