Beauty and the Beast at the Millennium Forum: miss it and you're making a beastly mistake!

From K-Pop, to their take on the Coldplay ‘kisscam’ incident and even the viral ‘six-seven’ phrase – this traditional pantomime was loaded with modern day references to make it a perfect evening out for all ages.

The 24th annual Christmas panto in the Forum, Beauty and the Beast is actually a tale which began in 18th century France.

One of the earliest known panto productions of the story was in Bristol in 1877 but it was the massive success of the Disney movie in 1991 which catapulted it back into fashion, with the panto versions returning in the late 20th century.

The Forum’s version is the perfect blend of French tradition, Disney magic and Derry humour!

Doing a LOT of heavy lifting script-wise in the opening scene was Fairy Formidable, played by the always-brilliant Karen Hawthorne. She delivered what must have been pages of the script eloquently, clearly and emotionally, establishing for the audience how the handsome prince came to be imprisoned in the castle as a terrifying beast.

This beautiful fairy also had the unenviable task of rocking out to the exhilarating musical number ‘Welcome to the panto’ – a play on the Guns n Roses hit ‘Welcome to the Jungle’. But Fairy Formidable’s vocals were aptly named as she rocked the Forum with her delivery.

The cast was a blend of new and experienced performers on the Millennium Forum stage. This year, the Forum welcomed Gary Wilson as a brand new dame.

One of Northern Ireland’s most popular comedians, hosts and comperes, Gary seemed to have no difficulty swapping his day job for a dress (and what a selection of dresses!) as Dame Dolly.

One person who may have wished Gary Wilson had stuck to the comedy circuit was the poor, unsuspecting audience member James who attracted Dame Dolly’s romantic interest. Once Dolly set her sights on James, he had no chance of escaping – and the audience loved it!

Dame Dolly’s sidekick Loopy Lolly was played by Niamh Morrison who was returning for second year on the Forum stage in panto. A favourite with the children, Lolly got the evening off to a lively start with her fun entrance greeting and cheeky charm.

Donegal actor Eimear Friel was a perfect Belle – beautiful but strong and determined to stand up for herself and to stand up against the bully Danton who wanted to marry her. With a singing voice as strong as her stage presence and dancing, Belle made for the perfect panto heroine.

The other titular character Beast was played by Coleraine actor Luke de Belder. This is a massive undertaking for any actor – portraying the rage, helplessness and vulnerability of a wronged man trapped in the body of a hideous beast, while also showing the loving nature that Belle falls in love with – all while encased by the incredible make-up required to be the Beast.

But Luke de Belder handled the challenge seemingly effortlessly and what a vocal performance! His rendition of Kiss From a Rose was a powerhouse performance.

Shout out to the panto band too who effortlessly handled everything from K-Pop to the panto standard Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer (which we sang loudly much to the amusement of the confused youngsters around us!)

Threatening to ruin the romance was the baddie of the piece Danton played by Aodhan Kehoe. Having played the roles of Wishy Washy and Silly Billy in previous Forum pantos, Aodhan had absolutely no difficulty in transforming himself into the dastardly Danton.

Trying to win the hand of Belle (who was having none of it!), Aodhan’s portrayal of Danton was perfectly balanced between traditional baddie (eliciting ear-splitting boos from the audience) and ‘Allo ‘Allo style comedy thanks to his French accent which would lapse into what became his trademark joke ‘seriously?’ in a broad Derry accent. A top bill performance!

Since the Disney movie, no production of Beauty and the Beast in any form is complete without a selection of household items brought to life by the same magic spell which transformed the Beast. Cue exuberant performances from cast members like Caitlyn Kelly as Ticker the clock, Dara Bradley as Flicker, Leigh Chapman as Dusty and Phoebe McCord as a bright and bubbly teapot!

The dancing from the ensemble (of all ages) was pin sharp and the singing clear and enthusiastic. The full ensemble musical number Be Our Guest was just glorious! Shout out to the costume department for this number and for the dazzling finale costumes.

A wonderful addition to the show was a Makaton signed version of The Proclaimers hit I’m On My Way led by the cast.

Another highlight was the panto set piece song “If I Were Not Upon The Stage” – a hilarious and meticulously choreographed routine which is always just one wrong movement away from disaster! The cast executed it perfectly and brought the house down!

Each of them playing their part perfectly but working in total harmony together to perform the set piece – a pretty good analogy for the fantastic production of Beauty and the Beast at the Millennium Forum.

And all of this paired with a dazzling and dramatic lighting plot and fairy-fabulous sets (complete with magic mirror and a slowly dying red rose) made for a feast for the eyes.

Already, almost 30,000 tickets have been booked to see Beauty and the Beast, indicating that it could be the fastest selling panto in the theatre’s 25 year history.

Beauty and the Beast performs at the Millennium Forum until Wednesday, December 31 – if you miss it, you’re making a beastly mistake!