Bognor offers the warmest panto for these cold, cold days

The loveliest thing about the Regis Centre is the warmth of its welcome – a warmth which runs right through its panto. You’ll find plenty of pantos with far bigger budgets than this one this year, but you probably won’t find any with a bigger heart. There’s huge and genuine friendliness about the venue, from the box office staff to the ushers. And the panto cast pick up the vibe, with a performance which is engaging, fresh and thoroughly enjoyable.

Francesca Rimoldi is an assured and beautiful Belle in a version of the tale which rings the changes (we start out in a karaoke bar of all places), but a version which still prizes strongly the art of story-telling. We never stray too far away from the tale of Beauty and the Beast – and the panto is all the better for it.

Bognor regular Titus Rowe is terrific as the arrogant, preening, love-god Bouffant le Quiff; Rimoldi’s Belle spiritedly tells him where to get off. For her, beauty is far more important when you detect it below the surface, and of course that’s precisely what she slowly comes to find in the Beast (a fine performance from Jake Pearse).

Throughout, Rikki Stone as Lumiere – the Buttons-type role – keeps everything moving with plenty of laughs. He’s a panto natural, witty and fun. And how lovely to see a return to the days when the kiddies can be invited up on stage. Stone was excellent with the gorgeous little girl who joined him on stage on Saturday. Another lovely performance comes from Lauren Brindley as Le Fou, but of course, Bognor panto wouldn’t be Bognor panto without Vicky Edwards. This time she’s on cracking form as Ingrid the Inventor, a role created just for her. And her performance showed exactly why the Bognor team want her in it so much – a vital element in an outstanding blend of skills and talents across the board.

There are two lovely moments with those windows either side of the stage; it’s great to see tiny tot dancers back on stage (fabulous from the Art of Dance and Fitness); and the ensemble is excellent. Worth mentioning too is one of the production’s subtlest pleasures: no dame. And that makes a really really nice change.

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