Beauty and the Beast

You know that if Bex Hutchings is involved with a pantomime it is certain to be interesting and entertaining, and probably innovative as well.  Her presentation of “The Ruby Slippers”, staged two years ago, was a novel interpretation of “The Wizard of Oz” which explored the boundary between a musical and a pantomime, but arguably ended up on the fence.  This isn’t necessarily a problem, but when an audience turns up to see a pantomime there are certain expectations which probably have to be met.  You don’t need to tick all the boxes, and you’d be foolish to try, but the appeal of pantomime lies largely in the comforting familiarity of the format.  The audience needs to recognise the characters, be confident in the plot, and understand its own role in the drama.

 

That wasn’t always the case in “The Ruby Slippers”, but there was no mistaking which theatrical tradition this adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” belongs to.  Belle is a classic, wholesome pantomime princess, seeking true love; the Beast, at heart, is a flawed prince seeking redemption while masquerading as someone else altogether; Mamma Kaye is an archetypal Dame; and Hugh Geego has many of the characteristics of the boo-able baddie, even if his faults are rather more subtle and modern than the outright evil of a wicked witch.  Add in a comedy duo, a pantomime horse, a talented supporting cast, a script featuring gags of frankly variable quality, and plenty of opportunities for call and response, and you are left in no doubt that this is a proper traditional pantomime.

 

The production values were generally impressive, most notably the colourful and stylised panel depicting a rose just downstage of the cyclorama.  This was a really striking image, beautifully lit and cleverly used to denote the passage of time.  The costume team had assembled a wonderful collection of outfits, from themed sets of villager costumes and the Mean Girls’ complementary frocks, to the principal enchanted characters’ imaginative and beautifully realised outfits.  The Beast’s rich tunic coat was splendidly regal and exactly suited his character, while Belle changed up into a flowing cream and gold gown that elevated the love between the leading principals into something spectacularly theatrical.

 

The audience clearly loved it, and they were right.  This was a well-written traditional pantomime presented by a company that seems to be going from strength to strength in terms of its community engagement and the quality of its productions.  It’s terrific that the Society has the confidence and resources to stage its own work, and Bex’s adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” ticked more than enough boxes to please any fan of traditional pantomime

 

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.