Jasmine Alice, Hawthorne Theatre Reviewer
There’s Nothing like a Dame
Serena Manteghi, Samuel Donnelly and James Marlowe played the fabulously energetic Belle, Beast and Little Willy. Manteghi brought the fundamental sweet, likeable persona of Belle, displaying a natural acting ability and a wholesome but whimsical charm.
The Beast however was probably my favourite, as Donnelly executed a brilliantly complex character of depth whilst embodying the animalistic qualities of a frightening, misunderstood creature.
Helping to keep the light-hearted and youthful mood tonight was the endearing role of Little Willy. With a powerful voice and a bubbly personality, Marlowe played the ‘fool-in-love’ that no panto should be without!
The witty script kept the children, grandparents and all those in between thoroughly amused throughout the performance, and the audience participation was appropriately placed and particularly engaging.. oh yes it was! With some traditional jokes and some fresh, funny material by Mr Masterson, as an audience we were gripped.
I have to say though, the most humorous part for me was the Dame’s impromptu (and accidental but hilarious) stumble into the audience, conveniently dressed as a row of town-houses.. which certainly went down like a ton of bricks… literally!
I mean, talk about raising the roof.. or bringing the house down….(I’m here all night folks!) But even with that little mis-hap, Masterson certainly didn’t struggle to get back on track and we were never even semi-detached! (Last house joke, I promise.)
On a serious note however, the Dame showed commendable professionalism. After all, ‘The Show Must Go On’ …Oops… Wrong Panto!!
After the front row had recovered, and we had all stopped roaring with laughter, the comedic ‘all singing, all dancing’ show continued to make us chuckle and tap our toes with the delightfully catchy musical numbers. Including a wide variety of music, from classic tunes to chart-toppers, the soundtrack contained only the catchiest of songs, each being hairbrush-worthy and even had my little neice of two singing along!
The beautifully intricate set had me captivated and was just another component which added to a great show brought to us by The Hawthorne. Although missing the traditional panto horse, there were definitely no long faces! Can’t wait for next year’s Pantomime already!
Bravo.
Renee Rogers, Hawthorne Theatre Reviewer
Be Our Guest!
Using this opportunity to introduce my ‘nearly’ two year old to live theatre I was excited and also a little apprehensive. An unabridged version of Hamlet may be risky at her age but a Pantomime I was sure we could handle.
Making our way through the main entrance, already I could hear the chatter of excited children filling the foyer. The obligatory led toys were on sale and I couldn’t resist getting a spinning windmill for my little one (me!) The ushers led us through to our seats and I was relieved to be near the end on an aisle incase I needed a quick getaway if my handbag full of lollies didn’t suffice!
As the show went up, with a makeshift cast (I’m not giving the game away) the children lit up and the energy was electric. The opening song was ‘I’ve Got a Feeling’ by The Black Eyed Peas and instantly Lola was on her feet dancing away.
The cast was assigned perfectly, from the nice but dim father, the soft, gentle natured Belle, the love-struck friend and the OTT and rather fabulously dressed Dame (I wish I could rock a giant Christmas Tree with baubles to rival Pat Butcher.) The Beast was a stand out character that did well to bring a darker side to the proceedings, but the constant call of ‘Cat, Cat, Cat’ by my daughter may not have been the desired effect.
The script was witty and raucous and this allowed the audience to feel at ease when participating….although I not sure they needed putting at ease…Welwyn Garden City what a fun and loud crowd you are!
The two and a half hours flew by and Lola was on her feet for 80% of the time, dancing, cheering, and booing, with a sad call of Uh Oh when the Beasts heart was breaking.
Overall a truly spirited performance with a perfect mix of love, laugher and long johns!

Adrienne Perry, Hawthorne Theatre Reviewer
Steven Dolby, Hawthorne Theatre Reviewer
The lower Luton Road led me to a magical world at the Hawthorne Theatre, Welwyn Garden City, Herts. My teenage daughter and I arrived early and were struck by the warm welcome at the front of house - special mention must be made of the cheerful and helpful Box Office staff and the hard working and patient staff at Humphreys Coffee Shop.
Loved the beginning of the performance, with the Writer, Director and Co-Producer, Guy Masterson, first hearing the news that due to a problem on the motorway, the cast could not make it to the performance. There were some concerned faces in the audience. Not to worry, Theatre staff in the building helping the audience (and having seen the rehearsals) volunteer to take the parts of their unavoidably delayed colleagues - Hurrah!
A wonderfully sung, choreagraphed and beautifully staged production commences. It would be wrong of me to highlight any single performance - any of whom would have graced a West End Stage. An all star performance, no D list "clebs" here - "Where's my career?......" "Behind You!" was matched by the simply joyous singing and snappy, cross cutting dialogue (that reminded me of the best zany comedies of 30's like "Helzapoppin" or the Marx Brothers) and a sound level within the auditorium that allowed you to savour every word.
A marvellous production and I would also point out the excellent scenery, both for its artwork and for the seamless scene changes and inventive use of the video screens to show the rose losing its petals.
No greater praise can be given than to point out how impressed my teenage daughter was with the production. We were very concerned when "Dame Dotty" took a fall on the stage - the concern was audible, such was the rapport developed with the audience.
I understand that the 2014 production will be "Sleeping Beauty" - I won't sleep until I have a ticket.
A fantastic, marvellous production. Thank you.
Jane Wing, Hawthorne Theatre Reviewer
Don't
we all just love the great British tradition of the Panto at Christmas? Oh no
we don't, oh yes we do.......! Well I certainly do and last night I took my
daughter to see Beauty and the Beast at The Hawthorne Theatre, WGC.
This is a home - grown production,
written and directed ( and also starring) Guy Masterson who we saw earlier this
year in 'The Odd Couple' on this same stage.
It all began with a mock 'disaster' -
Guy standing up to apologise as the cast were stuck on the motorway and
wouldn't make it in time for the show - what could be done? Handily, some
members of the 'crew' just happened to be available as stand-ins so lo and
behold - the show could go on!! A bit cheesy? Well yes, but that's what Panto
is all about isn't it?
Guy played Dame Dotty La Douche - and it
was very clear he was enjoying himself! That's one of the things I like best
about Panto, the actors can let themselves go and really have a laugh with the
adults in the audience - it makes you feel like you're really 'in' on the joke,
that you're an integral part of the show and not just an outsider watching. And
we, the audience, certainly had a big part to play in this show! Right from the
beginning the actors worked really hard to get the, somewhat reluctant,
audience to loosen up and join in. And we did join in, mostly, although I fear
there may have been a few too many responses required for us to remember them
all!
Belle was played very gracefully by
Serena Manteghi. She sang beautifully and played the audience well with just
the right amount of coyness and cheekiness to make her a very appealing
character. The Beast was brilliant, played by Samuel Donnelly, fierce and gruff
but with just a hint of vulnerability (and a few winks to the audience) and I
was very pleased by the reaction he got when finally appearing as the the
handsome Prince, and I think he rather enjoyed it too!
James Marlowe made quite an endearing
'Willie', handling the children who came up on stage during the 'community
singsong' number well. Johnny Tait was introduced as the Welwyn Hatifeild Times
reviewer - who had to be persuaded to join the cast, and he certainly played
the 'uncomfortable amateur' convincingly throughout! I liked his Cockney,
pathetic father character - but couldn't imagine why Belle would be so
desperate to get home to him!
My six year old daughter particularly
enjoyed the musical numbers, especially the Katy Perry and Jesse J songs, her
favourite ones of the moment! She didn't recognise 'Material Girl' or
'Michelle' and thought that they were odd choices!! I, however, certainly did
recognise the less recent pop songs and liked the gentle lyric adaptations that
were used to link the songs to the story.
Dancers were provided by the Shooting
Stars Academy and they did a grand job!
The sets and costumes were lavish and
interesting, particularly those of the Dame. And my daughter said her favourite
moment of all was the finale where the 'glittery' costumes were very eye
catching!
Jon Brown, Hawthorne Theatre Reviewer
It had been quite a while since I saw a traditional pantomime, so I was very much looking forward to seeing this classic story performed on the local stage, and especially at Christmas time. I was not to be disappointed.
It was wonderful to see a virtually full house and as we all awaited curtain up, there was a buzz of excitement all around. A clever twist started proceedings as a man in casual wear took to the stage. It appeared he was a member of the back stage team. Two fellow colleagues followed him, wearing their bright green Hawthorne Theatre tops.
After a fun and energetic welcome, we discovered that all three were actually cast members and they were soon joined by a forth principal character that originally was pointed out as the newspaper show reviewer! Johnny Tait, reluctantly at first, took to the stage. The man in casual wear at the very start actually turned out to be Guy Masterson, the writer, director, co-producer of the show, and……the wonderful Dame – Dotty La Douche!
From the official start, we were entertained with fun, comedy, plenty of jokes, lots’ of feel good songs, and most of all an abundance of audience participation. Weaved into all the entertainment was of course the classic story of Belle and her encounter with the Beast. I thought everything was pitched at the correct level and balance; between the off-the-cuff fun and slapstick action, and the telling of this romantic fantasy spectacle.
All the performances were spot on; led by Dame Dotty La Douche, played brilliantly by Guy Masterson, who apparently has never played a Dame before! He looked like a seasoned pro! Guy maintained a great energy and charisma throughout and his performance never dropped in tempo or energy, thus keeping the audience and especially the children focused and always drawn in to the action. This is vital in pantomime of course. The actors stepping out character to chaotically discuss any awkward moments with the stage manager was a regular occurrence and which was very funny.
Serena Manteghi gave a pleasant and charming performance as Belle, showing a nice mix of sweet innocence and bold courage. Serena attacked her songs well, with one or two in particular being excellent renditions of recent pop classics. James Marlowe as Willie was funny, awkward appearing in character and gave a performance that certainly made us, the audience, really feel for him, with us giving many a cry of “Come on Willie, you can do it” and “We love you Willie!”
Samuel Donnelly as the Beast was commanding and confident, and thankfully not too scary! His mask and attire was impressive and he certainly had a presence when creeping about behind the gullible Belle. Johnny Tait as Papa was funny throughout and gave us plenty of London cockney humour, which was received with much laughter.
These central performances were accompanied throughout the show by the dancers from locally based Shooting Stars Academy of Performing Arts. All the dancers were bright, cheerful and kept up an energy and vibrancy with each routine; excellently interlinking with the named characters with a real sense of fun. They all worked really hard, and it was clear they were having a great time.
The scene and set changes were quick and effective throughout, and I was especially impressed with the technical aspect of the production, most notably the slickness of the many technical lighting and sound cues.
So to conclude…this show was wonderfully delivered and really cannot be faulted. It had all the ingredients of a classic pantomime, and the fun and pace did not drop at all. It was interesting reading the impressive biography of Guy Masterson in the souvenir programme. His considerable experience as an actor and director was definitely evident from all we saw on stage. I was to go on to read that it was Guy’s first experience of ‘Panto’. Remarkable! It was also pleasing to hear that Guy will be returning in 2014 to bring another classic, ‘Sleeping Beauty’, to the stage of the Hawthorne Theatre! Hooray!
Happy New Year to you all!
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