Beauty and the Beast

It was lovely once again to be invited to The Core Theatre in Corby, this time to see the C.A.T.S production of “ Beauty and the Beast “. This was a traditional “Panto” in every way, featuring a principal boy and girl, a goodie and baddie and of course the pantomime Dame! There was lots of comedy and audience participation throughout the evening.

  Director, Craig Machar is to be congratulated for bringing this excellent production to the stage. Musical Director, Barbara Hockey brought the panto to life under her direction, the choice of songs was very good, all the vocals were of a high standard, and there were some lovely harmonies throughout. The talented three piece orchestra gave excellent backing to the company, well done Barbara! Louise Slaven’s choreography was excellent too, there were very good routines that had been well rehearsed. It was lovely to see the junior dancers, all of them clearly enjoying the experience, their choreographer, Marcia Mitchell had coached them very well.

  There were very good performances from all the principals, Luke Campbell Simcoe was a very funny, haughty dame ( Madame FiFi ) and he had an excellent rapport with the audience. Andy Hall showed great comic timing in the role of Jacque. Charlene Slaven was a very sweet Flora and in contrast, Leona Andreana Sontag played a very evil Belladonna. Heather Bunnewell ( Belle ) and Sophie Tranter ( Prince Danton ) both sang beautifully and worked very well together. Janet Askew ( Esmerelda ) and Janis A. Young ( Ermengarde ) complemented each other well as the nasty sisters and were both very funny in their roles. Gordon Richie had excellent stage presence in his role as Gustav. Kev Aitken, Carl Turner-Fountain, Richard J Nicholls, Paige Mitchell and Jack Jenkins all deserve a mention too for giving good solid performances in their roles. The principals were backed by a very able and strong chorus line up, well done to you all.

  The technical team played a good part in this production, the scenery and costumes were all very good and colourful. Make up, lighting and sound all greatly enhanced this pantomime too. Overall I could find little to fault in this production, so well done to the entire company!

  Once again thank you to Corby C.A.T.S for your wonderful hospitality and for a most enjoyable evening. I greatly look forward to seeing your next production!                                                                                

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