Beauty and the Beast

I see numerous pantomimes each season and find it comforting to learn I’m about to see  one from Alan P Frayn.  He provides a pretty solid framework to hang their ideas upon.  Not quite the traditional version of the story but one that provides scope for the required boos, hisses, laughs and local references.  The proceedings are held together by Paul Kelly as “dame” Madam Fifi.  He is amusing, occasionally hysterical, and works up a nice rapport with the audience.  His rather crafty, apparently dim, son Jacques, is played by Ian Dixon.  There are  two “ugly sisters” (borrowed from Cinderella), Britney and Whitney, played by Brenda Parker and Lorraine White who keep us laughing in all the right places, exhibiting some good comic timing.  Their sister, Belle, who ultimately becomes Beauty, is played winsomely by Becca Irving.

The two sisters fancy Prince Danton (played well by Bill Clegg) who, because he resists the advances of wicked Belladonna (Teresa Baird), finds himself turned into the Beast. played separately by Lee Robinson.  Lee makes an impressive, rather sad Beast, Bill is a dandy Danton.  Meanwhile, Gustave, in the form of Peter Pescod, leers lasciviously at Belle from within his Elvis costume, As always, Peter is a hoot but his chances of luring Belle seem somewhat remote from the outset.  There is also a Good Fairy, Flora, (Jenny LIttlechild) who kindly guides the leads (and the audience) through various slings and arrows in the face of wicked Belladonna (boo, hiss).  Other characters flit through the action, including hairdresser Marcel and assistant Monique (TT Arvind and Sue Douglas), adding to the confusion and amusement.

The characters foolishly wander through the woods, where bad things happen, en route to the castle.  The girls’ father Alphonse (Ray Moore) is arrested by Monsieur Le Fou (Francis Jones) and taken to there, where he finds Belle, also imprisoned.  Here, they encounter The Beast and, ultimately, Prince Danton and, in the end, they  emerge safely to live happily ever after.  Belle wins the hand of the Prince, Gustave “wins” Whitney and Britney, Jacques comes into some money.

Justin Radford does a fine job on keyboards as the Orchestra, the songs are appropriate to the story and the Chorus sing them heartily, staying out of the way of the action.  As always, this late seasonal visit to Ovingham provides a chucklesome, entertaining evening.

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