The cast for this year’s Eastbourne pantomime Beauty and the Beast, including Hollyoaks actress Carley Stenson, assembled in the town this week to officially launch the show to a group of invited VIP’s prior to its Christmas run at the Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne from 12th December until 11th January.
The event saw an on-stage presentation with stand-up from local comedian Tucker , a powerful performance of “The Life I Never Led” from Emily Bull who will play Beauty, a chat with West End and Hollyoaks actress Carley Stenson, who is looking forward to playing the wicked Malevolent and we had a “smashing” time with resident dame Martyn Knight.
Carley Stenson took time out of the West End to make the trip to Eastbourne to launch the show and, after the presentation, I asked her about her upcoming role as the “baddie” of the piece…
People tell me that being the baddie is the best part.
I think it is, and I’m really excited about it. I can’t wait to get the script and to see exactly how bad I am! Do I have an evil laugh? What will my make up look like? Can I have my hair a bit crazy too? I believe that I get a chance to sing, which I’ve done before in Shrek, when I played Princess Fiona, and Legally Blonde and Spamalot as well, but I don’t know what songs yet.
Your panto schedule is very intense; do you think that working on Hollyoaks will help you cope with that?
Yes, I suppose, so, but I guess you just get used to it. We used to work 5 or 6 days a week, from 7am and 7pm and so they were very long days, but theatre rehearsals can be just as intense. The rehearsal period for Shrek was a lot like that because there are lots of floor traps and scenery shifting with me in the middle, wearing a very big costume, so you had to know exactly where you should be all the time.
I suppose, with the panto, you have a limited run, Hollyoaks must have been relentless for the ten years you were in it.
The thing with it is, you can’t predict how your week will be, you can’t even predict what you’ll have to do tomorrow so it is a little bit unnerving and, to be honest, I’m still not used to having days off or being able to say “yes” when people ask if you can do things. I used to have to say, “Maybe I can tell you the day before”, but even then I sometimes had to cancel. But that is the only negative; the best part is that you get so many wonderful opportunities from it.
Like playing to the packed panto houses at Eastbourne!
Oh yes! It’s so scary, but there’s nothing like the buzz, that adrenaline rush that you get from a live audience. I just can’t wait. I’m really looking forward to spending Christmas in the town, it’s going to be wonderful.
In this production, the heroine’s name is taken straight from the title and Beauty is played by Emily Bull who told me about playing the part…
Is this a part that you have played before?
It is actually yes. I played her three Christmas’s ago, but I had brown hair back then not blonde like it is now. That was in Colchester, but I’ve heard that Eastbourne is a really great venue to play. Casts, in general, do become like a little family when you’re all performing together and I’m really looking forward to becoming part of the Eastbourne family.
Many of the children will know Beauty and the Beast from the Disney film. How difficult is it to make a part like that your own?
I think, when you’re given a script, you find the character with in it and, from there, you can begin to put yourself into that character. I ask questions like, “How would I react to that?” and then, based on the character and the background that the character has, you can start to build her a life. She has to have a life because she is a real woman and audiences react well to a genuine character and, what you really want is for every little girl to aspire to be her.
Local comedian Tucker takes on the part of Potty Pierre with Eastbourne’s resident Dame, Martyn Knight, looking forward to taking the stage in his brand new and extensive wardrobe of outrageous outfits.
Beauty and the Beast marks the 14th in-house produced pantomime for Eastbourne Theatres and the show will be packed with the trade-mark ingredients, live band, stunning costumes, corny gags and will be a real thing of beauty.
Tickets are already selling fast and, as usual, some performances are already almost sold-out. Tickets are priced from £12 – £20 and can be booked through the Devonshire Park Theatre box office on 01323 412000 or online www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk.