Christmas is here and it can only mean one thing when it comes to the theatre – panto! Dames, princes, witches, heroes and heroines are as part and parcel of the festive season as turkey and tinsel. Wales has some brilliant offerings yet again and we’ve b
ONCE upon a time, there was a Cardiff panto that was cheeky, spectacular, a little bit vulgar, totally un-PC. Oh yes, and utterly hilariously, too. And you know what? Families absolutely LOVED it.
Beauty and the Beast at Cardiff’s New Theatre for the 2018 Christmas season has got massive thumping hit written all over it.
What’s so good about it? So much. You’ve got your crowd-pleasing TV star names, some cracking comedy routines, a lush set of costumes and musical numbers, plus special effects that, literally, left people openmouthed. I won’t spoil the surprise but there’s a big old scary monster that will leave you asking: “How did they just do that?”
And what of our stars?
The delightful Lisa Riley, looking divine as Mrs Potts, shakes her booty with a couple of Strictly-style numbers, comic timing and warm stage presence, too.
But it’s the comedy trio of Welsh stalwart Mike Doyle (as the dame Kylie Kipling), on blistering form, plus his stooge Calvin (Edward Rowe) and the always surprising Gareth Thomas (as a comedy fitness trainer, of course) that the audience can’t get enough of.
What Doyle can do with his “cleavage” won’t win prizes for gender politics but totally brought the house down. No spoilers, but we’re talking slapstick comedy gold. Also, who knew what Alfie could achieve with a strap-on wok and a wooden spoon?
You’ve also got not one but two dashing leading men in the shape of Ben Richards as a sweet-voiced Beast (plus more impressive stage trickery) and Danny Bayne as the musclebound ladies’ man, Clarence Bridge.
The script, brought to life by writers Alan McHugh and Jonathan Kiley, is stuffed with topical gags aplenty, including a smart Alexa routine, a sweetly comic voice-swapping comedy number centred on a bag of Haribo and a snigger-tastic tonguetwister routine that has the audience bellowing something crude with absolute delight.
It’s got loads of energy, rattling along at a breakneck pace with songs your little ones will recognise, from The Greatest Showman to Jess Glynne and Ariana Grande. There’s even a bit of Baby Shark in there, too.
The cute babes from Lorri Guppy School of Dance dance up a storm as little Lumiere-style chandeliers.
And Stephanie Webber – impressive last year as Snow White – is unrecognisable as this year’s hissand-boo villain, Deadly Nightshade.
Useful things to know if you’re taking children: the first act is about an hour long, the second half about 45 minutes with an interval in between.
There are one or two loud bangs and bright lights, as you’d expect in a lavish panto.
And, yes, there are a few scary bits, including THAT monster, so be prepared if you have nervous little ones.
Beauty and the Beast exceeded all my panto expectations. A real Cardiff beaut.
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YOU expect a few curveballs at the panto – but it’s fair to say no-one saw the introduction of a famous time-travelling spaceship coming.
Complete with a creative set and a few unexpected – albeit very welcome – characters, Newport’s pantomime for 2018 pulls out all the stops.
Pantomimes are often afforded a bit of creative licence when it comes to shoehorning in the odd unusual character but the Riverfront’s show has really run away with that freedom this year.
And it worked brilliantly. There are a few costume changes and a particular prop you’d never expect to materialise in a panto, but we’ll get to that later.
This year, the Riverfront in Newport took on Sleepy Beauty for its festive family show.
Opening to a medley of Madness songs, the crowd was introduced to a cleverly made car and a wonderfully creative set.
The pull-out mansion that opened in a story book style, inflatable forests and a snowy Friars Walk backdrop were real standout settings.
As always, the show was packed with jokes – a good number of which no child in the audience would understand but left the grown-ups in stitches.
Returning after his stint as the Genie in last year’s Aladdin, Richard Elis is the star of the show, portraying the hilarious Muddles.
With regular shouts of “TIDY” and comic nods through the fourth wall, Elis’ performance lifts the whole show.
My four-year-old nephew, who watched the panto with me, particularly loved the fact Muddles’ arch nemesis was a lawn mower that moved freely across the stage.
Another returning actor who almost steals the show in this performance is Liam Tobin as Mrs Midges, who plays the traditional “widow” character perfectly.
After the interval is when this show really gets going, with a spectacular second half.
And here’s where the surprises lie – look away now if you don’t want spoilers.
To combat the whole “she’ll sleep for a hundred years” part of the narrative, the writers threw in a little timey-wimey help by introducing a Tardis.
Like I said, creative freedom. What’s more, four of the characters all came out in new costumes – dressed as various incarnations of the Doctor, including a crossdressed Mrs Midges as Jodie Whittaker.
It gets the whole second act off to a flier, and the atmosphere didn’t drop until it was over, with more costume changes and the likes of Spider-Man and Wonder Woman treading the boards.