Sleeping Beauty cover art

Sleeping Beauty

An Audible Original Drama

Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £9.17

Buy Now for £9.17

About this listen

Audible are delighted to present Sleeping Beauty, a unique listening experience for all the family to enjoy over the Christmas season. This exclusive new audio drama has been created in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra and is inspired by Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet music. Marty Ross’s reimagining of the famous fairy story draws on the worlds of folktale and the Brothers Grimm, while the LSO's specially-commissioned new recording, conducted by Gavin Sutherland, weaves through the drama like a rich and majestic film score.

Lacking a legitimate heir, King Lothar (Stephen Fry) brings home a baby girl, Aurora (Phoebe Dynevor). His wife, Queen Ishbel, agrees to raise the child as her own and Princess Aurora grows up to become a beautiful, beloved and free-spirited young woman. But a shadow hangs over the kingdom. Devastated at her loss, Aurora’s mother Cara (Rochenda Sandall) takes her revenge by casting a terrible curse upon the princess and despite her sister Lila's efforts, the spell proves too powerful to break completely. Instead, when the fatal hour arrives, the whole Kingdom falls into an enchanted slumber, until Aurora's true love, Peter, a woodcutter's son (Adam Hugill), sets out on a perilous quest to rescue her.

Also starring: David Ahmad, Karen Bartke, Samantha Beart, Raghad Chaar, Amy Darton, Alyssa Kyria, David Holt, Simon Kane, Harry Myers and Kenton Thomas.

Public Domain (P)2021 Audible, Ltd
Adaptations Classics Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths Kids Audible Originals Literature & Fiction Feel-Good Funny

Hear the difference

To fully experience this unique production featuring a live recorded score by London Symphony Orchestra, please adjust your download quality to 'High'.
1. Tap 'Profile' in the bottom right corner. 2. Tap the gear in the top right corner. 3. Under 'App Settings' tap 'Data & Storage'. 4. Under 'Download Quality', select 'High'.

Enter the magical world of Sleeping Beauty

The child catcher
Aurora goes missing
Love is in the air
Magic at the woodcutter's cabin
  • Sleeping Beauty
  • The child catcher
  • Aurora goes missing
  • Love is in the air
  • Magic at the woodcutter's cabin

Behind the scenes with London Symphony Orchestra

0:00
All stars
Most relevant
Wow! What a stunning version of the classic fairytale. BE WARNED this is not a sweet fluffy take it’s got some dark elements. Which I love as a childfree adult. It’s a version truly made for everyone I have recommended it to my friends. BUT if you are buying it specifically for younger kids ( I’d say 6 or under) they may get a bit spooked. It’s nothing too explicit but there are STAKES in this version. The hero and heroine really have to fight to earn this happy ending. It feels part fairytale, part classical epic with a bit of Tolkien.

The performances are great. Shout out to Adam Hugill who plays Peter the hero character and Rochenda Sandall as Cara our villainess who seems to be playing a combination of Medea and Lady Macbeth to create a truly complex character. But the real star here is Marty Ross who wrote/directed this adaptation. The choices he made in adaptating what could have been a very simple fairytale make this stand out. Cara is an incredibly sympathetic tragic villian. Princess Aurora is an interesting developed character and the relationship between her and Peter is beautiful. The action sequences feel earned and full of tension.

Even though you know how it will end it feels like a true hero’s journey. It will stick in your head long after it’s over. If any of the big movie studios are listening I would highly recommend turning this version into a live action film so more could experience it. It could be incredible. But wow Audible is really delivering top notch content.

Someone turn it into a movie!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I am not sure why the beginning of this audiobook is confusing, but the rest is not. The actors do a great job (specially Stephen Fry as the king), I loved the sound effects and the orchestra playing in the background. The new story is a big departure from the one we grew up with, but this one is way funnier and Aurora turns out to be interesting after all. I just feel the story loses its good pace in the last third, but I will definitely listen to it again.

Aurora gets a personality

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is not the Disney version; probably not the original version either! But it was an interesting story, I loved the diverse voices, the sound effects, and the familiar Tchaikovsky orchestral themes.

Loved it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I really enjoyed this story, a modern take on an old classic, the orchestral music only added to the storyline, didn't detract from it at all

Brilliant modern take on a classic story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

very enjoyable performance by an enthusiastic cast. I enjoyed it and appreciated it being included in my membership

modern retelling of a traditional fairytale

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews