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Photographing Sleeping Beauty: A View from the Wings

On Tuesday 2 December, Sleeping Beauty officially awoke to thunderous applause as the show took press night by storm!

We weren't just a hit with the kids, either — the critics were on their feet too. The Stage described the show as, "a glitter-filled riot from start to finish," and Velvet Magazine labelled it, "a feel-good phenomenon." A Youngish Perspective praised Sleeping Beauty as being, and "a love letter to the venue, the city, and the cherished annual tradition of Cambridge panto," and the show will, according to the Cambridge Independent, "leave you with a smile on your face, a song in your heart and bits of streamer in your hair."

To celebrate, we thought we'd share some exclusive photographs taken from our wing space to the side of the stage, and give you a behind-the-scenes perspective of our magical Christmas pantomime!

PRESS NIGHT PHOTOS

Photography by Martin Bond

Happy Harry waits in the wings, facing towards the stage. He is fixing his hair. The background is blurry.
See all 14 gallery images
Happy Harry waits in the wings, facing towards the stage. He is fixing his hair. The background is blurry.
4 performers on stage, seen from the wings. They are dancing, and are all mid-spin. They wear pink medieval costumes.
4 performers on stage, seen from the wings. They are dancing, and are all mid-spin. They wear pink medieval costumes.
Princess Rose smiles down at the ground. She has blonde hair which is pushed back with a blue hairband, and is wearing a blue jacquard dress.
Princess Rose smiles down at the ground. She has blonde hair which is pushed back with a blue hairband, and is wearing a blue jacquard dress.
Fairy Strawberry, Happy Harry and the ensemble of Sleeping Beauty are lit by a spotlight, striking a pose towards the audience at the end of a dance.
Fairy Strawberry, Happy Harry and the ensemble of Sleeping Beauty are lit by a spotlight, striking a pose towards the audience at the end of a dance.
Nanny Nutkins holds a toy tambourine above her head and smiles down. She is wearing a blue-and-white checked dress with a white apron and red trim.
See all 14 gallery images
Nanny Nutkins holds a toy tambourine above her head and smiles down. She is wearing a blue-and-white checked dress with a white apron and red trim.
A performer in a pink dress and white apron has a concerned look on her face. Stood next to her are two performers dressed as guards, and in the background are two performers dressed as fairies by an ornate crib.
Happy Harry, wearing a pink dress, is mid-fall, with a bottle of milk emptying over his face. In the background, Nanny Nutkins smiles out at the audience with her arms outstretched.
Carabosse, wearing green sparkly horns, a green sparkly dress and a black fur coat, looks delightedly towards the audience.
Nanny Nutkins faces away from the camera, kneeling down by a crib. On the other side of the crib stands Happy Harry, looking morose, and King Truman, who is speaking to him.
Princess Rose looks to the side, smiling, with her hand held out. Prince Ken stands behind her, looking at her, holding her outstretched hand.
Two ensemble performers, a man and a woman, are mid-dance. The woman is smiling with her hands over her heads, and the man is lifting her up by the waist.
Happy Harry looks out at the audience with his fist raised above his head in celebration. In the background, Princess Rose gestures both hands towards him.
Raspberry the Sprite, wearing a burgundy tutu dress and fairy wings, strikes a pose looking out at the audience. In the background, Fairy Strawberry has her arms raised, like she is in the middle of casting a spell.
Prince Ken runs at Carabosse, yelling, with his bejewelled axe held above his head. Princess Rose watches, frightened, in the background.