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REVIEW: Beauty and the Beast

Besi Besemar December 18, 2014

I love nothing better than an old school, traditional pantomime and Eastbourne Theatres production of Beauty and the Beast at the beautiful Devonshire Park Theatre ticked all my panto boxes in this show stopping production.

Beauty and the Beast - Eastbourne

THOUGH ‘darker’ than many traditional pantos, this is panto at its very best with a seriously good script, a great cast with strong singing voices and a brilliant Panto Dame who struts the stage like she is shopping in Tescos or possibly even Waitrose.

Martyn Knight who would never be seen shopping in Morrisons gives a commanding performance as Dame Derriere. His delivery is perfectly judged for the children while anything risky he fires over their heads to the grown ups in the audience. This legendary Dame is returning to Eastbourne for the eleventh year on the trot. He made me roar with laughter and it was a delight to sit back and appreciate a great Panto Dame at work.

Beauty and the Beast, Eastbourne

The baddie role of Malevolent the evil sorceress is played by Hollyoaks actress Carley Stenson who has no trouble getting the children in the audience to boo and hiss. Carley, dressed in green and black plays the role to perfection. Her black wig gives her the presence of a posh dominatrix, something the dads in the audience clearly warmed to.

The humour is provided by local comedian Tucker who plays the loveable Potty Pierre and provides some very funnny moments during the evening culminating with a hilarious routine towards the end of the second half with four of the children from the audience. It’s usual in a traditional panto for the comic turn to get a few kids up from the audience and make them perform. The kids on our night were brilliant as was Tucker who brought out the best in them. I hope he is as lucky with the choice of victims every night.

The heroine, Beauty is played by veteran of many West End musicals, Emily Bull who delivers some of the vocal highlights of the evening. She brings an element of vulnerability to her role while standing by her promise to return to the Beast, who she falls in love with. She has principles and falls in love with the Beast not knowing he is a handsome Prince. She loves him for what is inside and not on the surface.

Beauty’s father, Jean Jacques is played by David Alder whose years of working in straight theatre shone through all evening while Adam McNab played a dignified Beast and Royal Prince Gallant, generating the necessary pathos the joint role demands by the bucketload. The audience warmed to the Beast as did Beauty.

Fairy Formidable was played by Ellie Leah who delivered the role with a French accent. During the first half she suffered a little connecting with the children around me who seemed to have trouble understand what she was saying. However her singing was fine and she complemented the evil Malevolent, perfectly.

Beauty and the Beast Eastbourne

This production is faithful to all the traditions of Pantomime right down to rhyming couplets and catch phrases. The sets are charming and lovely to look at, the costumes spectacular and the lighting first class. The chorus and dancers are well drilled and deserve special mention as does the writer and director Chris Jordan whose script is current and fresh. Sarah Travis the experienced and talented musical director kept the band on song all evening.

The show is selling well and runs until January 11.

To book tickets, click here:

Or telephone the Box Office on: 01323 412000

Tickets are priced from £12 – £20

Photos by Robert Workman

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