This is the first time I’ve seen Beauty and the Beast performed as a panto and did I enjoy it ?… Oh yes I did! When I arrived there was a stall dedicated to Beauty and the Beast panto merch which was obviously dedicated for the kids but I couldn’t help myself and buy a jewelled wand to live my fairy fantasy.

So, now on with the show! Beauty and the Beast began with Cupid played by West End actress, Jocasta Almgill, entering the stage and gearing up the crowd for what’s to come. Giving an overview of the story of how Prince Henri became the Beast, although making it clear to the audience no ‘copyright infringement’ is used in this show so the kids don’t get disappointed by not hearing the Disney classic songs from the film. Making it clear to us that this is Canterbury does Beauty and the Beast! I knew we’d be in safe hands with Jocasta after seeing her play Rizzo in Grease and she did not disappoint with stunning vocals and stage presence! I loved the homage to a classic AC/DC song but make it panto instead!

We were then introduced to the fabulous ensemble and the leading lady herself, Eastenders favourite and Strictly Come Dancing finalist Maisie Smith, who plays Belle and she blew me away with how well she can sing! She has the sort of voice you could listen to all day, everyday! She was always a breath of fresh air when she came on stage and Smith and Almgill singing together in harmony was a treat! Belle then introduced us to her brother Phillipe Filop, played by Phil Gallagher, and her mother Madame Filop the panto Dame, played by Ben Roddy, who worked so well comedically together! They were obviously Canterbury favourites as there was a lot of in jokes with the audience who have visited in years before. Ben isn’t the most glamorous Dame I’ve seen at a panto but boy was he funny and stupid, in a brilliant way and used the ‘geezer’ like style as a Dame to his advantage. A favourite game they played with the audience was magnet of love and picking on audience member Charlie, who really didn’t want to be involved, made it all the more funnier! Classic panto jokes and corpsing on stage made the whole experience wonderful and I love seeing actors go out of character in pantos when something goes wrong!

I enjoyed the use of classic characters from the story of Beauty and the Beast but with a twist which made it more exciting. We were introduced to Danton, played by funny man Richard David-Caine, (who was there as a Gaston character and interested in Belle) and played it as a drag king type caricature, at least that’s what I got from it. Bougie, played by the brilliant Tyler Collins, was in place of Lumiere. Both played their roles excellently and could tell they loved being there from start to finish, both with excellent comic timing.

The only thing I missed from this panto was that I wanted a character to be able to boo and for the other characters to be afraid of. It would’ve been a contrast to have the Danton character be the baddie as in the Disney classic but it was easy to see why they went with the funny route for that character instead. Whilst the Beast, played by heartthrob Joseph Hewlett, was there as a baddie type character, you couldn’t help but see the good in him as with the classic story. Additionally Belle instantly wanted to help him, showing how much of a strong woman she is. Both Smith’s and Hewlett’s voices blend beautifully together!

This panto was everything you’d expect from a large scale pantomime with stunning costumes, glitz, glam and sparkles! I loved the use of the ensemble throughout which was refreshing as with a lot of pantos the ensemble can get underused. And of course it had a fully rhinestoned finale which had a huge celebratory finish! Along with this you had classic ‘he’s behind you’ gags and extra amazing surprises which I won’t spoil! Although not my favourite panto, probably due to the story not fitting with the usual classic panto arch, but overall was a great, fun and funny panto with such strong singing and ensemble numbers, pop culture references and a surprise from Musical Director Chris Wong himself, celebrating 30 years at the Marlowe Theatre!

Well done Marlowe Theatre and Evolution Productions for a fantastic year of panto fun for everyone and look forward to seeing what you’ll bring next year for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!

Review by Faye Wheeler.

Beauty and The Beast is running at the Marlow Theatre until Sunday 12th January. You can find out more and book tickets here.

If you like this review of Beauty and the Beast you might also like my review of the Wicked film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Matilda the musical.