Surrey

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-655.jpg" alt="Beauty and the Beast panto at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, Surrey." class="wp-image-63224" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-655.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-655-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-655-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-655-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-655-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



With family-friendly farce, cheeky humour, and characters who are impossible to ignore, this panto serves up a joyful blend of chaos, charm &#8211; and dare I say &#8211; surprising sophistication. Audiences of every age are happily entertained from start to finish.



Beauty and the Beast is an age-old tale that’s been delighting audiences for centuries &#8211; both on and off the panto circuit. This rendition stays close to the original: the story of a Prince cursed by a spiteful sorceress and turned into the Beast, and Belle, a beautiful young woman who finds herself at his castle.



At heart, it’s a love story with a wink of wisdom: be kind, love blindly, and look for beauty beneath the surface. But let’s be honest &#8211; we’re really here for the razzmatazz, the cheeky jokes, and the full-on daftness of panto. Okay, maybe a touch of schmaltz too. Happily, we’re not left wanting. Beauty and the Beast gives this, and more.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-149.jpg" alt="Beauty and the Beast panto at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, Surrey." class="wp-image-63227" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-149.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-149-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-149-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-149-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-149-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Back in Guildford for her third year, EastEnders’ Lucy Benjamin plays Agatha the Evil Sorceress with wicked flair. She rocks the sequins, nails the northern drawl, and even sneaks in a hilarious turn as Claudia Winkleman (Strictly puns included!).



Clair Gleave returns, following her Cinderella turn two years ago, and charms as the wholesome, book-loving Belle. Her little brother Gustav is a lovable rascal, brought to life with flair by Dylan Collymore. And of course, there’s the Beast. Ricky Oakley absolutely nails the role, balancing gruff masculinity with heartfelt warmth, tender vulnerability, and just the right touch of sadness.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-067.jpg" alt="Beauty and the Beast panto at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, Surrey." class="wp-image-63228" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-067.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-067-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-067-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-067-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-067-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



It wouldn’t be panto without a dame, and while Guildford’s regular over-the-top diva Peter Gordon was sadly unavailable the night I went, Tom Miller stepped into his size-10 sparkling platforms and shone as Madame Fi-Fi La Fou-Fou.



Guildford Shakespeare Company’s Matt Pinches lights up the stage as Madame Fi-Fi’s son, Philipe Philope (aka Flip Flop). Cute, camp, and waggish, he delights with genuinely amusing cheese puns, and his tongue-twisting rhyming scene about cheese &#8211; there&#8217;s a cheese factory in the village &#8211; is both impressively tricky and wonderfully funny. Who knew so many words rhymed with cheese?



For panto purists (is there even such a thing?), there’s the 12 Days of Christmas skit &#8211; delightfully ridiculous and gloriously raucous.



And the music? It’s pure fun, with something for everyone &#8211; from the whimsical Bette Midler ballad The Rose to the energetic ’80s pop anthem Footloose. You’ll also find playful tunes like Alesha Dixon’s The Boy Does Nothing and Rosé &amp; Bruno Mars’ APT, alongside a few soft-rock gems from the Goo Goo Dolls (yes, remember them?).



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-680.jpg" alt="Beauty and the Beast panto at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, Surrey." class="wp-image-63223" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-680.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-680-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-680-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-680-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-680-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



The vocal star here is Misha Malcolm, in her role as the delightful Fairy Rose Red &#8211; though she felt a little underused. There were glimpses of her rich, expressive voice, but I could have happily enjoyed many more scenes with her singing.



With lavish costumes, clever sets, and lively dance numbers from a talented ensemble, this festive show is a visual and musical treat. A sparkling finale to the theatre’s 60th birthday year, it’s a fabulous Yvonne Arnaud original, directed by the theatre&#8217;s top boss, Joanna Read.



In short: Beauty and the Beast is a panto for the whole family. It&#8217;s fun, flashy, heartwarming &#8211; and packed with sparkle.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-347.jpg" alt="Beauty and the Beast panto at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, Surrey." class="wp-image-63225" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-347.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-347-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-347-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-347-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2025/12/YAT-Panto-2025-Beauty-and-the-Beast-347-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



Good for:&nbsp;Families and kids of all ages, anyone who loves laughter, glitter, cheesy jokes, catchy tunes, and a heartwarming story with a touch of magic.



Not for:&nbsp;Those who dislike over-the-top silliness, puns, or a generous sprinkling of festive chaos &#8211; this is full-on panto, after all!



<a href="https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/whats-on/beauty-and-the-beast" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Beauty and the Beast</a> is at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford until Sun 4 Jan.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-want-more">WANT MORE?</h2>



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Panto review: Beauty and the Beast at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

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