A trip to the pantomime is a cherished Christmas tradition, and Beauty and the Beast at the Victoria Theatre, Halifax delivers everything you could hope for – laughter, spectacle, and plenty of festive cheer. Leading the story are Sam Willison as the Prince/Beast and Beth Woodcock as Belle.
Willison impresses with a great singing voice while Woodcock embodies the classic princess character beautifully – kind, spirited and instantly likeable. Cathy Breeze adds plenty of humour as Professor Potage, while Nikki Schofield’s Fairy Flutterby is a wonderfully Yorkshire fairy, full of local charm. Neil Moors is deliciously dastardly as baddy Benedict Bourbon, drawing plenty of well-deserved boos.
The real comic highlight comes from Andrew Pollard as Dame Madeline Marzipan, joined by Matthew Allen as French Frank. Their chemistry as a double act is superb, with constant ad-libbing producing some cracking lines throughout. Their antics had the whole theatre laughing – even my husband!
The production is packed with popular feel-good songs that have your toes tapping and hands clapping throughout, supported by an amazing live band who cleverly add extra humour to the slapstick scenes. Classic pantomime moments are delivered in abundance, including the gloriously messy scene where French Frank is covered head to toe in soap bubbles, the audience being gleefully squirted with water guns, and the traditional song sheet finale.
The set features detailed backdrops that cleverly support the many scene changes, while Dame Madeline Marzipan’s outrageous costumes become funnier and more extravagant as the show goes on. One standout moment is the hilarious 12 Days of Christmas scene, involving a three-cup bra, rubber chickens and toilet rolls… I’ll say no more! The production is also supported by some incredibly talented dancers – Nathan Christy, Chloe Mae McDonald, Jacob Stebbings and Naomi Tower, who particularly shine during the energetic wolves scenes. Of course, no pantomime is complete without a group of very talented dancing youngsters who add lots of fun to the scenes, particularly as the angry villagers!
With jokes that land for everyone – from young children to grandparents – Beauty and the Beast is a joyful, feel-good pantomime that perfectly captures the spirit of Christmas.
Seeing a panto is a festive staple, and I 100% recommend catching Beauty and the Beast at the Victoria Theatre, Halifax.
https://www.victoriatheatre.co.uk/whats-on/beauty-and-beast
Reviewer - Bethany Vakulich
On - 18/12/25
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