Miracle Theatre will be making their long-awaited return to the stage this week for opening night of their Christmas show Sleeping Beauty.

Thanks to the pandemic their last Christmas production was back in 2019, and this year audiences in two Cornish towns will be able to enjoy their antics.

The show debuts at St Ives Guildhall this Thursday (December 8) running until Sunday, December 11 before it moves to the Princess Pavilion for the rest of the month – beginning on Thursday, December 15 and continuing with matinees and evening performances until New Year’s Eve.

Sleeping Beauty follows Miracle’s popular format of a ‘show within a show’, with audiences transported to the stage of the Cornwall Riviera Holiday Camp in 1959 where the legendary Yellowjackets are bursting to entertain the campers with their hilarious version of this classic story.

Follow the adventures of a resourceful princess and the goblin, the fairy, and the piskie hiding in her attic. As she nears her 18th birthday, how will she avoid the spiteful spell set to put her to sleep for 100 years?

Falmouth Packet: The Key to the Kingdom! Katy Owen as Sleeping Beauty, Ben Kernow as King Arnold and Holly Cassidy as Queen Ethel The Key to the Kingdom! Katy Owen as Sleeping Beauty, Ben Kernow as King Arnold and Holly Cassidy as Queen Ethel (Image: Kirstin Prisk)

The Sleeping Beauty cast will feature Miracle regulars Ben Dyson, Holly Cassidy and Ben Kernow, who will be joined by Charlotte Bister (Owdyado Theatre) and Katy Owen (Wise Children, Kneehigh, Shakespeare’s Globe).

Together, they form a high-energy ensemble ready to bring you more magical musical mayhem this Christmas. This re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty, has been written by Bill Scott and Tom Adams, and co-directed by Hannah Stephens and Bill Scott.

Writer and co-director, Bill Scott, said: “Miracle is proud of its tradition of producing alternative pantos that appeal to all ages in equal measure!

“This Christmas, we will be turning the clocks back to 1959 and inviting audiences for an outing to the famous Cornwall Riviera Holiday Camp, where among other marvellous entertainment, they will be offered a magical, musical retelling of Sleeping Beauty.

“This production follows Miracle’s popular ‘show-within-a show’ format, ensuring the audience has twice as much fun! While they enjoy an original and hilarious rendition of the classic fairy tale, they can watch actors from a bygone era coping with backstage hitches and personality clashes, while trying to keep the show going, often against impossible odds!”

Falmouth Packet: Ben Kernow, Ben Dyson, Charlotte Bister, Katy Owen in rehearsalBen Kernow, Ben Dyson, Charlotte Bister, Katy Owen in rehearsal (Image: Kirsten Prisk)

Seasoned actor Hannah Stephens has stepped away from the stage and into the Miracle director’s chair for the first time this winter. Having starred as Hawkins (Treasure Island 2019), Aladdin (2018), and Ratty (Cinderella 2016), Hannah has the insider knowledge to make sure this show will be packed with all the festive cheer of a Miracle performance.

Tickets begin at £13, with family tickets available for two adults and two children. Tickets are available to buy online, by telephone or in person by visiting the Princess Pavilion (10am-2pm), or St Ives Library (9.30am-4pm) on weekdays.

The show will run for approximately two hours including the interval, and is welcome to all ages, although is particularly recommended for ages seven upwards.

Advance booking encouraged as tickets are selling fast and previous shows have sold out.