Hull New Theatre – until 31st December 2025
Reviewed by Dawn Bennett
5*****
Crossroads Pantomimes presents Beauty and the Beast The Spellbinding Pantomime.
I always enjoy the Hull New Theatre panto and this year was no exception, it was funny, had fabulous costumes and sets, a great script and a brilliant cast.
Prince Sebastian (Scott Royle) is not a nice Prince, he rude and arrogant and is nasty once too often and upsets The Enchantress (Sharon Sexton) who turns him into The Beast as a punishment. The Beast can only take back to his previous self if someone falls in love with him and this has to be done before the last petal of an enchanted rose fall. The Beast won’t leave his castle and he is looked after there by Mr Chuckle (Paul Chuckle), Mrs Potty (Sue Cleaver) and Silly Billy (Jack Gleadow).
Silly Billy loves Belle (Liv Newcomb) from afar and he talks to her mum, Dame Betty Bouffant (Jack Land Noble) about how he can get her to notice him which doesn’t really go to plan. Now there is someone else who has their eye on Belle and who thinks he’s really in with a chance and that is Flash Harry (Cameron Vear) and he’s really not a nice person and Belle isn’t impressed to say the least! Dame Betty goes to the palace and meets the Beast who is very angry that someone has seen him and he thinks she will tell the village about how he looks. When Belle goes to the palace as she wants a beautiful rose from the palace gardens and she finds out that the Beast won’t let her mum leave so she offers to take her place. Flash Harry also goes to the palace and it’s there he also sees the Beast and threatens to tell the village about him! We then find out if the path of true love will win and will Belle fall in love with the Beast.
This panto had everything you could wish for, a baddy to boo at, great songs played brilliantly by a live band (under musical director Jon Chamberlain) a very talented cast, Paul Chuckle, who was as fabulous as always, a great storyline and laughs a plenty.
A quick mention is definitely needed for Hull born Jack Gleadow who played Silly Billy. I’ve seen Jack a few times doing stand up and I wondered how he would be in panto, and the answer is he was brilliant. He was very funny and a complete natural!
Oh, and I’d never been on the New Theatre stage before tonight, but this “Goldilocks” really enjoyed it, I didn’t expect to share a stage with three bears and Paul Chuckle when I woke up!!
You will not be disappointed if you’ve got tickets and if you haven’t you need to get them quickly before they sell out! It really does deserve to be sold out at every performance!