Beauty and the Beast
The tale of an ugly man falling for a beautiful girl, eventually to be changed by her love is as old as storytelling itself. In pantoland the sentimental drama has to be carefully balanced with comic and traditional demands or the magic is lost.
This version, directed by Rob Marsden gets it just about right. The innocent charm of Claire Hammett as Beauty and the roaring Beast of Jack Llewellyn combine to evolve a convincing relationship. But of course, it is the comedy, the audience, participation, the shouted responses that make the real impact. This is parcelled out four ways - between Tony Wright as Dame and Stefan Pejic as son Willy, aided and abetted by Neil Roberts as girl-chasing hunk Eugene and his gormless servant Pimple (Vern Griffiths).
Wright is full of infectious fun, nowhere more so than in the slosh scene. Once an essential ingredient of panto, this messy mayhem seems to have fallen out of favour. The appeal is as strong as ever - it is alive and well and living in Porthcawl.
In her too rare performances, Jessica Sandry as the Enchantress sings and projects most effectively. Dances are choreographed by Laura-Ann Smith, musical director is Matthew Loughran.
Production information
- By:
- Iain Lauchlan and Will Brenton
- Management:
- Imagine Theatre for Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl
- Cast:
- Neil Roberts, Tony Wright, Claire Hammet, Jessica Sandry, Vern Griffiths, Danny Grehan, Stefan Pejic, Jack Llewellyn
- Director:
- Rob Marsden
- Lighting:
- Simon Butcher
- Choreography:
- Laura-Anne Smith
- Musical direction:
- Matt Loughran
Production information can change over the run of the show.
Run sheet
- Grand Pavilion Porthcawl
- December 12 2009-January 3 2010
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