FringeReview Scotland 2025
Beauty and the Beast
Stagedoor
Genre: Musical Theatre
Venue: Portobello Town Hall
Festival: FringeReview Scotland
Low Down
Beauty and the Beast transferred to a Porty by the Sea setting. Plenty of cheesy tunes, cringeworthy jokes, great dancing and fabulous storytelling to get you in the Christmas spirit. It’s a great night’s entertainment for all the family – oh yes, it is!
Review
As the panto started my eight year old companion reviewer turned and whispered to me “I don’t think this is Beauty and the Beast’. It is Beauty and Beast but a delightfully Porty Panto take on the old classic with plenty of cheesy tunes, local references, dad jokes and audience participation to provide a uproarious outing for all the family.
The play opens with Will O’the Wisp (Erin Robertson), our narrator for the night setting the scene. The chilling Queen of the Winter, Beira (Christine Mills) has put a spell on Angus, Prince of Summer (Grant MacIver) which only true love can break and turned him into a Beast hidden behind castle walls.
Meanwhile Bella (Sarah Alexandra Brown), the eponymous Beauty has moved to Portobello with her father, the wonderfully eccentric Laird Murdo (Christopher Craig) who has lost his fortune and has had to move to a wee but and ben in Porty by the Sea (well done him for finding anything affordable in that vicinity). Bonnie Scone (Alec Westwood) and her slightly dippy son, Tattie Scone (Ross Jamieson) are warm-hearted neighbours who have become friends to Bella and her Pa and provide a hilarious comedy accompaniment throughout.
All the cast play their parts well but particular highlights are Ross Jamieson as Tattie Scone who plays a wonderfully daft wee laddie, establishing great audience rapport and comic presence. Sarah Alexandra Brown is a plucky kind hearted Bella who totally wins our sympathy, while Christine Mills plays a thoroughly malevolent Winter Queen who has the audience hissing and booing from the outset.
The classic story rolls out with laughs aplenty and a song and dance extravaganza. Candy Canes, young dancers from across the Lothians provided the excellent dance routines on the night we were there (dance groups will vary throughout the run).
There’s a Porty setting, Scottish dialect and a lot of local references – plenty of roadworks references – how very Edinburgh! The jokes are fast and furious, occasionally too fast – some go down well while others are missed through archaic references or dialect – the kitchen scene in the castle, in particular, produced more bewilderment than laughter. Having said that, there are plenty of jokes for both children and adults with just enough going over the children’s heads for the adults’ entertainment.
There are lots of familiar songs to clap or sing along – Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Eye of the Tiger, Let Me Entertain You, Sweet Dreams are Made of This to name a few. The absolute showstopper was Christine Mills’ Beira belting out a totally diva-like rendition of “I am what I am’ from La Cage au Folles.
The lighting really adds to the performance with mirror ball projections around the beautiful theatre adding a little Christmas sparkle – the children in the hall were gazing around in wonder. The only slightly jarring element was the lights being directed directly at the audience to enable set changes which had the children covering their eyes in discomfort. But this is a small quibble in a wonderful display of lighting which really enhanced the whole show.
Kudos to the costume designer for a huge array of costumes for the large cast, so many fantastic costumes with Bella’s Disney ballgown in the grand finale providing fitting attire for a fairytale ending.
Perhaps it could have done with editing down a little, maybe the pacing and transitions are slightly off at times but then what song and dance number would you have left out? This is a thoroughly warm hearted show that makes up for any minor niggles with its enthusisam and pizzazz.
Mark Kydd’s engaging script and able direction keeps the production on track while Tommie Travers as musical director pulls out all the stops. Aidan O’Brien’s choreography produces a dazzling display of dancing throughout from a very talented group of young dancers. Lisa Goldie as Production Manger pulls it all together.
Presented by Stage Door Entertainment, Beauty and the Beast’ runs at Portobello Town Hall from Friday 5th December to Sunday 28th December 2025. Performance times vary. Tickets for Beauty and the Beast are on sale at www.portypanto.com
It’s a wonderful outing that provides that special Christmas magic. I’ll leave the last word to my young reviewer who said simply “It was amazing”.
