Beauty and The Beast - Bridge House Theatre ★★★★

There is a definite art in bridging the panto audience age gap: sometimes it sways too much towards the children, and adults are bored, or vice versa. However, as this four-person cast sing: “Kids, we’re glad you’re here, and your parents can enjoy a beer.” They deliver on laughs, corny jokes, innuendos and delight with songs. All the standard panto tropes were present.

Set in the village of Penge-en-Mer, the evil Lady Amere (Cassandra Hodges), already with her sights on the overly vain Prince Philipe Phacochere (Theo Bracey), wreaks vengeance when he cheats at the annual Thumb War Championship. He is turned into an albeit rather baby-faced wolf. He has a loyal and loving servant/companion in the extrovert Fifi – a typically colourful pantomime dame, who, despite the prince’s overbearing ways, offers comfort as best they can.

If you can imagine Scooby Doo’s Wilma in a pretty dress and voice made for musical theatre, then that is Belle (Georgina ‘Gee’ May Haley). Living a far humbler life, Belle is sweet but fiercely determined to leave her rather mundane existence to fulfil dreams she doesn’t even know of yet. She’s 18 and doesn’t like being called a girl; she will correct those around her that she is a woman!

Events at the annual thumb war catapult her into the Prince’s life and the quest to remove Lady Amere’s spell, an interesting twist given that Amere’s conjuring skills are poor, to say the least…it’s an interesting irony.

This simply staged production is visually much more symbolic than literal. The costumes, though colourful, are minimalist yet effective. It’s the characterisations which entice.

The staging includes a range of repeated cartoon-like backdrops. There is clever use of two additional cast members, the drag queens That Girl and Bla Bla Gabor, who are merged by pre-recorded video into the backdrop. There is no raised stage, and the set is level with the audience (50 capacity). It’s intimate; there are no head mics, and the voice projection is strong and seemingly without microphones. The acoustics work well with strong vocal performances from all four characters. Dame Fifi Frimousse (Cameron Griffiths) dominates with their amazing range from soprano to baritone.

This is a very happy-go-lucky production with many pop culture references. Lady Amere’s spells are full of recognisable pop song lyrics, and Prince Philipe’s rendition of Chesney Hawkes’ “I am the One and Only” is a standout moment. There are also cheesy yet cheeky references to The Artist Formerly Known As, The Spice Girls and even a nod to some Carry On films. But don’t let that fool you into thinking the show is in a time warp. In this retelling of the Disney classic, there are clear current themes around female independence and autonomy and male entitlement, and trans issues that are touched on playfully but are still very much there.

The script is written by Luke Adamson, who is Bridge House’s Artistic Director. With Matthew Parker directing and choreographing, this is a delightful, endearing show which is interactive and brings out the inner child for fun and engagement. It has returned to Bridge House for the second year. It was lovely to see this small community theatre filled with so much joy. If you’re sitting in the front row, keep your drinks under your seat because the space is small and the cast’s movements can sweep at times.

Just to mention, the pub is family friendly, so instead of the daunting prices of the West End, a good pre-show meal there will not seriously dent your pocket.