Beauty and the Beast at The Core at Corby Cube Review
Written by Hollie for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Little Wolf Entertainment bring ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to The Core at Corby Cube this Christmas. This theatre’s production of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ last year was my favourite pantomime of the season, so I had really high expectations going into tonight’s performance.
Tradition is the choice here at Corby as the pantomime opens with The Enchantress, played by Justine Marie Mead, casting her spell and setting the scene for the rest of the show. The first scene felt a little scary for my liking, and the children were crying in the first five minutes. That being said, Justine performs her role perfectly with her evil cackling laugh and an elaborately sinister dress and cape. She also has a cracking singing voice that she demonstrates throughout the show.
In the little rural town of Corbay en croute a beautiful maiden known as Belle and her father Marcel live. Unbeknownst to Belle, a few miles away in a dark, crumbling castle lives a menacing and sad Beast. The Beast, played by Gabriel Phelan, has been cursed by The Enchantress forever. Will the Beast be able to find true love’s kiss before the final petal of the rose falls?
Gabriel’s performance both as the Beast and as Prince Philippe was authentic but also modern, with the correct tone. The Beast costume is particularly spectacular, and I couldn’t stop looking at all the details.
We meet the friendly characters by the fountain of Corbay en croute, where the villagers are busy heading off to the bakery and grabbing their coffees from a well-known coffee shop.
Hearththrob Gaston, played by Alex Matangi, (who looks like he’s just auditioned for Love Island) and his sidekick La Fool, played by Michaela Murphy, make a dynamic duo with their quick wit and jokes that appeal to the younger members of the audience as well as the adults.
Friendly figure Jacques, played by Elliot Coombe, arrives and encourages the audience to participate throughout the show. He had the perfect personality for playing the role; however, his line that the audience is supposed to reply with each time he comes onto the stage fell a bit flat and wasn’t overly clear. He introduces his mother, the crème de la crème of this year’s show, the dame Betty Bon Bon, played by Samuel Wright. There are many laughs and fun moments created by the pair of them, and I particularly enjoyed their off script moments!
Betty’s spectacular costumes and jokes about France (where the tale is set) were executed brilliantly, and her relationship with the audience was fantastic! She chose one obligatory audience member to help her throughout the show, and that was a highlight for me.
Playing the damsel in distress is the gifted and talented Rhian Lynch as Belle. Her portrayal of Belle and her relationship with Gabriel as Prince Philippe is true and realistic. Her singing throughout the show, where she performs a range of songs and rewritten classic tracks, is stunning, and her personality really shone through.
It’s hard to pinpoint why this show isn’t five stars, but it just didn’t captivate me as much as last year’s production. It didn’t feel overly well rehearsed, and I was disappointed in the choreography for this show. The dancers and ensemble were incredibly talented, but they just weren’t used to the best of their ability.
I look forward to seeing how The Core at Corby Cube choose to execute their production of Aladdin during next year’s festive season.
Beauty and the Beast continues at The Core at Corby Cube until Wednesday 31st December 2025.
★ ★ ★ ★
