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Ian Waller and his family enjoy a festive evening of top class Christmas entertainment

Now it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! Last night saw our annual family visit to the pantomime at the wonderful Theatre Royal in Bath and what a treat it was!

We love the panto – oh yes we do! – and this year’s production is one of the best we’ve ever seen in Bath. Much of the praise must go Bath panto stalwart, Jon Monie, who not only plays the key role of Louis La Plonk, but he wrote the script too, earning him the Best Script award at The Great British Pantomime Awards 2019!

There’s always a more traditional feel about panto time at the Theatre Royal in Bath than with other, perhaps bigger and more star-studded productions. What they may miss out in mega-big stars and super special effects, however, is made up for is good old-school fun and, this year in particular, a wonderful story is perfectly backed up by top class performances.

Jon Monie at Louis La Plonk and Nick Wilton as Polly La Plonk (Photo: Freia Turland)

The story sees our two heroes, Louis La Plonk and his mum, Polly La Plonk – played by panto-queen supreme, Nick Wilton – keeping castle for the grumpy old beast (Shaun Dalton), as he grumbles and groans around, hoping for true love to break the spell that turned him into a moaning old monster in the first place.

Clare Maynard as Belle and Marcus Knibbs as her father Clement (Photo Freia Turland)

As luck would have it, beautiful Belle (Clare Maynard) becomes the beasts captive and, would you believe it, starts to fall for her furry keeper!

Wendi Peters as Fairy Bon-Bon (Photo Freia Turland)

Throughout the performances are faultless, with star of Coronation Street, Wendi Peters, absolutely adorable as the slightly dizzy Fairy Bon-Bon who guides Belle towards true love, and wickedly wonderful Ben Harlow so boo-able as Hugo Pompidou, the dastardly villain of the plot who attraction for Belle is only out-weighed by his attraction for himself!

Ben Harlow as Hugo Pompidou (Photo Freia Turland)

This is a pantomime that has all the tradition, all the fun and so much more! Of course there’s the singing along with often rewritten pop hits, the terrible jokes and cracking costumes. But thanks to the performances of the entire cast and the superb script, this production pushes up a few levels above the average panto.

Shaun Davis as the Beast leading the ensemble (Photo Freia Turland)

The set pieces between Monie and Wilton are top class, with the kitchen sequence around baking baguettes having my family in stitches. And yes, for those Bath panto regulars, of course the ghost scene pays a return visit.

What adds to this production is the quality and scale of some the musical numbers. Both Shaun Dalton and Clare Maynard have cracking voices, and when they lead the ensemble at the end of the first act, in a song all about it coming to the end of the first act, there’s a touch of top class musical theatre involved, albeit very tongue in cheek.

Did we enjoy Beauty & The Beast? Yes we did, with bells on! Here is absolutely top class panto fun at a great venue, and just the thing to put you in the mood for Christmas!

Beauty & The Beast runs at the Theatre Royal Bath until 12 January 2020. Find out more and book tickets by clicking here