Beauty and the Beast

It might have been dark and rainy outside, but inside the Trinity Centre there was a warm welcome and a classic pantomime to be enjoyed.  All the panto staples were reassuringly present and correct, from the corny jokes (enthusiastically delivered), to the slapstick routines, to the singalong at the end.  Jigsaw can be relied upon to bring us a traditional panto, and that in itself is a great pleasure to behold. 

Beauty and the Beast is based upon the fairy tale in which a handsome Prince is transformed into a beast, a curse from which only the true love of a fair maiden can release him.  Enter the lovely Belle, who is first captured and then enraptured by the Beast, bringing us all our happily ever after.  The path of true love never does run smooth though, and there were plenty of panto antics to enjoy before the final wedding scene could take place.

As is usual for Jigsaw, there were not one but two casts on duty for this show – on the night of my visit it was Team Belle in the limelight.  Leading the cast were Hannah Price as Belle and Glyn Diggett as her Beast.  These were two very accomplished performances, both showing off good singing voices and spot-on characterisation.  Their duet and dance, was very nicely done, and they each took their solo singing opportunities well (Belle’s ‘Always Remember’ had a very nice lighting effect, too.)

As Belle’s somewhat hapless father Alphonse, Stuart McDonald was a confident, avuncular presence, just right for the role.  And Molly Webster and Tracy Hart had a whale of a time as Belle’s naughty sisters, Whitney and Britney, always causing trouble! 

Aiding and abetting our heroes were the hairdressing duo of Claire Dealaselle as Monique and Henry Dealaselle as a fabulously camp Marcel.  The scene set in their salon was a funny and very well staged set piece.  Harrison Daley clearly had a great time as the self-centred Gustav, with an energetic and fun performance.  And of course, no panto would be complete without a Dame, and Stephen Levitt once more showed his mastery of this role as Madame Fifi.  A word too for Sam Ryan, who impressed as Fifi’s silly son, Jack, and Emily Davis, who did well as the misguided Madame Le Fou.

As the two supernatural characters (speaking in verse, and always entering from the right (goodie) and left (baddie) sides of the stage, as is traditional), Roma Bradley was a comfortingly maternal Flora and Eva Haynes a nicely nasty Belladonna.  Her song, ‘Feeling Good’, was very well done, and her scheme to ‘beastificate’ us all was great fun and provided a good chance to have a pop at the audience!  Of course, we gave as good as we got, with boos aplenty! 

The main cast were accompanied by a large ensemble of panto people and panto dancers, who all added to the spectacle whenever they appeared.  A great junior chorus added great vitality to the performance, the enjoyment on their faces was worth the ticket price alone!   The finale sequence, where the whole cast came together to take us to the finish line, was absolutely joyous. 

Director Maggie Bishton certainly knows how to get the most out of her cast, keeping the pace and energy up throughout and ensuring that those panto staples were present and correct.  I was also impressed with the costumes, including a particularly good outfit for the Beast.  The chorus dancers also made their way through a variety of outfits – a busy night for the wardrobe team.  The sound and lighting team also delivered their critical technical elements, although at times the volume was too loud for me (and that was sitting several rows back from the speakers!)

A huge well done, then, to everyone at Jigsaw for a most enjoyable evening.  If anyone is keeping the traditional panto alive and well, it’s Jigsaw (oh yes they are!)  Long may they continue to do so!

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