Ooh-la-la a beastly good time for the whole family at this year’s Chippy panto.
The Theatre Chipping Norton always put on an amazing pantomime in Oxfordshire and this year’s Chippy panto is Beauty & The Beast. A tale as old as time, it has a fresh twist blending science and magic for a great night out.
Known nationally for its Pantos and awarded ‘Outstanding contribution to Innovation’ at the UK Panto awards in 2024, Chipping Norton Theatre is a boutique theatre, bursting with character.
The intimate setting puts you right at the heart of the action, creating an experience that’s wonderfully immersive without ever feeling overwhelming. One thing you can count on here is excellence – from talented performers and slick choreography to stunning sets, costumes, lighting, live music, and all the behind-the-scenes magic you don’t even see.
You can’t have a classic panto without a brilliant dame and Tom Capper playing Fifi Fromage brought sauce, sass and a lot of laughs with quick-fire gags, and a wink that keeps the audience in stitches.
Rebecca-Jo Roberts as Marie and Jack Huckin who play Pierre and the Beast are a wonderful duo. I love that Marie’s character has some get up and go and she has great vocals too. Transformed into the Beast, Pierre’s costume is fantastic. In fact, all the costumes are next level, designer Alice Mc Nicholas creations take on the story as it unfolds.
The props were really well deliver too. The standout was the science lab – a wonderfully imaginative set filled with bubbling jars, quirky experiments, and a splash of creativity brought the scene to life.
Often there’s one performer who stands out head and shoulders but this year’s Chippy panto feels like a full star cast. Tessca Vale delivers an engaging French villain who we all loved to boo and hiss. No encouragement need from the audience for that and she’s got a wonderfully wicked glint to her eye too!
If I had to pick a favourite it would be Evie James’ character Augustus. Great ad-libbing, comic timing and had us all laughing!
Special shout out has to go to the Pippins who were the young actors in last nights performance. They were so slick, professional, engaging and I was so impressed.
Photo Credits: Felicity Fox
The Theatre has been at the heart of the community in Chipping Norton for almost 50 years; bringing laughter, joy, original work and the arts to the Cotswolds. This is not possible without supporters including The Dragon School and Kingham Hill School
