Beauty and The Beast - A Pantomime

I was intrigued by how the story of Beauty and The Beast I was familiar with, mostly through the Disney version, would translate to a pantomime, so I did some research, and found it had many versions, in all of them Belle or Beauty as she was called, had sisters.  It was interesting to see how the different threads of the story came together in this version.  The settling in music was evocatively French but it came as a surprise when the actors started speaking in French.  After the appearance of The Rose Fairy, telling us she ‘Loved Paris’ she tried to solve the problem but ended up with people speaking in Northern and Sottish accents before settling on a more ‘normal’ English accent, with the Fairy speaking in English with French accent, it was all great fun.  The village back drop for Petit Pois, the Castle of Prince Louis and the Beasts Castle were well painted.  All the locations had good scenery, furniture and props which were all well-made or sourced, and in keeping with the story.  The costumes had been well designed and made, fitting well and helping to identify the characters, with a nod to the Disney for Belle’s party costume and that of the Beast, I liked The Suit of Armour.  The make-up and wigs added to the overall picture, and were fun in the Beauty Parlour, the Beast’s Mask and wig worked well.  The lighting helped convey the ambience of each scene and was well cued.  The follow spots were well handled.  Sound effects were well timed, and the volume of the recorded music was well controlled so that it did not drown out the singers, there were a few issues with the mics but the cast coped admirably.  MD, Graham Williams, had taught the songs well, with a nice choice of songs all well sung.  Choreographer, Ruth Barton, had tailored the dances and movements to suit the abilities of the cast.  The choreography for the opening number, the Party and the finale were particularly lively, and the Fairy Dance over Belle was lovely.

Every member of the cast was a named character and had developed them well.  Two actors played two characters, and there were separate actors playing The Prince and The Beast.  Belle, was confidently played, she sang, moved and acted well, making her disgust for Jean-Claude clear and always managing to escape his unwanted attentions.  She was a complete contrast to her sisters and worked well with The Prince and The Beast.  In other productions of Beauty and The Beast I have seen the Prince and The Beast are played by the same actor and most of the effort goes into the character of The Beast so when he becomes The Prince it is difficult for him to establish good characterisation.  In this version only playing Prince Louis gave the actor time to concentrate on one character and it worked well.  He was a regal, but sensitive character, completely different to Jean-Claude.  He worked well with Belle and Jaques.  The Beast was a forceful character, displaying all the rage you associate with the character, but slowly mellowing a little as he became better acquainted with Belle.  Dame Dolly, mother to Belle and her sisters, had good interaction with the audience.  She was a lively, fun character, always trying to find rich husbands for her daughters, and gently outrageous.  Chardonnay and Lambrini, Belle’s sisters made a lovely comic duo, they behaved like small children always squabbling, very selfish, and vying for the attentions of Jean-Claude.  Their scene in the Beauty Parlour was very funny.  They worked well together and had some lovely moments.  Jean-Claude, a principal boy, was well played as the arrogant, obnoxious person he was.  He had his sights set on Belle and would not take no for an answer, every bit the rich celebrity winner of pop idol.  His determination showed a different side when he encouraged the villagers to attack the Beast.  This was strong portrayal of the role.  Poor Jaques, faithful companion to Prince Louis until he becomes the Beast and then rejected, was well played.  The Rose Fairy, was a lovely character, she kept her accent well and made an impressive entrance at the beginning of the second act.  Always the power of good against the forces of evil, she looked the part, sang and moved well.  Countess Cruella, wanted to marry the Prince, and when he rejects her she turns him into a Beast, looked and sounded pure evil, speaking totally in rhyme.  She got her comeuppance in the end when the Rose Fairy casts a spell on her and Jean-Claude so they fall in love.  Belle’s Papa was a gentle creature and did not deserve Dame Dolly.  He showed his affection for Belle and had some lovely scenes with his horse Gigi.  He sang well.  The actress playing Madame Botox and Gigi, the horse, did well with both roles, very flamboyant and outrageous as Madame Botox and much more gentle as Gigi, who really won the hearts of the audience.  All the other character did well in their roles, they supported the action well, always taking an interest and interacting appropriately.  Madame Tricot looked very elegant.  The younger members of the cast were confident in their roles and enjoyed what they were doing and receiving valuable training.

Director, Caroline Foligno, had created some lovely moments, the different activities Belle undertook to show time passing in the Castle, the friezes when the Fairy was making magic, and the two transition scenes for the Prince and Beast all worked well.  The stage and auditorium were well used for entrances and exists.  There had been a series of difficulties to overcome with this production, but everyone had worked together and supported each other and gave the audience an enjoyable evening.  Thank you everyone.

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