Murwillumbah Theatre Company‘s production of Beauty and the Beast has all the old-fashioned ingredients of pantomime, including slapstick humour,witty repartee, the usual pantomime corny jokes, audience participation and music.
In rural France, an old tale is told of ghosts and talking clocks, of magical roses and mystical mirrors, beguiling beauties and beastly jokes and a French poodle.
This is Ban Crocker’s Beauty and the Beast, a topsy-turvy world where traditional pantomime has been lovingly re-invented by “the wittiest and most inventive writer in pantomime today” (AS Magazine). This is perfect,prpoer panto: a good wholesome traditional show that is simply great fun for all the family.
The pantmime is based on a French folk story which tells of a merchant who makes a deal with the Beast: Beauty must go to live in the Beast’s castle, in return for riches. In true Ben Crocker style, however, the story moves away from tradition and takes a funny and circuitous route to a happy ending.
Beauty and the Beast has something for everyone – it is touching, scary, funny and engaging. As well as Beauty, the characters include a handsome prince, very human-like french poodle, a wicked witch, a talking clock, table and lamp and of course, a cross-dressing dame, Beauty’s mother!
This is a fast-paced, well-told pantomime that delights the whole audience, young and old. Come with the family, come with a child or come on your own, but most importantly, come prepared to laugh and cry and enter a world of magic!
