A WELL known and loved story was brought back to life as a group of talented and dedicated actors gave the audience at The Rose Centre another spectacular and entertaining show.

Written by Julie Petruccai and Chris Shinn, produced by the Lowton Operatic and Dramatic Society and directed by the enthusiastic and dedicated Cathie Henry, the Sleeping Beauty pantomime was staged in the last week of January.

Introduced by storyteller Nicola Birchall in a strong voice, the audience was captivated from the start.

The whole cast gave an excellent performance, enhanced by colourful costumes and popular songs.

The children loved Dame Dotty Dooright, played by Chris Holding.

This magical character had them spellbound with his dynamic personality and witty lines.

The wicked witch Zelda Blackadder, played by Bethan Littlewood, prompted a lot of disgruntled boos.

Her powerful voice and daunting laughter were ringing in my ears for a long time after the show.

Peter Longworth’s King Basil and Carolyne Smith’s Queen Beryl did everything in their power to protect Princess Aurora from the evil spell.

They suited their parts splendidly.

Things started to go wrong with an identity mix up.

Dom Peters started as a special agent but ended up being a court jester, and Dame Dotty Dooright was employed by the royal couple by pretending to be the agent.

Both characters prompted a positive response from the audience and sparked a lot of laughter.

Even though Princess Aurora was protected by her personal guard Victor (Steven Jackson), Dame Dotty Dooright, the court jester, Feathers (Bernard Holding) and the palace guards (Les Williams and Chris McDonald), Zelda Blackadder still managed to sneak her spinning wheel into the castle through her pet Spaldrick (Stuart Miller).

He delivered his mistress' present in time for Princess Aurora’s birthday party.

The good fairies added a sprinkling of extra magic to the show, especially the Amethyst Fairy (Susan Halton), whose final spell was extremely useful at the end.

And well done to palace guard Chris McDonald and the chorus’ Phil Turner for raising the roof with a wonderful sound.

Everyone knows the happy and romantic ending of Sleeping Beauty. A kiss can break a wicked spell in fairy tales and true love can solve many problems

There is a message in Sleeping Beauty for us all.

Thank you Lowton Operatic and Dramatic Society for a wonderful show.

Review by Irena G Wood (Tyldesley Creative Writers member)