This staging occasionally strays into musical theatre territory, but director and dame Ian Marr always ensures the panto laughs are not far away.
Though the cliche-ridden gags inspired by the French location - encouraging the audience to greet him, Potty Pierre demands a “bigger oui oui” - get a little irritating, on the whole Marr and writer Chris Jordan offer some excellent festive fare.
Comedy scenes are fast-paced and brimming over with energy. Dressed in some super outfits, Marr is great fun as Dame Derriere, demonstrating impressive comic timing and a brilliant rapport with the audience. When he teams up with talented all-rounder Barnaby Thompson for the messy, plate-breaking routine, the result is one of the evening’s highlights.
Katie Ray makes a charming, sweet-voiced Beauty, while her antithesis - Amanda Prior’s Malevolent - is suitably wicked and amusing at the same time. Both benefit from an excellent choice of musical material, not least a well-timed Abba singalong, all played by an excellent three-piece band led by musical director James Cleeve.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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