Pantomime: Beauty And The Beast At Harrogate

They promised it would be “packed with sparkle and festive fun” and Harrogate’s Beauty and Beast did not disappoint. We were accompanied by over 100 very excited schoolchildren from Brackenfield for one of the first performances of the season.

To say it was loud would be an understatement! There was booing and hissing and laughing and joking. There were special effects, audience interaction, fabulous costumes (and impressively quick changes!) and clever scenery; everything that a good panto should have. A barrage of jokes and puns flew well over the heads of most of the children and landed right at the adults present- they were hilarious!

The cast were small in number but strong in talent, many having trodden the boards at Harrogate before. Tim Stedman, playing Phillipe Fillop, graced the stage for the TWENTY FOURTH time! He remains as funny as ever making an instant connection with his audience. His performance of Highway to Hell alongside Michael Lambourne (Baron Bon Bon) was an hysterical highlight this year. We must also mention the stunning vocals of Colin Kiyani who played the Beast and the Prince.

However, nothing brought the house down as much as Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ which appealed greatly to the packed theatre full of young school children. They joined in with Anna Camkin (Belle) and Kiyani …loudly and enthusiastically!

The young ensemble supported the main cast beautifully, dancing and singing their way through the story. What a lot of local talent Harrogate has.

This performance really marked the start of Christmas for us and for the Brackenfield children. They have talked of nothing else since; here’s what some of them had to say on their return to school.

I loved booing the witch every time she came on the stage4

Belle had such a pretty dress

It was so funny when the funny man (Phillipe Fillop) and Baron Bon Bon were helping wash up and all the plates kept smashing. I couldn’t stop laughing.

Me and my friend laughed and shouted the whole time. And the ice cream was so yummy

How did Belle change her dress from the plain one to the gold one? I’m glad she went to dinner with the beast. That was the best part

I am going to see it again on Christmas Eve with my family. I can’t wait

I liked when we had a singing competition with the teachers. We won!

When Belle kisses the beast, how did he spin round and change into the prince? That was mad!

The Harrogate pantomime is one of the highlights of the year for me. It is such a laugh and it is wonderful to watch our children enjoy themselves so much

I teach the youngest children in the school and some of them start with coats over their heads, a little scared, but after the first few minutes they come out of hiding and have the best time ever!

So once again, thank you Harrogate- all the cast and crew- for yet another epic panto. It is a really special treat so get your tickets and go and see it. OH YES YOU SHOULD!!


Beauty and the Beast is on at Harrogate Theatre until Sun 19 Jan 2025. More information here
For more information on Brackenfield School click here