Beauty and the Beast - Loughborough

Beauty and the Beast is the 2009/10 pantomime for Loughborough Town Hall

This page will be updated with backstage news and insider gossip from both Imagine and the venue. Keep checking back for updates! All photos are thumbnails - just click on them and a larger image will open up in a new window!

You can find lots more photos about the panto on our Beauty and the Beast facebook photo album - click here

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11th December 2009 - Loughborough Echo Review

click here to read the review on the website, or see below!

THIS years Loughborough Town Hall pantomime Beauty And The Beast is an absolutely stunning production.

Oh no its not!

Oh yes it is!

The full-on festive fun doesnt stop from start to finish, and is guaranteed to delight and enthrall audiences both young and old.

The show, set in the quaint village of Mincing-on-the-Verge, is led from the front by director Neil Bull, who plays the madcap Willy Doo-It, the sidekick to Dame Dorothy Doo-It, who is ably played by fellow Loughborough stalwart Martin Ballard.

And every year the twosomes good clean fun gets slicker and slicker - this year no doubt thanks to some of the domestic ninja Dames buckets of suds which help to make this years show one of the messiest yet.

However the greatest compliment to this years production is that the pair, as fantastic as they are, fail to steal the show - even when they drag an audience member out to join in the frolics.

Because every character here is worthy of high praise - such as the spellbinding Enchantress Victoria Oates and Beautys bumbling father Pablo Raybould.

Particular plaudits must go to the strong vocal performances given by Beauty, played by Katie Lavelli and howling Beast Wesley Hughes.

And the comic brilliance of baddie team Eugene (swoon), played by James Nelson, and his servent Pimple, played by Ste Johnston, give the Dame and her Willy a run for their money.

Added to this the youngsters routines are performed beautifully, and the production itself with its poptastic score, such as the giant skeleton number, are flawless.

Every year the annual Loughborough panto gets better and better - for a smaller venue competiting with neaerby cities such as Leicester, Nottingham and Derby the quality of this show is unbelievable.

Beauty And The Beast, which runs at Loughborough Town Hall until January 10, really deserves to clean up this year.

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1st December 2009 - Production Photos (click on the thumbnail for a larger image)

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28th November 2009 - The panto is open!

And even though we say so ourselves, it's a cracker! BIG thanks to all the team who have worked so hard to get the show on - have a great run!! xx

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24th November 2009 - Martin Ballard's Dames Diary....

.... is up and running for 2009! Click here to read it!

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18th November 2009 - Hayley's panto log

Hayley, who worked in the Imagine offices during the build up to panto 2009, has now moved on to be chaperone and rehearsal ASM on Beauty and the Beast, Loughborough.

As well as being a top girl, she's amazing fun, so we decided to set her a challenge of sending us a log of her time in Loughborough, with the promise of her own photo album and log of events on Facebook!

The first couple of photos came through today, and we'll keep updating the log as and when she sends photos through!

Click here to keep an eye on the Facebook photo album showing what Hayley gets up to in Lougborough!

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16th November 2009 - The panto is in rehearsal

All the cast have arrived at the theatre, and rehearsals for this year's panto are now underway! We're hoping to get photos etc through soon - when we do we'll upload them and share them with you!

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30th October 2009 - Much planning taking place!

With only 2 weeks to go until rehearsal commence, there's alot of work taking place to plan for the show. As alwaaysl, click on the thumbnails for bigger photos...

Neil (director and playing Willy Do-it) has been in to talk music with Steve. All the music is now sorted and so they were just listening to the tracks and planning it all into the show

And the Imagine and Town Hall technical teams have been with our special effects maker, looking at the special effect for the show. We're not giving much away, but here's a quick look at the buld thats's going on and one of the set pieces we've had made, so you get a taster of the style of this year's show...

Kev from LTH tries out the effect and is it snowing in 'Beauty' land???

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7th September 2009 - The panto launch (click on thumbnails)

We thought you might like a sneaky peak behind the scenes at the Loughborough Town Hall panto launch?! These aren't the official photos, but we sent our mole, Steve, behind the scenes with his camera to get some early shots to share with you all. The official photos will be out in due course but here's some to be going on with!

Neil sets up a shot with the photographer and James (Eugene) and Ste (Pimple)

Ste (Pimple) and James (Eugene) initially with Neil (Director and Willy Doo-it), and then with Katie (Beauty)

Martin (Dame Dorothy Doo-it), Neil (Director and Willy Doo-it) and Katie (Beauty)

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6th September 2009 - The panto babes are cast!

Today saw the casting of the panto babes, and we had a great turn out and a fantastic standard! The auditioning panel was Neil Bull (Director and playing Willy Doo-it), Katie Gavin (Choreographer), Sarah Boden (Imagine) and Hayley McCarthy (panto chaperone)

After much deliberating, we eventually chose three teams of 8 babes with a group of reserves. well done to all who auditioned - we wish we could have taken you all!

Neil and Katie deliberating Hayley had a go at auditioning herself!

Katie, Martin (Dame) and Neil

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4th September 2009 - The panto is cast! (click on thumbnails)

We are delighted to announce the cast of Beauty and the Beast at Loughborough Town Hall

Martin Ballard as Dame Dorothy Doo-it
Neil Bull as Willy Doo-it
James Nelson as Eugene
Ste Johnson as Pimple
Katie Lavelli as Beauty
Victoria Oates as the Enchantress
Pablo Raybould as the Father
Wesley Hughes as the Beast