The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
THEATRE PREVIEW Thomson-Leng’s Beauty And The Beast
Gardyne Theatre, Dundee, November 27 to December 2
With a history that stretches back to 1964, when it was founded as a musical theatre club for the employees of DC Thomson and their families, Thomson-Leng Musical Society is now into its eighth year of staging pantomime in its home city of Dundee.
“When we started off eight years ago there were about four productions in the week but the demand meant we’re now up to eight,” says Jenni Main, choreographer of this year’s show, Beauty And The Beast.
“We always know that the panto is going to sell well, and we have a lot of big bookings that come back each year – like Brownies, Guides and old folks’ homes – and book in as soon as they’ve seen the last one. I think we’re close to selling out – we have a couple of shows with tickets left. It’s crazy but it’s great fun.”
Like the rest of the 70-strong company, whose ages range from seven to those in their 60s, Main is an amateur stage performer who does this for the pleasure of being involved in theatre.
“It’s a hobby for me,” she says. “I’ve not trained in it but I’ve been dancing since I was four and involved in shows for years. It’s been a natural progression; I’ve been on stage since I was 13. We’ve got people that are employed, that are unemployed; we’ve got a mix of nurses, students, school kids, people that work in a care centre. All sorts, really.”
With the aim of trying a different panto every year, the script for this year’s – which was voted on by the company – is different from the Disney version. “It’s your typical panto,” says Main, “with a prince who has a spell cast on him and is turned into the Beast.
“Belle has sisters in this one, which is different from the traditional story, and they’re trying hard to find a man, so they’re quite comedic.
“We’ve got a pantomime horse, and later we meet the characters in the prince’s castle, the clocks and so on. It’s the traditional story, but with a twist.”
Thomson-Leng’s panto dame is actor Tom Richmond. “He’s been doing it for the past few years and he’s good at getting the crowd going,” says Main.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but we have two people playing the Prince and the Beast. Belle is played by Tamsin Holbrook and her sisters are Chardonnay and Lambrini – they’re played by Terri Roberts and Emily More. We have a mix of older songs and new pop songs – we’ve got Jess Glynne and some Christmas ones as well.”
The pleasure of doing this, she says, goes beyond what’s seen on stage. “It’s great for getting people together, lots of people from different walks of life. It’s nice that the kids’ and adults’ groups come together for the panto.
“There are kids who started with us and now they’re adults, so it’s nice to see that progression.”