Beauty and The Beast

The traditional pantomime has become a staple of many Welsh towns during February half term.  This particular one took me to the Phoenix Theatre once again to visit Rhondda Theatre Group and their production of the classic ‘Beauty and the Beast.’

The large ensemble cast worked hard throughout the production.  They moved and sang well and had good reactions where necessary.

As with any pantomime, there were many principal roles.  In the main, these were well played with good character and energy throughout.

Thomas Jones and Sean Melton were amusing as Cam and Bert.  Cathy Thomas-Richards did a nice job as Marie and Laila Doggett and Kathryn Richards were a great ‘ying and yang’ as Goodie 2 Shoes and Oxana.  Well done all.

As Lefou, Alfie Ford did a lovely job.  He was funny and engaged well with the audience.  He formed a great partnership with Garry Sage who played ladies man, Gaston.  Garry’s performance was fantastic from start to finish.  He was full of character and comedy and he sang well in the musical numbers.  His interplay with the audience was excellent, particularly the lady in row five!

Every pantomime needs a dame.  Lee Morgan took on the role of Ann Teak.  Lee was full of energy and had a great character.  He worked the crowd well and engaged with his fellow performers acting as a conduit to keep the show moving along.  Excellent work.

Jack Melton was lovely as Chip and Sian Rees delivered a great performance as Mrs Potts.  She had a strong accent and sang well in the musical numbers.

As Lumiere and Cogsworth, Huu Luu and Finn O’Shaughnessy were an excellent double act.  They worked well together and both had very good accents.  A really likeable and amusing pair.

Keelan Jones played the Beast/Prince Styles.  I was particularly impressed with Keelan’s vocals in the musical numbers.  He played both characters well and did a good job all round.

Leah Davies was a triumph as Belle.  She was a fantastic leading lady.  Excellent vocals, great character and lovely interplay with fellow cast members and audience members alike.  I must also applaud her very unselfish actions during a duet with Keelan where she made sure he had a working microphone in a very rare moment of technical issue.  Very impressive, well done.

This was my second visit to Rhondda Theatre Group and I must say that they do a very good job with the technical elements of theatre.  This was an almost faultless display technically.  Lighting was excellent and barring one microphone issue, the sound levels and balance were great.

Costumes were lively, colourful and appropriate for each character. 

The set was well designed and allowed action to take place on different levels.

I had a great evening watching this production and it was lovely to catch up with the Rhondda team.  I look forward to seeing you again soon.

 

The views in this report are solely of the author.

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