Beauty and The Beast Pantamime

Pantomime is a unique theatrical form and a delightful combination of so many elements that it often works successfully with an audience when only some of those elements are present, but when they are all present, it is magnificent entertainment for the whole family that sets you up for the festive season. Those elements are a spectacular setting, a man dressed as a woman with a sprinkling of adult innuendo, a battle between good and evil, a selection of musical choices that span the decades to appeal to all age groups and some traditional pantomime business. The Wycombe Swan’s production of Beauty and the Beast, following on from last year’s success of Cinderella, has it all and with a two-hour 10-minute run time, gets the balance between the elements just right.

The digital set looks amazing as soon as you enter the auditorium transporting you to a fantasy world of picturesque villages, wild woods and a Hogwarts style castle with the rose motif being embedded in every setting. It enables smooth slick transitions between scenes with images sweeping across the countryside, a spinning ballroom as love blossoms, powerful imagery of rose petals dropping and useful inserts for songsheet and comic images. Some may miss the tradition of flats and cloths but on the Wycombe stage, the new technology proves a perfect setting for the storytelling and comic interactions.

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I worked as a Notch Artist and Video Design Assistant with PixelLux Studio's Director Nina Dunn in the projection design team. The job responsibilities include assisting collecting footage, trouble shooting the 3D element of the rose in Cinema4D and Maya, add particle effect with Notch, also helped on other things as an assistant on set including installing and move equipments.