Stage: Step back in time

Growled: Beauty and the Beast Continues...
by Paul Joseph, Tim Benzie
director Tim McArthur
with Lucy Penrose, Matthew Ferry, Ada Campe, Robert McNeilly, Jo Wickham, Katherine Leyva 
musical director Annemarie Lewis Thomas
costumes Michelle Taylor • set Jessie Huckin
sound and lighting Andy Hill
Royal Vauxhall Tavern, London • 25.Nov.25-3.Jan.26 ★★★★

Each year, the Christmas pantomime at Royal Vauxhall Tavern is a joyous explosion of pure silliness, playfully indulging in time-honoured traditions while giving everything a happily queer spin. This year's show plays out like a deranged sequel to Beauty and the Beast that has been spiked with multiverse nonsense, audience interaction, fresh gags and musical numbers ranging from Broadway classics to current pop hits. And while it's never as sexy as we wish it would be, it's a generous blast of festive fun.

The plot catches up with Belle (Lucy Penrose) as she is now married to the Prince (Matthew Ferry) and bored with the life of a happily-ever-after princess. And the Prince is longing to once again run wild in the woods with his furry friends. Meanwhile, Mrs Spout (Robert McNeilly in the panto dame role) hopes to complete her transition from crockery to human. And the sneering villain Asston (Jo Wickham) is conniving to get Belle for himself. Enter Belle's father the Inventorer (Ada Campe, also gender-swapping), who has built a time machine (played by perpetually sidelined "understudy" Katherine Leyva) that propels everyone back two years so they can sort out the mess before it happens.

As these characters meet their past selves, things get so convoluted that even the cast members struggle to maintain the narrative thread. Of course, this doesn't matter at all, as they continually break out into an eclectic range of songs, augmented by outrageously ridiculous props and hilarious throwaway gags. There's even a witty nod to the West End's recent Evita triumph as Belle ventures to an upstairs window to croon If I Could Turn Back Time to fans gathered in the street. The ghost of Laurence Fox makes a menacing appearance. And Asston poses as an AI bot to cause mischief at the Beast's big ball.

Marginally less chaotic than previous years, this show is able to mix the usual self-aware mayhem with slickly realised theatricality. It's perhaps even more well-honed this year than the performers seem to believe. Indeed, this cast is especially strong, properly skilled actor-singers who belt out the numbers with power while diving into the colourful costumes and goofy choreography with gusto. Penrose shines as always, and Ferry is adorable. The understudy even gets her big One Moment in Time, complete with a timeless spotlight gag. As required, everything ends in an unexpected wedding (or two) and a generous blast of Mariah to get us in the holiday spirit.

For details, RVT >

photos by Chris Jepson • 25.Nov.25