Review: Maidenhead Pantomime Beauty and the Beast is a must-see

It’s a ‘tale as old as time’ – families go to a pantomime at Christmas and enjoy a good old fashioned British tradition and a great, big, belly laugh.

There’s a villain, a loveable fool, a mis-matched couple on the path towards romance and a lot of hair-brain antics and giggles along the way.

However, this year’s Maidenhead Pantomime, Beauty and the Beast, goes beyond that with a top quality show that is ‘more than a panto.’

Of course, you’ll enjoy all the ‘it’s behind you’ antics and boo-ing at the baddies, but you’ll also be mesmerised by outstanding vocals and go on an emotional journey with characters you come to actually quite like. 

Beauty and the Beast is HA Events’ fastest selling panto to date and it’s full of surprises – not just the ones that come hurling at you from the cracking comic duo Dame Dolly and Pat the Painter aka Jack Frank and Emmett Carroll – but in the storyline.

Leading lady Hannah Blakeley plays Belle magnificently in an ancient tale that has been modernised for today’s audiences.

Hannah’s Belle is strong, empowering and someone youngsters in the audience can aspire to be.

Her love interest, aka the Prince and the Beast, played convincingly by Enzo Benvenuti, is equally a royal that you loathe and a beast that you fall for.

Both Hannah and Enzo have outstanding voices and for a moment you think you’re at a West End show and not a pantomime.

Together they deliver a bumper of a tune, ‘People are all the Same,’ another heart-warming, take-home message, this time about acceptance and equality.

It is clear this cast have rehearsed and rehearsed this show to bring to life such memorable scenes and characters like Belle’s dad Philippe, played by Bradley Hawkes, and the ensemble cast, all from local theatre schools and academies, make their pantomime debut at the Baylis Theatre as quality supporting actors.

Be prepared for bangs, bubbles, smoke effects, scares, ‘be dum dum dum dum’ drum rolls and cymbal crashes and more plus rousing sounds and impressive dramatic effects by DK Productions for in true panto style you will jumping in your seat. 

Whether you’re singing along to well known pop tunes or booing at the richly wicked Lani Calvert as the perfect panto baddie 'Evil Enchantress' or laughing the cheeky sprinkling of jokes thrown-in for the grown ups you will be entertained.

And get ready for one of the finale pieces – all I’ll say is you’ll never look at song ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ the same again. Brilliant!

Tickets are available from: www.maidenheadpanto.co.uk