The Shawnigan Players began producing Christmas season pantomimes in 2006 with Snow White.
With that hilarious production, they were “off to the races”, as group president Bill Levity says.
The shows have continued, gathering a bigger audience every year, culminating with 2019’s Beauty and the Beast: the Pantomime.
Lily Wilson played dainty Rose, the Beauty, and Rain Edgar was the strapping Prince, who became a Beast as the result of a wicked spell from the jealous Malabelle played with delicious malice by Cathy Parkyn. (In true panto tradition, she drew plenty of hisses and boos from the packed house when we attended on opening night.) Alex Gallacher contributed his usual stellar effort as Ma, Rose’s mom, who was at one point in the position of being a man disguised as a woman, who’s disguised as a man.
Jacques (Brandon Newall) and Capucine (Sunny Flaman) made another unusual couple and Bill Levity rounded out the main characters as Felix the Poodle in his usual exuberant style.
There was plenty of singing, dancing, and mayhem as the plot wound its way through the forest to the castle and all places in between. The object is to provide entertainment during that strange period between Christmas and New Year’s Day, giving a wide variety of ages the chance to tread the boards, and, continuing an age-old tradition, stage a fun show for the whole family.
A great job, well done.