Beauty and the Beast – A Horny Love Story that really hits the spot!

Adult pantomimes always walk a delicate line. Push the jokes too far and the magic disappears. The sweet spot sits somewhere between cheeky, outrageous and full of rude gags, and crude humour that feels more grim than gleeful. A good rule of thumb is simple. Would you be embarrassed if your mother were sitting beside you?

Theatre company He’s Behind You! understand this balance perfectly. They return to the Charing Cross Theatre for a third year after the success of Sleeping Beauty Takes A Prick! and Jack and the Beanstalk. What a Whopper!

Known for mixing classic panto style with sharp adult comedy and with more than a decade of experience creating hit adult pantomimes, the company have firmly claimed their spot in the West End. Or at least at Charing Cross.

It is the ideal venue for a show like this. Tucked under the arches between Charing Cross and Embankment and directly opposite the iconic gay nightclub Heaven, it feels like the only place you would want to go for a gay old time in the lead up to Christmas.

This year’s offering, Beauty and the Beast. A Horny Love Story, brings outrageous humour, cheeky original songs and a parade of sexual revelations to the stage with a queer twist on a classic tale.

The Story

Set in the frostbitten Scottish village of Lickmanochers, this laugh out loud romance follows Bertie, an innocent young man dreaming of a new life far from his overbearing mother and working at the family petrol station. His sister Bonnie, a determined lesbian, has more local ambitions. All she wants is to reach Glasgow and finally meet her soulmate.

When their mother Flora suspects the pair are planning to flee, she meddles in their love lives, setting blue haired Australian Juno (who stops for petrol) up with her daughter, as a way to keep her at home. What Flora does not know is that Juno is the story’s fairy and only has one wish left. When she uses it, she will die.

Elsewhere, the villainous Cornelius lures Flora to an abandoned castle under the pretence of searching for a missing family will. Once there, she is imprisoned.

Bertie sets out on a rescue mission to save his mammy from the haunted castle. The only problem is he has secretly booked a flight to New Zealand that leaves the next evening and saving his mother might ruin his getaway plans. Can they all be saved from the Beast that rules the castle or will the Fairy have to come out and reveal her true identity sacrificing herself for love.

The Cast

Matt Kennedy (Mamma Mia, We Will Rock You, River City) brings a sweet innocence to Bertie. Wide eyed and hopeful, he plays the naïve dreamer with charm.

Laura Anna-Mead is great fun as Bonnie. Her scenes with lover Juno (Dani Mirels) land well, especially the jokes about lesbians moving in together quickly and adopting cats. The audience loved it.

Keanu Adolphus Johnson (Tina. The Tina Turner Musical, Backstage Billy) arrives later in the story as the Beast but makes an instant impact with a strong and entertaining performance.

Chris Lane is a joyfully camp Cornelius. He embraces the villainy and clearly has the time of his life doing it.

The standout of the night is Matthew Baldwin as Flora. A seasoned panto dame, he owns the stage from his first entrance with the line “another year, another accent.” He is witty, commanding and radiant in every costume change. A true highlight of the show.

Beauty and the Beast. A Horny Love Story is exactly what an adult panto should be. It is chaotic, queer, silly, filthy and packed with heart. Not every joke hits and some moments push the boundary of good taste but the sheer commitment of the cast, the sharpness of the writing and the joy radiating from the audience make it impossible not to have fun.

Matthew Baldwin’s show stealing turn as Flora alone is worth the ticket.

If you want a festive night out with big laughs, big personalities and a proudly unfiltered sense of humour, this is the panto to see. It is outrageous, affectionate and gloriously stupid and it delivers exactly what it promises. A horny love story with a whole lot of heart.

★★★★★

West End Wilma

Photos by Steve Gregson