This year’s pantomime offering from Denstone Players is “Beauty and the Beast”, written by Alan P. Frayn. This is the third time that Denstone Players have performed one of Frayn’s pantomime scripts, and rest assured that this panto has all the necessary ingredients – singing, dancing and lots of laughs. The entire cast, which ranges from ages 8 to 80, come together to bring us a spectacular production that is filled chock-a-block with vibrant characters, colourful costumes and some incredibly funny comedic moments.
The story is as you would expect – Prince Danton (Paul Walsham) is transformed into a scary beast by the evil Belladona (Katy Robins), and destined to die unless he finds true love before time runs out. This production took the decision to have the Prince and the Beast played by two separate actors (the latter portrayed by Luke Williams, who did a good job at being intimidating whilst also showing a softer side). This could have been confusing, but Williams’ reprise of a song sung earlier by Walsham helps the audience realise that both are the same person, regardless of looks – an important message in this pantomime.
I’m sure it is no spoiler to say that Danton’s true love is Belle (Caroline Sturdy-Colls), who finds herself trapped in the Beast’s castle in order to rescue her father (Dave Shooter). Sturdy-Colls and Williams have good chemistry onstage, and their scenes together are a joy to watch. To add to Belle’s troubles is the egotistical Gustave (Hugo Marsh, who was clearly having the time of his life performing “I’m sexy and I know it” whilst surrounded by swooning chorus members) and her sisters Whitney and Britney (Theresa Keates and Elsa Ford, appearing as though they are straight off the TOWIE set). Each character is incredibly different and well-defined, which makes this pantomime so much fun.
Jess Brough puts in a confident, assured performance as Flora the good fairy, whilst Robins attracted a multitude of boos and heckles as she sets about killing off the Beast’s roses one-by-one. Joining the fun are Dame Madame Fifi (Neil Hutchinson) and her son Jacques (Lizzy Butterfield), who, together with Shooter, become involved in a comedy skit involving a ghost (Tommy Bosworth), all set to the theme from Ghostbusters. As if this wasn’t enough, the plot also features hairdressers Marcel and Monique (Pat Tortonesi and Evie Baldwin) who add to the mayhem as they try to restyle Fifi’s hair (and give her a bikini wax!) and Kevin Sturdy is criminally underused as Monsieur Le Fou, whose excellent reactions and facial expressions had me cracking up throughout the second half.
Denstone Village Hall boasts an impressive lighting rig, and Pete Smith manages to squeeze in all sorts of different lighting effects, including cracks of lightning to begin the show, and strobe lighting as the Beast transforms. There are a whole host of people listed in the programme as having helped out with costumes and props, and it is no wonder – the costumes throughout are wonderful (I particularly enjoyed the chorus appearing with their hair in curlers during the salon scene) and the stage becomes filled with various fast food items during the “Fast Food Song” (a welcome addition, which replaces the usual Be Our Guest). A special mention must go to the superb finale outfits, which are reminiscent of the characters’ earlier costumes, but with added sparkle.
Throughout the show, there were a few moments where actors had to be prompted, but the actors recover very well and it does not spoil the audience’s enjoyment. If I had to be slightly critical, I would say that I wished the actors had responded to audience heckles a little bit more – Hutchinson and Butterfield did a great job at this during the Frère Jacques scene, but I personally would have liked to have seen a little more ad-libbing throughout.
To say that the show includes a whopping 26 songs (count them!), the production does not feel dragged out in any sense, with each song helping to move the plot forward, set the scene or add extra depth to the characters. What is most important, for a show such as this, is that it is evident that everyone in the production is enjoying themselves, and the enthusiasm is infectious – the audience can’t help but have a smile on their faces when the show comes to an end. Director Gill Brown states in the programme that this is “community theatre at its best” – and I am inclined to agree.
Tom Morley, February 2025
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