'Sleeping Beauty' at the New Wimbledon Theatre

On Saturday I experienced the joy of seeing Matthew Bourne's 'Sleeping Beauty' again, this time as part of the national tour at the New Wimbledon Theatre. I saw it at Sadler's Wells in December as a Christmas treat and it was a delight to see it again. How it didn't win any Olivier Awards this year is a great puzzlement - great storytelling and dancing, great costumes and great sets.

My previous bloggie about the production says it all really, gorgeous, sumptuous and lush are apt words to describe it. And, dare I say it, but a second viewing makes it even better. It is a masterpiece of storytelling and I loved hearing the gasps at the end of the first half when the faerie prince prepares to bite the neck of the young lover to make sure he's still alive 100 years later to rescue the princess.

It is a war of good and evil fought by dance, with the good faeries protecting our princess. They all have their own personalities and dances, frisking round the stage and dancing their gifts to the princess as a baby. The only non-sensible thing about it is calling the faerie prince 'Count Lilac' - a daft name in anybody's book, he is a prince of great power and skill, obviously.

The UK tour is coming to an end but will continue across America. According to the New Adventures site it's being filmed this week in Bristol for a TV viewing over Christmas 2013 and for a subsequent DVD. I'll be there in front of the telly ready to be stunned again. That's definitely something to watch out for.