Beauty & the Beast

~~This was a locally, well written script, a very good amalgamation of a Fairy Tale, a musical and a pantomime.  The children in the audience could easily understand the action and entered into the spirit of Panto very readily and voiciferously .  The story followed the usual Fairy Tale theme explained by the Fairy Rocquel (Sara Devitt), in fantastic make-up and costume, of Belle and her mother Babette (Emma Burton & Anne Bateson) threatened by the Village Baddie Lemal and his sidekick Souris.  Babette is captured by the evil Beast and taken to the Castle dungeons and Belle volunteers to take her place.  The Beast, looked after by his friends Smythe & Bouton (Bob Cochrane & Richard Fisher), who were the perfect foils to be aided and abetted by the Pantomime Dame character, Tina Coffey (Liam Hunter); is under a wicked spell which can only be broken when a beautiful girl falls in love with him. The Beast is persuaded to keep Belle in the guest room not the dungeon and slowly but surely the love match is formed. It is only when the Beast and Lemal fight and the Beast is injured that Belle confesses her love and The Beast, very spectacularly, turns into the handsome Prince (David Ayres, who wrote the script) and all ends very happily ever after.
This was a very cleverly conceived show, the many necessary scene changes were performed in seconds by having revolving flats, the lighting effects were excellent, especially I liked the opening, costumes were good for the Principals and The Beast’s mask was magnificent. Songs were well sung to backing tracks and there was just enough funny slapstick to keep the children laughing whilst the complete performance kept the adults very well entertained. A very enjoyable evening.

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