Tag Archives: Adam Haigh

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

★★★★

New Theatre Royal

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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

New Theatre Royal

★★★★

“this show will leave you smiling, laughing and thoroughly entertained”

The New Theatre Royal Portsmouth’s Beauty and the Beast is an enchanting pantomime that captures the magic of this cherished Christmas tradition. Created in association with Jordan Productions and directed by Hannah Boyce, it expertly blends humour, heartfelt moments and dazzling stagecraft, offering an unforgettable experience for the whole family.

Chris Jordan’s witty script offers a refreshing twist on the classic tale. Instead of rushing to the cursed Beast, the story takes time to explore the vain, arrogant Prince, setting the stage for a more meaningful transformation. Bored with admiring his own reflection, the Prince ventures to a nearby village to find a bride as beautiful as himself. Confident his charm will suffice, he’s stunned when Beauty shows no interest. Meanwhile, two others vie for his attention: the fabulous Dame Dotty, his housekeeper, who dreams of marrying him until she falls for a man in the front row (cue endless winks and double entendres) and the wicked enchantress Malevolent, who curses him into his beastly form when spurned.

Malevolent, with her wicked schemes, drives the conflict at the heart of the story. She’s perfectly counterbalanced by Fairy Formidable, whose comically heavy French accent and rhyming couplet battles keep the plot on track amidst the panto’s many diversions. Supporting the story are Dame Dotty’s hapless son, Potty Pierre and Beauty’s father, Jean Jacques, whose blunder at the Beast’s castle sets Beauty on her fateful journey.

The cast shines throughout. Breanna Bradshaw, in her stage debut, exudes charm and warmth as Beauty, anchoring the emotional heart of the story. Lewes Roberts skilfully portrays the Beast’s journey, transforming from a preening Prince to a shambling creature and finally a dashing hero. Chris Aukett’s Dame Dotty is a comedic powerhouse, with impeccable timing and audience interaction. Becky Vere’s Fairy Formidable and Rachel Stanley’s Malevolent create a captivating dynamic, with Malevolent’s campy villainy countered by Fairy Formidable’s bubbly optimism. Brendan Hooper as Jean Jacques and Christian James as Potty Pierre round out the cast with slapstick charm and warm-hearted humour.

Dotty and Potty frequently steal the show with their comedic timing and cleverly crafted routines. Highlights include a plate-smashing sketch, a tongue-twisting number set to I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General and the ever-popular ghost routine, which had the audience gleefully shouting “It’s behind you!” and singing along to Ghostbusters.

The French setting inspires playful musical nods: Dotty makes her grand entrance with I Love Paris, the Prince belts out a reworked Lady Marmalade and Dotty serenades her front-row amour with La Vie en Rose. Jean Jacques’s heartfelt rendition of Charles Aznavour’s She is hilariously upstaged by Dotty and Potty’s antics, while Malevolent mocks France’s military history before launching into Waterloo. This leads to a show-stopping ABBA medley, with Dotty and Potty donning flared lycra half-and-half costumes to represent both Agnetha and Anni-Frid.

Shelley Claridge’s costumes are a visual feast, especially Dame Dotty’s outlandish ensembles, including a superhero costume, a breakfast table and a festive Christmas pudding. Beauty’s gorgeous yellow-gold ballgown, reminiscent of Belle’s iconic dress from the Disney film, is another highlight. The finale, with the cast in dazzling white and blue sparkles reminiscent of the Pompey FC strip, adds a local flourish to the magical conclusion.

Visually, the production is stunning. Andy Newell’s vibrant backdrops and David Coull’s sparkling lighting design transport the audience to an enchanted kingdom, while inventive stagecraft – including fireworks and wirework – enhances the spectacle. The ballroom dance between Beauty and the Beast, floating gracefully above the stage, is a breathtaking end of act one highlight that perfectly encapsulates the show’s romance.

Adam Haigh’s choreography and Patrick Stockbridge’s musical direction are equally impressive. High-energy dance numbers and catchy songs keep the audience engaged, while the clever mix of classic tunes and cheeky panto parodies ensures something for everyone.

The New Theatre Royal Portsmouth’s Beauty and the Beast is a shining example of pantomime at its best. With no celebrity names, the production relies on the immense talent of its cast, who give their all with skill and enthusiasm. Whether you’re a lifelong panto fan or a first-time visitor, this show will leave you smiling, laughing and thoroughly entertained.



BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

New Theatre Royal

Reviewed on 15th December 2024

by Ellen Cheshire

Photography by Martin at Origin8 Design

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

More reviews by Ellen:

REDLANDS | ★★★★ | CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE | September 2024
BARISTA THE MUSICAL | ★★★ | CAPITOL THEATRE | September 2024
THE BELT | ★★★★★ | THE CORONET THEATRE | September 2024
THE WEYARD SISTERS | ★★ | RIVERSIDE STUDIOS | August 2024

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

 

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OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR

★★★★

UK Tour

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OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR at the Theatre Royal Windsor

★★★★

“A multi-talented cast of Pierrot-style performers … give their all in this satirical rollercoaster of a show.”

As one of the UK’s leading touring companies with a commitment to theatre that ‘entertains, provokes and inspires in equal measure’, Blackeyed Theatre are continuing their anniversary tour of Joan Littlewood’s pioneering ‘Oh What a Lovely War’ with a stop in Windsor.

The piece was developed in an improvisatory style by Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop in in 1963. Her vision was to break the fourth wall that separates audience from performer, challenging elitism by taking theatre to where it was most needed as part of her proud boast that she was a ‘vulgar woman of the people’.

A multi-talented cast of Pierrot-style performers, most of whom trained on the Rose Bruford School’s Actor Musicianship programme, give their all in this satirical rollercoaster of a show. Director Nicky Allpress acknowledges the complex challenges of the piece which she describes as ‘a beast’ to rehearse – but her vision shines through.

Projections designed by Clive Elkington detail the heart-rending cost of the so-called ‘war to end all wars’ that pointlessly took the lives of tens of millions of young people whilst their unfeeling commanders remained indifferent to their struggle from a position of relative safety behind the lines.

An atmospheric backdrop is created by a circus tent inspired set (Victoria Spearing) evocatively lit by Alan Valentine. The cast play percussion, trumpet, double bass, accordion and more. They sing the old battlefield songs with a mad intensity which seemed to escape the audience member to my right. He sang along gleefully until the fierce cost of the conflict began to appear. Then he was silent.

Even before the show opens, Pierrots lounge in a box and interact with the audience in surprising ways. There are a number of stand-out scenes, including a poignant re-creation of the moment when soldiers met in no-man’s land on Christmas Day. But there’s no false sentimentality here and the satire is brilliantly sharp in a number of key scenes that depict the officer ‘donkeys’ who ordered the British lions into destruction. Naomi Gibbs has designed some clever costumes that at one point permit the cast to play both officers and wives in a viciously entertaining ballroom scene.

The company demonstrated a brilliant command of different voices, and their take on the indifferent drawl of the officer class was particularly impressive. Tom Benjamin sparkled as the MC and Harry Curley and Euan Wilson gave equally strong performances. The other members of the cast  shone equally in this non-stop cavalcade of a show.


OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR at the Theatre Royal Windsor as part of UK Tour

Reviewed on 2nd April 2024

by David Woodward

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

CLOSURE | ★★★★ | February 2024
THE GREAT GATSBY | ★★★ | February 2024
ALONE TOGETHER | ★★★★ | August 2023
BLOOD BROTHERS | ★★★★★ | January 2022
THE CHERRY ORCHARD | ★★★★ | October 2021

OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR

OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR

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