Beauty & the Beast - Hereford Journal 2009

GROWLING, gruesome and gargantuan, the Courtyard’s new pantomime, unleashed to unsuspecting audiences in Hereford at the weekend with all its fiery special effects and thunderous voice-overs is pure Grimms – on speed, with knobs on.

Prepare yourselves for a real belter when you head off to see Beauty & the Beast, a tale of love and loss, fear and trepidation, and bags of laughs, outrageous costumes, spectacular scenery and a script that positively sparkles.

Beauty (Arabella Rodrigo), of course, is suitably chaste and beautiful, while the Beast (Andrew Lindfield), is a heaving, humongous hulk on stilts with a scary mask and a sufficiently tangled barnet to make Slash green with envy.

Once again, Hereford’s own Lyndsay Maples penned the script, and her appearance as the dastardly Brimstone brought the wrath of Friday night’s audience down upon her with a cacophony of boos and hisses. She makes a marvellous baddie, and her well woven plot with its myriad twists and turns (and a few naughty ones along the way), plus a stunning cast, brought an evening of pure magic to the Hereford stage.

Who could forget the fantastic rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, panto style, sung with gusto outside the Beast’s castle gates modestly aided by four small torches, or the invitation to all present to join in a version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show’s Time Warp dance? Then we had a momentary glimpse into the world of ballet, at least until the brilliant Madame Foufou, (Nick Smithers), suitably silly in a range of audacious outfits, burst on to the stage in an outsize tutu.

From the point of view of music, special effects, scenery, and performance, Beauty & the Beast is a winner, and a strong follow-up to last year’s hugely successful Jack & the Beanstalk, the best-selling panto in The Courtyard’s 10-year history. The Beast himself was alarming to say the least, with his booming voice and terrible gaze, though some females in the audience later admitted they preferred him in the rough before he was released from a terrible spell to emerge

once more as handsome prince! There were some whimpers and wailings from a number of children in the audience, so maybe this powerful portrayal of what is a timeless tale is not for the very small and sensitive. Otherwise, it gives a cracking evening’s entertainment for everybody, and promises an excellent start to the Christmas season, not to mention a boost to the January blues.

Beauty&the Beast continues at The Courtyard with more than 70 performances, including adult nights, and the traditional post-show cast cabaret on Thursday, January 7, until Saturday, January 9. For further details and to book tickets, call the box office on (01432) 340555.