The director had quite a job with so with many characters in the production, including a Skin role. All the staging and pantomime business was well rehearsed. There was a good cast-audience relationship. Musical choices were good played out by a cracking band. I must give credit to the excellent young drummer, Anna Richmond. All the choreography was elegantly performed by a team of talented dancers. A particular nod goes to the Sunbeams for their sunny stage presences and enthusiastic performance. We first meet the fairy sisterhood comprising Fairy Bluebell (Nichola Seddon), Fairy Briar (Chloe West) and “a little bit bad” Fairy Hellebore (Donna Wood). The trio worked their magic on the pantomime and audience. We must not forget the curse on Prince Florian turning him into the Beast. Nichola, Chloe and Donna worked well together and set in motion this tale of the ‘Beauty and the Beast’. At the Palace we were introduced to King Willi, played with gusto by Paul Jameson who drove the plot along. Paul was an asset to the production. Queen Wilhelmina was our “Bloke in a frock”. Playing Dame was Ciaran Travis who had a good rapport with the audience. The reading of the Gordon Ramsay recipe was pure chucklesome comedy. The Royal children were Princess Florenza, sweetly played by Imogen Roberts, and in the role of the arrogant Prince Florian, Kynan Derbyshire. Kynan, as the hideous Beast, learnt to love and be loved. The Beast’s love interest, Belle, has two sisters and a brother. Also, there was Lightning, their horse (Terry McCabe and Paul Atkinson) who endearingly clip-clopped across the stage. Sisters Coco (Katherine Roberts) and Gigi (Vikkey Dixon) and Brother, Jacques (Clare Nash)
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