Beauty and the Beast

After winning a plethora of District 8 awards for their pantomime ‘Aladdin’, NADOS are back with their seasonal offering. This year’s choice was ‘Beauty and the Beast’, directed by Harry Thompson in his directorial debut, and assisted by Elle Woods. The set was a strong element of the production, and the stage was used well throughout. The transitions were handled well and allowed the pace to be kept up. There were some moments that felt out of place, such as ‘The Traitors’ section, especially with the reveal of the traitors who hadn’t actually done anything traitorous during the pantomime. It was clear how much hard work Harry had put into creating this pantomime, and he did a very good job in directing his first pantomime.

The musical director was Leanne Barnes. There were a nice range of songs chosen, with nicely rewritten lyrics that complemented the story. The cast performed to backing tracks, and did very well with this. There were a number of strong vocals from the cast.

The choreographer for this pantomime was Neeve Dilworth. The cast performed the choreography with energy and precision. There were a variety of dance styles within the pantomime, and the cast did well with these.

Technical elements were generally good throughout. The sound balance between the backing tracks and cast was spot on. There was one microphone that sounded muffled throughout the production, meaning it was difficult to hear lines. Other sound effects added greatly to the pantomime, such as the music used for the entrances of the fairy. The lighting elements were nice throughout with a good use of colours used.

The costumes were very good throughout, with characters being instantly recognisable due to their costumes. The costumes of the enchanted objects worked very well also.

Jess Ratcliffe played Belle. This was a sweet performance from Jess, who gave a strong willed Belle. She stayed true to what she believed, and Jess brought this out convincingly in her characterisation. Her vocals were strong, and she worked very well opposite Harry.

As well as directing, Harry Thompson took on the role of Beast. There was a nice contrast when Harry was playing the Prince compared to the Beast, using his voice and physicality to achieve this. Harry delivered secure vocals and delivered an assured performance.

Matthew Swann played Professor Phillipe, Belle’s dad. Matthew has transformed, yet again, into a good cameo role. He really played up to the crackpot inventor, providing plenty comic moments throughout.

Andrew Marsh played Dame Bonnie Baguette. This was a tour de force of a performance from Andrew. He understands the character trope of the dame, and always delivers. His comic timing is second to none, his interactions with the audience (both young and old) is perfect, and he always keeps the cast on their toes with his antics.

Neeve Dilworth played Brie. As usual, this was a highly energetic performance from Neeve, full of silliness and humour. She got the audience on side straight away and developed a nice relationship with them. Her partnership with Andrew was of a high standard and they bounced off each other well in their scenes.

Leanne Barnes played the villainous Sacre Bleu. Leanne relished every moment on stage, as she swept across it. Her vocals were very good, as were her interactions with the audience.

Emma Fairhurst put in a delightful performance as Eclairy Fairy. The Glinda-esque vibes with her own magic bubble, which was very temperamental, was a stroke of genius. Emma created a ditzy character that worked very well in this pantomime.

The enchanted objects were played by Caitlin Barnes (Sale), Jess Nagy (Poirve), Scarlet Livesey (Channel), Maddie Bajer-Hunt (Fourchette), Lucy Wilkinson (Culliere) and Evie Charlson (Bougie). This group worked well together, creating nice, individual characters.

Jon Kennedy played Gaviscon, with Samuel Shackleton as his hapless sidekick, Louis. Jon and Samuel worked well together, providing many a comic moment. From Jon’s preening to Samuel’s social media obsessed Louis, there was much to enjoy.

The ensemble was strong throughout and helped move the story along. They were full of energy and were confident in their routines and numbers.

Overall, this was a good production. There were some strong performances, the staging was good, and there were great moments of comedy.

A big thank you to everyone at NADOS for their kind invite and hospitality.

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