Beauty and the Beast, currently showing at The New Wolsey Theatre is a fantastic panto that makes you want to join the cast on stage and jive along with them. Written by Peter Rowe and directed by Rob Salmon, Beauty and the Beast is a modernised version of the classic fairy tale but with several panto additions - a fairy godmother and of course, a Dame. In our case, the glittery Good Fairy Fortunate (Esther Biddie) and the hilarious Dame Bessie Bigbreaths (Eamonn Fleming).
The basic story line concerns the Prince (Dan de Cruz) who falls foul of an Evil Witch who turns him into a horrible Beast and is cursed to live alone in a secluded castle in the forest until true love sets him free. Can Beauty (Lucy Wells) help save the Beast’s heart?
The set was absolutely fantastic for this show. The main colour theme appeared to be white and grey and radiated a 1920s vibe - the visibility of the instruments made this an even better atmosphere. A movable platform was installed, meaning sets could easily be changed and also more interactive for the audience and to the sides, different scenery was added e.g barn doors for Bessie’s farm or a suit of armour for the Beast’s castle. In addition, the amazing use of trapdoors made the entrance of Good Fairy Fortunate and the Evil Witch even better (assisted with the use of pyrotechnics.
Lighting was fantastic throughout the show. The white walls helped to reflect various colours to create different atmospheres and emotions to the audience. For example, at Bessie’s farm, the lighting was bright making you feel happy whereas in the Beast’s castle, the lighting was dimmed and made you feel lonely for the Beast.
Before the show even began, the audience had a feel of the show as the characters appeared and began to interact. The actors even began to interact with each other as if the show had already begun - they even encouraged the audience to do the typical “Oh no they’re not!” “Oh yes they are!” routine. This made sure that the audience was ready for some fun and the excitement from the start.
There was plenty of humour encased in this pantomime: The farm hand Desperate Dan (Matt Jopling) and his desperate attempts to woo Beauty, Luxury (Sarah Mahony) and Vanity (Nicola Bryan) Beauregarde - Beauty’s sisters - and their spoilt antics, reminding you slightly of Cinderella’s step-sisters. But best of all was Dame Bessie Bigbreaths. With her overused puns and wacky dress sense, she made the show even better.
There were plenty of sound effects in the show - mainly used for comedy purposes that added extra humour to the show and helped to imagine the story further in the audience’s minds.
The live music was outstanding. All the songs - that were all well placed in the storyline - were performed to perfection. The songs related exactly to what the characters were thinking and feeling during a certain scene. All members of the company at some point played an instrument for the songs - every one very talented.
All in all, Beauty and the Beast rock ‘n’ roll Panto was a wacky and incredibly entertaining show that is fun for the whole family and a great show to see before Christmas arrives.
Megan Lofthouse -Mason, East Bergholt High School
For a look at current and upcoming productions at the New Wolsey Theatre click here. For more details on what’s on at the theatre in Ipswich, and a complete listing upcoming events in Ipswich visit our Events Page.
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