Beauty and the Beast, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre Review
Written by Clare for Theatre and Tonic
Celebrating its 130th Anniversary this year, the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton has graced us with the perfect festive ending to the year for a long time now, this year Beauty and the Beast is another great example.
For the second year running, the panto has been written by Ian Adams and Tam Ryan (who also star as Madam Fifi Fou-Fou and Joey respectively) and again they have written a good mix of jokes for both adults and children alike, nothing too rude but some tongue in cheek references that will go over little ears. The pair have great comedic timing with each other and the rest of the cast making the show the well-oiled machine it is.
The songs used this year are a good mix of popular songs, musical theatre and classic panto call-and-response songs, there is very much something for everyone. I especially enjoyed the use of adapted versions of “You Can’t Stop the Beat” (changed to Beast for the purposes of the show) and “March of the Witch Hunters” (again adapted to Beast Hunters). As a musicals fan, it’s always nice to see songs from the shows used in panto.
For this production, the set design by Mark Walters and David Shields was complimented by video design created by Nina Dunn and Matt Brown, which aids the changing of sets transforming from one location to another with the moving of video designed sets, all very intricate and beautifully created.
The other new aspect this year is the use of magic and illusion at a few points of the show, which were directly Richard Cadell. Unfortunately in our performance, there were a few occasions where they didn’t go to plan but they were managed on the stage by the cast.
Speaking of the cast, there were vocals galore from our leads Thomas Lowe (Beast/Prince Pascal), Jarneia Richard-Noel (Angelica) and Olivia Mitchell as Belle as well as Timothy Lucas who plays Monsieur Le Pratt, who brought a hilarious comedic performance of the Gaston-like character with very over the top mannerisms that were a favourite of the evening.
Jamie Christian, known better as Gladiators’ star Giant brought the baddie character of the show to life, even if the audience began by cheering him. He took it all in his stride and was definitely one of the fan favourites of the evening, especially when he dealt well with a panto mishap or two that occurred.
The eight-strong ensemble was a joy to watch, although slightly underutilised as the story of Beauty and Beast focuses more on the two key characters.
If you are planning to see the panto, please be aware that during the performance there is the use of pyrotechnics, flashing and strobe lights, sudden loud noises and the possibility of a soaking from a water gun or two.
At Wolverhampton Grand until 5 January 2025
★ ★ ★ ★
