Truby picks a fabulous time to shine

OLDHAM Coliseum's Sleeping Beauty pantomime cast.

SLEEPING BEAUTY

Oldham Coliseum

HE picked a fine time to leave Oldham Coliseum's festive production.

When panto dame legend Fine Time Fontayne was unexpectedly forced to exit stage left after breaking his ankle in the run up to the annual Christmas cracker, it most have ruffled a few sequins and given the Sleeping Beauty backstage crew sleepless nights.

Luckily Simeon Truby - responsible for a resplendent rendition of "The Tram Song" in last year's Mother Goose which managed to mention all 93 Metrolink stops - was waiting in the wings.

So a reshuffle ensued - Truby was due to play King Cuthbert in Sleeping Beauty which was nobly taken over by actor David Westbrook - and in the true tradition of pantomime, there definitely is a happy ending to this tale.

Truby slipped perfectly into the frilly bloomers and wigs - the cream horn creation is particularly memorable - and if you thought there ain't nothing like Fine Time's dame, you really need to see his outstanding understudy.

He embraced the role of Nanna Nutty with all the grace and beauty you'd expect and carried off the now legendary wardrobe - including a fruity tart, 1920s flapper girl and Christmas pudding - like a pro.

Meanwhile Truby's stand-in was left to memorise a myriad of names in "The Oldham Places" ditty in the search for his princess daughter, played by Demi Goodman.

Coliseum seasonal stooge stalwart, Richard J Fletcher, is always an audience favourite and his slapstick humour and catchphrases as Norman Nutty were once again lapped up by the crowds. A decorating sketch involving him and ladders is now as obligatory as "oh no it's not".

He also took on the role of the Dark Knight, otherwise known as Eric, who appears in a hilarious scene with another popular panto pro, Justine Elizabeth Bailey. She also plays Nancy Nutty.

Another stand out among this great cast is Liz Carney as wonderfully wicked Carabosse. She curses the newborn princess, Briar Rose - frequently referred to as "Brian" - to die on her 16th birthday.

Magic

Good fairy, Spinning Jenny, played by Sara Sadeghi, uses her magic to cast a counter spell of sleep for 100 years. Carney and Sadeghi duet for a spellbinding performance of Wicked's "What is this Feeling?"

This small, tight cast really make it work and combined which great costumes, imaginative sets and enchanting choreography performed by local dancers, it's real heart-warming, festive, family fun.

But while Sleeping Beauty is slumbering there's no rest for wicked and we're reliably informed Fine Time, who co-writes the Coliseum pantomimes with director Kevin Shaw, is being kept busy while he recuperates.

"Fine Time is now recovering after an operation on his ankle but he's been told he has to keep off it for 13 weeks," said a Coliseum spokesman.

"So while he's at home with his foot in a cast he's working on the script for next year!"

Oh yes he is.