Review | Beauty and the Beast [King's Hall]

Review by Amy Foot

On Tuesday night, at the King’s Hall in Stoke, I had the upmost pleasure to watch the first showing of the most beautiful pantomime Beauty and The Beast, performed by the most amazing and talented Stoke Amateur Theatre Society, and let me tell you, from the writer to the reader, it’s a moment that will last forever. “Oh no it isn’t!” I hear you say? Well let me immerse you in the delights that I experienced.

Every year, across the country, traditional tales that we all know and love are brought to life by actors, lights, and music, but here at the King’s Hall, the Belle of the ball and the frightening Prince, embraced the stage and turned the production into a formidable pantomime that embodied the magic of community, the magic of Christmas and the magic of excitement. Now I love to analyse, it’s in the veins of an English literature student, and whilst watching this production, the most prominent aspect that caught my eye was the dedication to precision, from every actor no matter their age or their part. The ”toy folk” from Toy Town embodied their roles just as much as the Fairy Demone, played by the beautiful Megan Grocott, and their precision, accuracy and happiness shone through their souls, it was evident that they all were delighted to be upon that stage to entertain us in the audience and that brought me immense warmth and excitement, I was obsessed with how each person was having the time of their lives.

Now we all love a laugh in life. And if you love pantomimes for the comedy then this one is right up your red carpet, and better yet, the comedy was adapted for us Stokies! Comical lexicon around other theatres in Stoke, you’ll have to visit to know what I mean, Asda, the Council and, there was even a whole song about chocolate, retelling the tale of Monsieur Claude’s trip (played by Wendy Scott) to the village of crème Brule, yes you heard me right, it’s as inventive and as comical as it sounds. It was seriously the sweetest treat. And finally, Dame Fifi De Filloppe, played by Paul Brammer, brought the comedy to life through his improvised jokes to adapt to the scenes, his audience interaction and even his engagement with the Lord Mayor herself, her jokes were completely and utterly one of the highlights of the show. And, her outfit, a wide frilly dress combined with a cat characterisation was immediately what a pantomime is all about: Crazy Brilliance!

I’d also love to take a moment to address the team of technical production as they didn’t just play Christmas or pantomime songs straight from a device, a band played live through all the songs that were written specially for this brilliant production. There was a drum and even a guitar, their skill was immense and the in-person melodies alongside the melodious singing from the characters is what for me brought this community production together, wrapped it up in festive paper and tied a gorgeous bow on top. It is the best Christmas gift that you could give to yourself and your family this Christmas.

There’s moments that diverge from the traditional tale, but it doesn’t get confusing, if anything they’ve made the classic film even greater with their village of Petite Pouis. But, my final focus must be upon the gorgeous outfits and characterisation from the main characters Belle, played by the beautiful Bethany Bairstow-Morris, and the Beast, delivered by the talented Peter Barber. Watching them glide across the stage, it was hard to remember that this was not a real-life romance happening right in front of your eyes. The emotion and connection that both Bethany and Peter beheld as they embodied their characters was indescribable, it’s a connection that you must see from yourself. Every song they led, every scene they played in brought the magic of Beauty and the Beast to life and I believe that every child should be exposed to the true beauty of this production.

Overall, the production of Beauty and the Beast at the King’s Hall Theatre in Stoke is a pantomime that you cannot allow yourself nor your children to miss. And, it’s highly affordable as that is SATS’ (Stoke Amateur Theatre Society) aim, to give back to the community by giving us the opportunity to be able to see a pantomime this Christmas. Its magical, it’s beautiful and it’s enthralling. There’s no better place to watch a Pantomime this Christmas.

Beauty and the Beast runs at King’s Hall in Stoke until Sunday 8th December, and you can get your tickets by clicking here!

Disclaimer: These tickets were gifted for this performance.