Having never seen a BTC show prior, I didn’t know fully what to expect for their 2025 Panto production of Beauty and the Beast at the Church Hill Theatre, but having seen some pantomime’s written and directed by Lewis C. Baird before I knew it was likely to be a fun evening.
The town of Auld Reekie has been taken over by the evil Baroness Morag Da Bag but, having received a mysterious invitation to a grand palace, Belle and her mother Dame Brenda McTavish encounter Prince Sebastian who has been transformed into a hideous beast but could be their only hope of saving Auld Reekie.
Kirsten Keggie is Belle. Keggie does a wonderful job at being the innocent, unbendingly good Panto lead. She holds herself with confidence and a radiance that fills the auditorium. Her vocals on her solo songs and joint numbers are fantastic, and her dialogue is nicely delivered.
Mark Jones plays the Beast. Jones does very well to hold himself in a way that makes the audience believe he is an intimidating creature. Jones uses his height and stature brilliantly here, and his vocals are good. His change from hard-edged, short-tempered Beast to soft, well-spoken and caring Prince is nice to watch.
George Mackie is our Dame. Mackie takes to this role like a fish to water. Some of the line deliveries in the opening 10 minutes may not have landed as he would’ve hoped, but he definitely found his feet and rhythm as the show went on, offering some side-splitting moments, one standout being during a truly hectic 12 Days of Christmas towards the end. With a confident delivery and a cheeky charm, Dame Brenda is an audience favourite.
Michael Davies and Iona Irving are Hector and Senga, respectively. Both play their parts expertly, demonstrating a strong rapport on stage and a magnificent stage presence.
Jessica Russell is the evil Baroness. She is a great villain, and it is clear she is having a ball. Russell brings a cool confidence and her apparent joy on stage is tantalising. Malcolm McFadyen is her blubbering Squire Jimmy. McFadyen’s portrayal of the pathetic and cowardly sidekick who eventually finds some self-worth is a lovely side plot here.
Debbie Spurgeon plays the Enchantress. Spurgeon manages to steal moments when she is on stage for brief increments. Her singing, clear comfort in dancing, and beaming smile are infectious – a surprising highlight.
The principal dancers all add lots of fun colour, energy and sass to proceedings and the ensemble are fab!
Lewis C. Baird’s script is funny, charming, cleverly thought out, but just a little too long. 15 minutes could be cut from the first act, and it would make for a tighter Panto that kids can sit through uninterrupted. Baird’s direction is fantastic, all the cast know exactly what they’re doing, they’re placed well on the stage, and the use of the LED screens for scenes and animations makes for lovely visuals. Baird also manages to use his large cast of stellar ensemble well; whether it be dancers in place of magic flying through the air, or clever cover of quick changes, whenever the ensemble are used they have a clear and important purpose.
The musical direction from James McCutcheon is great, the band are small but sound massive and he manages to pay the proper respect to the soundtrack he is given to work with here. The singing from all is great and the backing ensemble harmonies add lovely layers throughout. His and Baird’s music choice throughout is incredibly strong, whilst managing to pick a setlist that includes some bangers but also some lesser-known, left-field picks that are welcome here.
The choreography from Sophie Douglas is lovely and adds wonderfully to this production. Lauren Hendrie holds everything together incredibly well as producer, helping add lots of lovely set pieces to the production, letting the writing and cast go all out at certain moments, whilst nothing feels unsafe or truly out of control.
Overall this Panto offering from BTC is a fantastic night out for the entire family and definitely worth catching before it finishes it run that deserves to be much, much longer!
Get the final remaining tickets for this near sell-out run whilst you still can! – https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/edinburgh/churchhill-theatre/beauty-the-beast-the-pantomime/e-dddema
Theatre Scotland 
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