Newly renamed BTC Productions’ family pantomime, “Beauty and the Beast” moves the classic French tale to Auld Reekie, where Belle McTavish lives and works in her family bakery with her mother, Dame Brenda McTavish. But when the villainous Baroness Morag De Bragg arrives, claiming the town for herself since the royal family disappeared, Belle must brave Eden Palace with her mother and palace janitors Hector and Senga to prove to Prince Sebastian that being turned into a beast doesn’t make him a monster.
Unlike other shows, but becoming a quick staple, was the use of a digital backdrop replacing a wooden set. Even though it gives a closer replica of the production’s concept design, it has a very corporate feel. Pantos have always had a handmade quality to them; you can see the paint strokes’ energy to them, which sadly felt a little lacking in this production.
However, a vast number of the costumes worked with both the story and the setting, even if Belle’s dresses were replicas from the ‘91 animation. That leads to a bigger issue I had, especially with the mounting of the production. It geared a little too close to the Disney film, leaving little room to add the panto elements the audience expects. I will say, though, the few pantomime moments paid off immensely, especially the classic “Twelve Days of Christmas” and the arguably funnier “Wee Andy’s Scottish Medley”. There also seemed to be a few problems with sound, notably during the opening song, where the band sounded a bit too loud, meaning the cast’s mics were turned up more than they really should have been.