Press Visit
Is it even Christmas if you don’t go to the local Panto? It has become a bit of a tradition for us to go to The Pavilion in Bournemouth each December to get in the festive spirit, and this year I was lucky enough to be invited along to see Beauty & The Beast just a few days after its launch. The kids and I took along my mum and we all had a fantastic evening, despite it coinciding with the quarter final of the world cup, with England playing.
I think it is safe to say that a Bournemouth Panto without Noel Brodie just wouldn’t be right, and I have to say, he carried it a little this year. Beauty & The Beast is obviously set in France, which just so happened to be who England was playing against for the match, which presented plenty of hilarious one-liners from Noel throughout the evening, following his opening statement that it would not be possible to avoid the score during the course of the night.
We usually attend the Panto a little later in the month, either just before Christmas or around New Year, and it was evident that this performance was earlier on than we are used to, there were a few teething problems such as missed lines, songs that felt a little awkward and staging/props misbehaving but if anything, it just made it funnier. I think the best part was a mistake with the baking scene between Noel and Jamie (playing his mother Polly), which resulted in a lot of laughter from the audience. Another highlight for me was the Les Mis number, just before the interval, where Noel and Jamie once again paired up for a hilarious rendition of the lines made famous by Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen in the 2013 film version of the play.
The play was well received by young and old, with all three of my children really enjoying it, laughing along and participating in those classic interactive parts during the evening (it was amazing to see my youngest shouting “it’s behind you”). However, the children were all a little confused (as was I, if I’m being honest) as to why the storyline was changed so much from the original, most notably the name of Gaston to Hugo. I assumed it was to do with licensing but I am happy to be corrected.
I enjoyed the show, but I wasn’t keen on several of the song choices, which seemed lacking ‘oomph’ compared to previous years and, as I mentioned before, there were some moments when the singing was off key or the actors appeared to miss a beat. Having said that, there were a few really good song choices, and overall we all really loved the musical element of the evening.
Pantos wouldn’t be pantos without a little innuendo, and this performance certainly didn’t disappoint. There were some moments when the actors appeared to go off script, which just made it even funnier, and there were a few moments when my mum and I raised eyebrows at each other.
We all loved Beauty & The Beast at The Pavilion. I must admit, I would be intrigued to watch a performance on another night as I do feel like the inclusion of lines about the World Cup really added a little something to the show. Having said that, the plot, execution and performances from the key cast members were fantastic and it certainly got us all in the mood for Christmas.
Beauty & The Beast is at The Pavilion until 2nd January, with matinee and evening performances. Tickets are available to purchase in advance on the Bh Live website, or you can pick them up from the Box Office onsite. Follow Bh Live on social media for the latest information and discounts.
I was provided with four tickets to the show in exchange for this review, however all words and images are my own.
