Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: Charing Cross Theatre, London
He might be a beast but his castle is to die for!
Award-winning adult-panto queens He’s Behind You! return with a ridiculous new version of the 18th greatest love story ever told. Be our guest in the frostbitten Scottish village of Lickmanochers where inexperienced mummy’s boy Bertie becomes the prisoner of an aristocratic brute with lustrous body hair and a castle that's just begging for a makeover. As the snow falls, it's not just the tension that rises...
Tucked under the train tracks of Charing Cross, you’ll find the Charing Cross Theatre dressed to the nines for this festive time of year. ‘He’s Behind You!’ Pantomimes are bringing a hilarious retelling of Beauty & the Beast for the Christmas season, their third instalment. As an American transplant here in the UK, I don’t have the same childhood nostalgia around a good panto, which is actually perfect because you simply have no business bringing the kids to this show - hire a sitter, order some champagne, and prepare for an evening full of laughter with the cast of ‘Beauty & the Beast: A Horny Love Story.’
The show opens with an introduction to one of our narrators, Cornelius (Chris Lane), our sassy villain with a fierce moustache. Cornelius introduces us to the story of himself and his brother, The Beast, and an altercation that happened 25 years prior that caused our Beast (Keanu Adolphus Johnson) to be cast out and now residing in his castle. Alongside Cornelius, we have Juno (Dani Mirels), the enchantress who doubles as a narrator and one of the resident lesbians of the show.
After the events of 25 years ago, we are brought back to the present in Lickmanochers, a small town in the Scottish Highlands (not to be confused with Suchmacoch), and introduced to twins Bertie (Matt Kennedy) and Bonnie (Laura Anna-Mead), and their mother, Flora (Matthew Baldwin). Baldwin’s performance seamlessly holds the show together with quips, strong delivery, and just the right amount of crowd participation from a man named George on the front row. The Scottish family runs a family business that doubles (and maybe triples) as an MOT test centre, petrol station, and corner shop. Our two siblings, obviously both queer, are given opportunities to broaden their sexual horizons - notably, Bonnie is introduced to Juno and after a classic 14-hour lesbian first date, the two are in love. Meanwhile, Bertie has his eye on flights to New Zealand, to travel and meet new people; namely men. The storyline continues to build and our villain, Cornelius, wears a costume or two to trick our sweet Flora into a date, ultimately leading her to the Beast’s castle, with Bertie trailing behind to save his mother. The hijinks from Cornelius continues and the story really starts to snowball.
Matthew Baldwin is undoubtedly the comedic highlight of the show. He packs a punch of physical comedy and flair. Part of what creates the magic and comedy around Flora are her costumes (Robert Draper). I particularly loved the outfit she was introduced in - a tartan skirt with a Loch Ness monster dramatically sitting atop. In addition, during Act Two we saw a vastly impressive amount of costume changes for Flora, each of which I adored. While Flora was a clear crowd favorite, one of my favorite performances was by Dani Milers as Juno. Her delivery and her acting make her perfect for this show, and her singing voice was dreamy too. A strong highlight of the show was a musical number in Act Two, which I wouldn’t want to ruin, but it does involve Cornelius and a bedazzled high-vis, which was widely enjoyed by the audience.
Major kudos is to be given to the creative team for this show. I found the staging to be so impressive (David Shields), as well as lighting and sound - it all went off without a hitch. While the delivery of the show was really impeccable - the crowd participation from Bonnie and the strong performance of the Beast - it’s worth noting also just how impressive the writing is. They have done a fine job of creating a strong impact with a smaller cast. Although a panto is designed to be lighthearted and fun, I found myself invested in the story of our small town Scottish family, which I feel sets the story apart from other pantos. The way they tied them in with the story of the beast was original and enjoyable to watch. The writers have done an incredible job, delivering constant punchlines and references that were well appreciated by the audience. Overall, the audience was roaring with belly laughter all throughout the evening. My cheeks ached from smiling for a consecutive two hours, and that is indeed the sign of a good show.
While this was my first time in a ‘He’s Behind You!’ audience, I can confidently say I’ll be back for more next year, and I’ll be excited to see the faces of this company return to the stage. If you’re looking for an evening of festive fun, make your way to Charing Cross theatre before 11 January - tickets are selling quickly and you won’t want to miss the panto of the season.
You can book tickets to Beauty and the Beast: A Horny Love Story, here.
Review by Miranda
**photo credit: Steve Gregson**
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