Pantomime Time at Richmond. Oh Yes It Is!

“She’s wet her Snickers!”

Betty Bouffant

Pete Firman as Silly Billy and Dame Maureen Lipman as Mrs Potty (Photo: Danny Kaan)

Richmond Theatre’s pantomime this year is Beauty and the Beast , a traditional pantomime with all the traditional elements apart from the Principal Boy who is becoming a rarity.  However, what Richmond has which I think no other theatre will, is a real Dame.  No, not a man dressed in women’s clothing but a real Dame in the shape of renowned actress and charity campaigner, Dame Maureen Lipman.  She plays the delightful Mrs Potty, housekeeper to the resident of Richmond Castle (This really should have been Richmond Palace) and the resident is the Beast (Luke McCall). 

The Enchantress (Cherece Richards) introduces the show with her enchanting voice complete with fairy outfit with sparkling diamonds.  The main person interacting with the audience is Silly Billy (Pete Firman) who has a repertoire of magical skills and tricks to play on us.  

Jason Leigh Winter as Flash Harry and Hope Dawe as Belle (Photo: Danny Kaan)

In a lovely floral costume we see the other dame, Betty Bouffant (Ben Stock).  The water pistol is sprayed at the front few rows of audience to much squealing.  Little did Betty know that Richmond’s most famous resident rock star was sitting in the front row. 

We meet Flash Harry (Jason Leigh Winter), someone who spends a lot of time at the gym thinking his resulting physique will capture the heart of the Beauty, Belle (the lovely Hope Dawe).  He preens and poses and we are unimpressed.  Belle meets the Beast and is not frightened of him but sees the kind person he is inside.  Beast fights off the scary wolves in the woods and the ghosts that appear dancing to the Hall of the Mountain King by Greig.

Hope Dawe as Belle, Luke McCall as Sebastian and Maureen Lipman and Company (Photo: Danny Kaan)

In Act Two, Silly Billy divests an audience member of his wedding ring and almost makes it disappear with his wife watching anxiously.  The two Dames and Bill practise tongue twisters based on “Super Susie Shaw sells Sushi in the Sushi store”. You can tell we are in Richmond as Itsu the Sushi shop is just up the road.  Special messages go to all the guide, scout and cub groups and birthdays are celebrated. Ron Briggs and Mike Coltman have designed beautiful costumes for everybody. 

Four small children come up on stage, two boys related to the famous rock star and Silly Billy gets them each to “Roar” at the end of a silly song.  The finale is a wedding in gold, yellow and purple with the Beast transformed.  There is lots of humour the children will understand and relatively few jokes which might be a bit risqué for them but only a few.  It is good to know that the British idiosyncratic pantomime is alive and well!

Finale Wedding (Photo: Danny Kaan)

Production Notes

Beauty and the Beast 

Written by Alan McHugh

Additional Material by Pete Firman

Directed by Paul Robinson

Cast

Starring:

Maureen Lipman

Pete Firman

Ben Stock,

Luke McCall

Jason Leigh Winter

Cherece Richards

Hope Dawe

 

With:

Imogen Amos

Ethan Atkinson

Meg Darcy

George Deller

Hollie Kate

Catherin Puri

 

Creatives

Director: Paul Robinson

Set Designer: Crossroads

Costume Designer: Ron Briggs and

Mike Coltman

Choreographer: Jenny Thomas

Lighting Designer: Tim Oliver

Sound Designer: Nick Sagar

Special FX: The Twins FX

Musical Director:  Pierce Tee

Musical Supervisor: Rick Coates

 

Information

Running Time: Two Hours including the interval

Booking to 5th January 2025

Theatre: 

Richmond Theatre

1 Little Green

Richmond

TW9 1QH

Tube/Rail : Richmond

Website: atgtickets.com

Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge

at Richmond Theatre

on 11th December 2024