This isn’t a sponsored post.
BrumHour was invited to see Beauty and The Beast by Wolverhampton Grand.
This review was based on the first performance on Saturday 30th November 2024.
By David Fox x.com/DavidFoxTheatre
Review: Beauty and the Beast at Wolverhampton Grand
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐”fun, energetic and heart-warming!”
It’s that time of year again – Panto Time! And as usual, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre delivers – tons of fun, excitement, and laughter.
Beauty and the Beast: the tale as old as time – an evil Gladiator curses an arrogant Prince to live life as a terrible beast. Kind-hearted Belle, seeking adventure, helps break his spell through love, acceptance, and courage, restoring his humanity. And they all live happily ever after!
In this year’s spectacular BBC Gladiator’s Giant, stars alongside Wolverhampton Grand panto stalwarts Tam Ryan and Ian Adams. Other stars have an exceptional musical theatre pedigree, Jarnéia Richard-Noel, who originated the role of Catherine of Aragon in hit musical Six is the Fairy, while Olivia Mitchell from Waitress stars as Belle.
There is a fantastic mix of comedy and music in this show. Tam Ryan is hilarious as Joey (this year), and Ian Adams makes a formidable Dame. Both are excellent showcasing perfect comic timing, finely honed slapstick routines, and terribly terrific tortuous tongue twisters! Great fun! One of the stand-out performers for me was Timothy Lucas as Monsieur Bilston Le Pratt (Obvious copyright issues from Disney!) – part celebrity wannabe, tik-tok influencer Lucas had the audience in stitches every time he appeared on stage.
BBC Gladiator’s Giant filled the stage both physically, and with personality – you could tell he was having a whale of a time being ‘booed’ as the ‘baddy’!
Some fantastic musical numbers for all the family included songs from musicals such as Moulin Rouge and Hairspray, and recognisable pop hits. I particularly enjoyed Tom Lowe’s rendition of Meatloaf’s Bat out of Hell as the Beast!
Everything about Beauty and the Beast is spectacular, from fabulous costumes (the Beast costume/head was great) and amazing set design – I really liked the computer-generated animated backdrop, taking us from town square, to scary woods, to Beast’s castle. Really effective!
Overall, this production was fun, energetic, and heart-warming! Beauty and the Beast is funny, energetic and spectacular – the perfect way to start Christmas, and a highlight of the season!
Beauty and the Beast has something for everybody. It comes highly recommended and is the perfect show for families – everybody was having a fantastic time! As always Wolverhampton Grand Theatre remains one of my favourite Midlands theatres, and a great place to see a panto! This production is at Wolverhampton Grand until 5th January 2025. Book tickets at grandtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/beauty-the-beast/
