PANTOMIME REVIEW: Beauty And The Beast - Theatre Royal, Wakefield.

It might only be towards the beginning of the pantomime season, and this reviewer has many more lined up to cover between now and Christmas, but Wakefield's Theatre Royal's production of  'Beauty And The Beast' this evening has already set the bar very high! 

As you might imagine, as a reviewer of several years' standing, I have witnessed, and critiqued, many (and I mean many!) pantomimes. And what I believe makes a good pantomime are the following: colourful sets, colourful and crazy costumes, OTT characters whom you love to cheer or boo, plenty of upbeat songs and choreography, actors who genuinely enjoy the genre and thrive from it, local and modern references, plenty of silly humour age appropriate for their main target audience, a few saucy adult jokes which go above the children's heads, traditional repartee and responses, traditional routines, lots of audience interaction, and plenty of oomph and zazaboom! Yes, that's my (short) list! - and Wakefield's panto ticked every box right from the start!

From the opening few bars, the children were engaged and involved - this might seem like something of an odd statement, surely they will be at all pantos I hear you ask.. but you could not be more mistaken. There have been many a show aimed at young children where the children have left the theatre neither understanding nor engaging with the actors the whole time. It is an artform in itself, and those who decry TIE and children's theatre do so without knowing just how difficult it can be and what skills are necessary to engage youngsters (especially in our internet / computer-driven age). 

I have never visted the city of Wakefield before, and so obviously this was my first time at the Theatre Royal. What a beautiful gem of a theatre the city has. It is absolutely stunning, and simply worth the visit to see the theatre never mind the show. The show however, was the evening's crowning glory. From the wonderful sets and costumes, to the small but talented ensemble, to the excellent pantomime script (Chris Hannon), to the great choice of songs sung with gusto and some truly lovely harmonies, modern references etc, this was a traditional family pantomime that truly stands out in a sea of pantos.

Fanny Fromage (yes, I know....very cheesy!), played by Chris Hannon was the most undame-like panto Dame I think I have ever seen, a truly unique interpretation of the traditional role. It was somewhere between a very butch Frankie Howerd and a petulant schoolgirl on hormone treatment. However, I absolutely LOVED his charaterisation, and it worked as a perfect foil for the foppery of Chris Chilton's Renaissance-esque tomfoolery as Monsieur Bon-Bon. Edward Leigh's role as Prince-turned-into-beast was very convincing, and his acting whilst underneath such a large and all-encompassing mask was truly laudable. Whilst the beast's love interest, Belle herself, was played with just the right amount of innocence and goodness by Meg Elsegood. The "Buttons" character in this panto was Fanny's son, Louis, (Sam Nixon), and he worked well with the Beast's maid Fifi (Grace Liston), who brought a different style of comedy to the proceedings and together added a subplot which worked nicely.

If I had to criticise anything at all in this wonderful show, then I would perhaps have preferred Narcissa (Elisha Ainsley) to have been more evil, and seen a greater transformation of her character, but that is a very small personal preference. 

A truly impressive traditional family pantomime performed on, I have been reliably informed, the smallest extant Frank Matcham designed theatre in the country. No excuses.. go see it!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 19.11.21