BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Panto Comes to St Helens Theatre Royal in April

St Helens audiences are guaranteed a fantastic Easter treat when Beauty and the Beast sweeps into the Theatre Royal next month.

The lavish fairytale production from Regal Entertainments is packed with stunning and colourful costumes, laugh out loud comedy and a fantastic soundtrack of songs to sing and dance along to.

Belle is a beautiful young woman who falls in love with the most unexpected of princes, one who has been cursed to live as a hideous beast. Will the Beast learn how to love and be loved in return - and will the spell be broken in time for a happily ever after?

Beauty and the Beast runs at St Helens Theatre Royal from Wednesday 5 to Sunday 16 April 2023. Tickets are on sale now costing from £16.

The cast includes Lauren McCrory as Belle, Benjamin Keith as the Beast, Auguste Voulton as Gaston, Lewis Devine as French Frank, Abigail Middleton as Madam Botox, Marie Lovelady as Fairy Rose and Richard Aucott as Potty Polly.

The show is written by Liam Mellor and directed by Chantelle Nolan. Nazene Langfield is choreographer and Callum Clarke is music supervisor.

Lauren McCrory plays Belle. A graduate of the Performers College, Lauren previously appeared as Belle in Regal Entertainments' Beauty and the Beast at the Epstein Theatre. Other credits include Wendy in Peter Pan, also for Regal Entertainments, and the title role in Cinderella which was screened in Odeon Cinemas.

Benjamin Keith appears as the Beast. Benjamin returns to St Helens after playing the Prince in Sleeping Beauty last autumn. He also appeared as Daddy Bear in Regal Entertainments' Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the Epstein Theatre last Christmas. Benjamin studied acting and musical theatre at Liverpool Theatre School and has a busy career as both an actor and singer. His other theatrical credits include Galileo at the Liverpool Everyman, The Laramie Project at Hope Street Theatre and The Mikado at Buxton Opera House.

Auguste Voulton is Gaston. The French-English actor makes his St Helens debut in Beauty and the Beast. His stage credits include Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Antoine/Mustafa in This Last Piece of Sky, Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Tranio in The Taming of the Shrew, Orlando in As You Like It and Simon in Caucasian Chalk Circle.

Lewis Devine is French Frank. Lewis returns to the role of French Frank which he previously played to acclaim at Liverpool's Epstein Theatre, while his other roles for Regal Entertainments include Chester the Jester in Sleeping Beauty and Buttons in Cinderella. Coming from a talented performing family, Lewis won the first ever Kids Stars in Their Eyes as Donny Osmond and is part of a comedy show band called Schooner with his father Terry. Away from the stage, he runs The Devine Theatre Company to develop Merseyside youngsters in the entertainment industry.

Abigail Middleton plays Madam Botox. Abigail studied at Rose Bruford where she won the Jean Benedetti Award. Her stage credits include Clara Winks in A Christmas Carol at Shakespeare North Playhouse, Scouse Pacific and Pig at Liverpool's Royal Court, Nancy in Kiss Me Quickstep at Queens Theatre Hornchurch/New Wolsey Theatre, and What the Ladybird Heard at the Palace Theatre, London and touring. For Regal Entertainments she has played Glinda in the Wizard of Oz, Mrs Fleshcreep in Jack and the Beanstalk and Tigerlily in Peter Pan.

Maria Lovelady is Fairy Rose. Maria is well known for playing Helen Forrester in Twopence to Cross the Mersey and By The Waters of Liverpool. Her other stage credits include Patsy in No Bad Women, Diana in All's Well That Ends Well and Lucky in Waiting for Godot, while she is the writer, choreographer and one of the stars of a new musical comedy Twice Nightly which is touring the UK this spring. Last Christmas she played the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz at The Brindley at Runcorn.

Richard Aucott plays Potty Polly. A much-loved and experienced dame, his many panto credits include Queen Hermione and Nanny Nora in Sleeping Beauty, Dame Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk, Sarah the Cook in Dick Whittington, Widow Twankey in Aladdin, and last Christmas he appeared as an Ugly Sister in Cinderella at St Helens. Other theatre credits include Mr Woodhouse and Mr Elton in Emma, Flute in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Malvolio in Twelfth Night.

Theatre Manager and the show's director Chantelle Nolan says: "An intelligent and beautiful heroine, a flawed hero, and an arrogant suitor, all wrapped up in a tale that values the power of love and kindness - who could ask for more this Easter?

"Beauty and the Beast is an enchanting show full of excitement, laughter and spectacle, and I know our St Helens audiences are going to absolutely love it."

Regal Entertainments Ltd have also been shortlisted in four categories at the prestigious National Panto Awards 2023 for their productions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, which entertained Epstein Theatre audiences last Christmas, and Cinderella which dazzled festive theatregoers at St Helens Theatre Royal.

Tickets can be booked over the phone or in person at the box office between 10am and 5pm, from Monday to Friday. Tickets can also be purchased online. For more information please visit www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com

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