Christmas time is a season of excitement, of anticipation and, of course, traditions and one of the most well-known traditions is a visit to a pantomime. We all know what to expect before we go and that is what we look forward to, the heroine, the handsome prince, the pantomime dame with her outrageous costumes, the booing and hissing of the baddie, and the awful jokes.
This year’s offering, at The Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, is Little Wolf Entertainment’s production of Beauty and the Beast. Not one of the more traditional pantomimes, but certainly one that is making its way, more and more, into the repertoire.
In Beauty and the Beast, we see the pantomime dame, Betty Bon Bon (around whom the pantomime revolves) played with great panache by James Peake. He certainly knows how to work the audience and succeeds very well. The Dame’s costumes have us all in stitches, ranging from a vase overflowing with flowers, a dress covered in various varieties of bread, a wishing well and even a marble bust, which is the only time we see her standing still!
Every Dame needs to have a foil and this time, her sidekick is Idle Jacques, played with gusto by Stewart McCheyne, who has the advantage of having a face that is full of mischief, making you laugh without him having to utter a single word. James and Stewart have worked together before, and it shows, they make a good team.
There is even a second sidekick, this time in the form of Olivia Hallett, La Fool, she complements the pantomime Dame and Idle Jaques very nicely.
Gaston, played by the very handsome Charlie Murray, swaggers his way across the stage and is every inch the local conceited bachelor. He also has a superb baritone singing voice which is a joy to hear.
Every panto has a baddie and in this production the baddie, aka The Enchantress, is played by Rita Simons and boy, does she relish playing her role. As a seasoned professional, her enjoyment of interacting with the audience, who are booing and hissing at her, is very noticeable. The audience don’t let her down and boo and hiss at every opportunity.
Central to the plot is the heroine, Belle, the local village beauty who Gaston is pursuing, without success. Belle is more interested in her books, and is played, very convincingly, by Abigail Green. In this storyline, Belle has entered the wood, (cue Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim) trying to find her father who has forgotten his inhaler – that’s a new one on me! Her father, Marcel, played by Howard Chadwick has many shows under his belt and is a joy to watch.
Finally, there is ‘the Beast’ aka Prince Philippe played by Alfie Richards, a Cameron MacKintosh Scholar. Not only does he have a beautiful singing voice, but he is able to perform a few tricks whilst suspended on a high wire. It is whilst he is suspended above the stage, that the transformation scene, when he changes from The Beast to The Prince, takes place. This is so cleverly done, whilst the lighting is subdued, that I almost miss it!
You can’t have a panto without the merry village people adding joy and merriment to the proceedings. It wouldn’t be the same without them, so special thanks must go to the ensemble consisting of George Baker, Soraya Joy, Eloise Knowles, Denis Lelin, Lily Reid and Reiss Smith. They perform alongside “Team Baguettes”, Sophie Bullard, Kitty-Elizabeth Hill, Isla Morris, Nancy Morris, Jasmine Paterson, Addison Patrick, Saniya Shobande and Daisy Thomas, whose enthusiasm and passion shine through.
Special mention must also be made of the scenery. It is superb, very lavish and there are plenty of sparkles. There is one scene in particular, which features two moveable, short flights of steps, each leading to a ‘balcony’, that draws a gasp from the audience. The Beast climbs the steps to the balcony singing ‘Re-Write the Stars’ whilst Belle does the same with the other steps and balcony, then the two lots of steps ‘dance’ (with the aid of cast members) – a very special scene indeed. The other deviation from tradition is the ghost scene. This time, the ‘ghosts’ are wolves! Totally unexpected but it works just as well – top marks for the wolves’ costumes too! You don’t find many gargoyles making an appearance in pantos, but there are in this one and, once again, their costumes are excellent.
Finally, thanks must be given to the band, consisting of David Randall on the piano, Ashley Brand on the reeds and Jacob Slade on percussion – there is nothing quite like live music. Well done to you all.
For a dose of festive fun, with a smattering of French flair, all roads lead to Tunbridge Wells.
**** Four stars