BEAUTY AND THE BEAST by Stuart Paterson. Royal Lyceum Theatre to 5 January.

Edinburgh.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
by Stuart Paterson.

Royal Lyceum Theatre To 5 January 2002 Runs 2hr One interval.

TICKETS 0131 248 4848.
Review Timothy Ramsden 22 December.

Colourful, lively Paterson production, showing Christmas tradition alive and well at the Lyceum.
Stuart Paterson has perfected the art of combining panto fun with believable characters and story in his series of Christmas plays from Merlin the Magnificent to the latest (to date) Puss in Boots, the new show at Dundee.

Beauty and the Beast isn't his strongest (a position filled by The Snow Queen followed by Cinderella), but it displays many of his skills, all brought out in this new production by that fine actor and increasingly notable director Tony Cownie.

The strength of the play is also its most problematic feature. By developing the romance between Beauty and Martin, the labouring lad, Paterson gives added punch to his finale, where Beast turns out to be the transformed fellow himself. But it means there's an apparent shift of emphasis when the focus changes to the dire financial straits of Beauty's father. More importantly, it makes a late start to all the to-and-fro-ing the story demands.

Fortunately, the brisk pace helps things along without over-hurrying them. It makes for a very amiable show, in line with the director's recent Lyceum Comedy of Errors. Cownie doesn't overplay the force of evil; Alison Peebles' witch Crackjaw is almost decorous in her reserve. And her enforced agent of harm, the goblin Dunt, receives an affectionate comic performance from Steven McNicoll, full of perfectly judged detail and disgruntled confusion.

Cora Bissett is as sympathetic an example of resilient, put-upon humanity as it's possible to imagine, while Julie Austin's Hannah and Clare Waugh's Hazel are ugly sisters only in their personalities and near-criminal dress sense.

Add a big fluffy pantomime dog (credited in the programme as 'Himself' but I don't believe a word of it), Gregory Smith's colourfully complex designs and Iain Johnstone's atmospheric music – incorporating a sinister-sounding 'Boys and Girls Come Out to Play' - and the Lyceum has clearly come up with another in its series of full-throttle Paterson productions.

Beauty: Cora Bissett.
Beast/Martin: Garry Collins.
Crackjaw: Alison Peebles.
Dunt: Steven McNicoll.
Hannah: Julie Austin.
Hazel: Clare Waugh.
Father: Robert Paterson.
Lord Beastiebasher/Billy the dog: Ronnie Simon.
Banshee: Lori McLean.
Crabhook/Lord Poultioce: Jordan Young.

Director: Tony Cownie.
Designer: Gregory Smith.
Lighting: Chris Davey.
Composer: Iain Johnstone.

2001-12-30 10:18:08