Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood is preparing to play Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty at Bristol Hippodrome this December, but says some modern updates to the pantomime feel unusual
The production will establish a romance between Prince Aurora and the princess earlier, making the familiar awakening kiss appear consensual
Its traditionally ‘ugly’ sisters will also receive a kinder description, while body-shaming jokes have been removed
Horwood accepts that classics must evolve for today’s audiences, although he believes some changes risk stripping away pantomime’s mischievous spirit
Other theatres have faced criticism over warnings and revised jokes.