The Bridge Players – The Sleeping Beauty: Gallery

King Cedric VII of Entertania (Matt Sleath) commands Lord Chancellor Fusspot (Richard Pamment) to organise a christening for the baby princess Aurora.

All the fairies in the land were invited, including the good fairy Azuriel (Vanessa Vicars).

But unfortunately the Queen forgot to invite one fairy, the wicked Carabosse (Sue Blackburn) who, enraged at being forgotten, crashed the party anyway.

Carabosse put a curse on the baby – “When you are sixteen you will injure yourself with a spindle and die!”.

Fusspot has his worked cut out to keep the palace together

But he is distracted by the court jester Tickles’ (Neil Smith) new inventions – such as electric toast – just plug in and eat!

And Tickles can’t find a sympathetic ear, even from Dame Ammonia Goodbody (Dave Bridger) to whom he is less than willingly betrothed!

Tickles’ real love is the beautiful Princess Aurora (Chloe Lovett), now sixteen, and he gives her a present to celebrate.

But Princesses marry Princes and along comes Prince Valiant (Michele Rimmer) of Euphoria, the richest kingdom in all the world.

The Princess falls in love immediately… but little did she know it had all been a dream, for she wouldn’t actually meet Prince Valiant for 100 years!

She confides in Fusspot – but can’t explain where Prince Valiant disappeared to?

Queen Semolina (Wiggy Smith) wants the best for her daughter’s birthday…

…but the evil witch Carabosse tricks her away and gets her to prick her finger on a spinning wheel to fulfil her curse.

Luckily Azuriel changed the curse so that the Princess would fall asleep instead of dying, only to awake when kissed by the one she loves. Azuriel then puts the rest of the palace to sleep as well so that they would all wake up together.

Carabosse is thwarted by Azuriel.

However, Ammonia is not prepared to wait 100 years and makes use of the one useful thing Tickles ever invented – a time machine – to go forward 100 years to find Prince Valiant and take him back to kiss the sleeping princess (confused yet?).

Accompanying Ammonia on the quest are the two bungling court heralds, Shout (Barbara Cox) and Bawl (Felicity Dyndor).

Incredibly the quest is successful and the Prince can return to the palace

Will Ammonia finally credit Tickles for his invention?

The triumphant Prince returns to Entertania and wakens the Princess.

Dame Ammonia has saved everyone having to sit on little chairs in the school hall for 100 years!

Prince Valiant even takes time to thank Bawl for helping.

Good always triumphs over evil and the wicked witch Carabosse is eventually slain by Azuriel.

Tickles and Ammonia wonder whether they are 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future – or both!

But in any time zone the whole cast took a well deserved curtain call.

Superb music for the Panto was supplied by Helmdon’s latest band – the Dung Beatles!