The team behind the legendary Above the Stag pantos will bring their brand of queer panto magic to the West End in 2023 with Sleeping Beauty Takes A Prick! a brand-new adult pantomime that will run at Charing Cross Theatre 23 November 2023 – 13 January 2024.
The team behind the Above the Stag pantos, London’s most popular and acclaimed pantomimes for grown-ups will present their biggest show yet in 2023. Sleeping Beauty Takes A Prick! is the first production from He’s Behind You!, the company founded by the team behind Above The Stag Theatre’s phenomenally successful run of queer adult pantos.
It will play at the Charing Cross Theatre from 23 November 2023 to 13 January 2024.
Journey back in time to the tiny kingdom of Slutvia and a 21st birthday ball, where the haughty but horny widowed Queen Gertrude is on the prowl for a husband, and her son Prince Beauty searches for the boy of his dreams. When he stumbles on a prick in the palace garden, both queens get more than they bargain for – and wake up in a modern world where the palaces are run by the National Trust and the man of your dreams is somewhere on Grindr…
Sublimely silly and staggeringly rude, Sleeping Beauty Takes A Prick! is a fabulous festive treat bursting with big laughs, sensational songs, colourful sets and all the panto trimmings!
Sleeping Beauty Takes A Prick! is written by Jon Bradfield and Martin Hooper with original songs by Jon Bradfield. It will be directed by Andrew Beckett and produced by Oli Sones for He’s Behind You! Ltd. Matthew Baldwin – loved and a little feared by audiences for his unforgettable dame roles – will play Queen Gertrude.
Other regular ATS panto talents on board include set designer David Shields (Heathers The Musical, West End), lighting designer Jamie Platt (The last Five Years, West End; Jellyfish, Bush Theatre and National Theatre); and orchestrator and musical director Aaron Clingham (Grindr: The Opera, Above The Stag).
The team’s Christmas shows place gay characters front and centre in much-loved fairytales, adventures and legends. Their most recent, Dick Whittington: A New Dick In Town, played 70 performances last winter. Widely acknowledged as a highlight of the festive theatre season and the most successful alternative pantomime series in the country, the team’s irreverent and inventive shows have played packed-out runs of more than 50 performances each year, building a large and loyal audience and winning critical acclaim, as well as praise from stars including Ian McKellen and Graham Norton.
There will be 50 seats priced at £25 at every performance. More information can be found here.
