“Beauty and the Beast” presented by Ludwig Theatre Arts. Produced and directed by Jack Ludwig and choreographed by Leianne Bates is a production based on the classic fairytale of an arrogant young prince who falls under the spell of a wicked enchantress. The spirited village girl, Belle is held captive in the Prince’s castle. With the help of the enchanted servants can Belle draw the cold hearted beast out of his isolation before the last petal falls?
On 22nd of December, I had the pleasure of watching the matinee performance of Sleeping Beauty, which included team Roses as the ensemble team. Their performance shone throughout the whole show, with their amazing energy and enthusiasm, especially in the musical numbers ‘House of fun’, ‘Love Shack’ and ‘Underneath the tree’.
The set, provided by Wellington Panto Hire, was immersive for the audience, it included two castle turrets either side of the stage which drew the audience in. The set at the Beast’s castle was a main eye catcher for me due to the elaborate setting, including a rose at the back of the stage that throughout the performance got smaller and smaller, to represent the petals falling and the Beast’s time ticking away.
Two new faces that joined the Ludlow cast this year was Georgie Faith as Beauty/ Belle and Samuel Joseph Howes as the Beast. Their beautiful voices blended perfectly together, they were a perfect addition to the 2024 panto.
Returning as the ‘villainous character” this year, Morgan Rees-Davies playing Leviticus Bumfluff The 3rd was a joy to watch on stage, with a highlight being the song “Bad” by Michael Jackson that he opened Act 2 with. This song and his use of characterisation was a perfect way to capture the audience’s attention when entering Act 2.
A stand out performance for me was Luke Race as Seymore Bottom, who kept the adults… and the kids, bursting with laughter throughout the performance.
Another exceptional performance, was Benjamin Vivian Jones returning as the panto’s Dame Misrabelle, whose outlandish costumes and hilarious jokes entertained the audience.
Whether it’s for tradition, nostalgia, entertainment, festive spirit or community connection, why not choose Ludlow’s professional pantomime at the Assembly Rooms. And be sure to return for next year’s pantomime, Aladdin… it’ll be a whole new world of fun!
0 Comments