Exeter Northcott theatre and Le Navet Bete present the full cast for the 2026 panto sleeping beauty

Once upon a time, in the kingdom called Devonia, Exeter Northcott Theatre and panto rulers Le Navet Bete conjured up a spell-binding cast to bring the magical story ofSleeping Beauty to life, with an extra special mischievous pantomime twist.

Leading the fairytale cast as Princess Aurora is Jessica Ncube (Rock & Roll Man – UK Tour,Aladdin – UK Productions), while Jodie Micciché (Romeo & Juliet, Forever Young – Exeter Northcott Theatre, Merry Wives of Windsor – UK Tour) portrays a villainous Maleficent. The show will see Jessica and Jodie returning to the Northcott stage after their roles as urchins in the theatre’s October production of Little Shop of Horrors.

In an exciting new take on the classic story, Josh Haberfield (…Ernest? – UK Tour, Buddy: The Musical – UK Tour) will play DJ Prince, a charismatic travelling DJ who finds himself unexpectedly caught in a fairytale.

Le Navet Bete will bring their signature slapstick charm to the cast with 4 roles in this year’s panto. Matt Freeman will play the gloriously flirtatious Nellie, also known as The Dame. A well-intentioned King will be played byNick Bunt, while Al Dunn will play both a clumsy Fred, and Maleficent’s enthusiastic henchman, Sprout.

An exceptional ensemble will also feature Emma Nelder (Sleeping Beauty - The Radlett Centre, The Three Little Pigs – UK Tour), Amy Cray Edgell (Cinderella – Buxton Opera House, A Little Hotel on the Side – Bath Theatre Royal) and Molly Felaco (Sleeping Beauty – UK Tour, Aladdin – Epsom Playhouse).

Sleeping Beauty is co-written by Le Navet Bete and Martin Berry, Exeter Northcott’s Creative Director and Joint Chief Executive, who will also direct what will be his third Christmas pantomime at the theatre. Already the fastest selling panto in Exeter Northcott’s history, the show is bursting with laughter, dazzling costumes and toe-tapping tunes for the whole family.

Sleeping Beauty can be enjoyed at Exeter Northcott Theatre only from 27 Nov 2026 to 3 Jan 2027, with an extra-special Panto Pandemonium on its final performance on Sun 3 Jan 2027. For the first time due to popular demand, performances will also be available on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

After selling out in a flash last year, there will be four No Kids Allowed performances for adults looking for a little extra naughtiness, and exclusive schools’ performances will welcome children aged 5+.

Audio-described, BSL-interpreted, captioned, and relaxed performances are also available.

Tickets are available at exeternorthcott.co.uk