Glitter, glamour, gaiety and even good jokes in seasonal favourite

THIS winter warmer of a pantomime hit all the right notes with moments of hilarity, terrible (and terribly good) jokes, pathos and happiness.

The story follows beautiful Belle as she meets the mysterious and cursed Beast, who is trapped in a castle and is running out of time and hope. Will they fall in love and share a kiss before the last rose petal falls in time to break the spell?

Packed with feelgood songs, splendid costumes, shimmering scenery and a cast that just plain looked happy to be there, the show featured two locals, former Hear’Say singer Suzanne Shaw and drag performer La Voix.

Percy Pullem (impressionist Jon Clegg) egged the audience on throughout the show, aided and abetted with perfect comic timing by his mum, Dame Peggy Pullem (La Voix), and supported by glittery fairy Asteria (Shaw).

La Voix gave it plenty of sass and pizzazz, while Shaw sprinkled lots of heartfelt fairy magic. Sample exchange between Dame Peggy and Percy: “She used to be in Steps, did you know?” “No, that was Hear’Say.” “No, it’s not hearsay, she was definitely in Steps.”

The baddie, Eugene (Heartbeat and Holby City actor Joe McFadden), stirred up trouble and tried to halt the budding romance between Belle (Verity Thompson) and the seemingly miserable misanthrope Beast (James Bisp).

Gradually, it was revealed that perhaps there was more to the Beast than misery.

The love story was told in a charming way, with Belle taking a fancy to the Beast’s vast library of books and talking about the appeal of using your imagination. Neil Stewart as Belle’s father, Sheldon, led the way.

There were funny impressions, including one of Prince Charles (“I’m all ears”), mini props malfunctions, which added to the charm, and lots of traditional and expected audience interaction (oh, yes, there was). Amid the gaiety and laughter, sequins and glitter, when the Beast sang the Goo Goo Dolls’ ballad, Iris, it was genuinely moving.

The whole thing moved at just the right pace and had just enough kick. At one point, Percy invited the audience for a sing-along to the lyrics of a song called Three Smart Fellas. We had to recite “Three smart fellas, they felt smart…” and four children joined him on stage, including 11-year-old Jude, from Henley. It turned out to be a tongue-twister and a half but they just about managed it.

With direction by Ewan Jones and choreography by Richard J Hinds, the ensemble clearly enjoyed themselves as well.

The whole show had snappy tunes, sparkling steps, twinkling stagecraft, snazzy outfits and good old seasonal razzmatazz.

It runs at the Wycombe Swan until December 31.

Natalie Aldred