Beauty and the Beast – Northern Stage, Newcastle

Writer: Lucy Kirkwood, from a conception by Katie Mitchell

Director: Bryony Shanahan

Original Songs and Music: Katie Doherty

Northern Stage have long been known for providing an alternative to the brash and populist traditions of pantomime. Their seasonal offerings generally comprise a charming, quirky show for younger children and a fairytale story told in a style more in keeping with the source material, while still keeping enough magic to entertain older children and, of course, adults.

This year’s main stage production revives The National Theatre’s 2010 adaptation of Gabriel-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve’s 1740 original. The narrative has gone through many revisions and retellings since 1740 and this production is closer to Andrew Lang’s 1889 version which simplifies the highly complex and multi-plotted original.

The National’s production had the advantage of all the resources of the Cottesloe Theatre to bring scale and wonder. Northern Stage have gone for a simple staging on a traverse stage which has both benefits and disadvantages.

Two characters we are told are fairies introduce the evening and act as narrators throughout. Helena Antoniou’s master of ceremonies, Pink, is a brash, bullying, shouty figure in a lurid yellow wig, with what looks like a child’s toy magic wand and a remote control for stopping and rewinding the action. Lucy Doig’s Cecile is their feisty, rebellious, French assistant, constantly trying to sing a song. Their bickering interaction is presumably meant to be mischievous, but it feels harsh and, at times, uncomfortable to watch.

Much of the story is told through the projection of a video featuring shadow-puppets onto the screen of a huge truck, frequently wheeled on and off. The video by Scott Turnbull is charming but the sheer amount of spoken exposition becomes a little wearing.

The remaining staging is dominated by a large dining table, often filling the middle of the playing area. This is used as a platform to stand on (albeit precariously), as the source of magical appearances and disappearances and, surprisingly, a piano, as well as for its usual function. In a show that forswears pantomime conventions, it seems extremely odd to have the pop song Pink Pony Club apparently randomly inserted.

Northern Stage have drawn almost all the strong cast from the North East and they tackle their roles with commitment and skill. Bridget Marumo is effective as a strong, assertive Beauty, literally wearing the trousers in her relationship with Conor McCready’s surprisingly unscary beast. She seems unafraid of him from the very beginning. It is worth noting that the beast of the original tale was gentler than recent adaptations would suggest. Still, this alteration of the dynamic between the two protagonists is such that Beauty’s falling for the Beast seems almost inevitable from the start.

Davey Hopper, a stalwart of traditional pantomime at The Customs House in South Shields, as Beauty’s father, though oddly youthful for the role, portrays both the comedy and the emotion of the script equally well.

Maya Torres successfully doubles Beauty’s spiteful sister and a charming magical rabbit, wielding a thought-stealing machine that speaks out the inner thoughts of the characters when held over their heads. In one of the minimal moments of audience interaction, a scene where it was used on audience members was, like the other comic moments, amusing but not uproariously funny.

Addressing the elephant in the room, any audience members seeking echoes of Disney’s adaptation will be disappointed. There is no swaggering bully or horde of angry villagers storming the castle and attacking the Beast. The only real moment of jeopardy comes from an aggrieved Pink attempting to derail the denouement, out of spite.

The show is cleverly staged, features effective lighting and sound design and solid performances. Verity Quinn’s costume designs are charming and, yes, Cecile does get to sing her song. There are also some clever magic tricks sprinkled through the evening. For those who are seeking an alternative to pantomime it is worth a look, but be sure to leave your preconceptions at the door.

Runs until 3 January 2026