Lincoln panto with heart-throb Jake Quickenden spreads joy with successful first shows

New Theatre Royal Lincoln’s Christmas pantomime production of Beauty & The Beast has proven to be a big hit so far, with Scunthorpe-born TV personality Jake Quickenden at the helm of the show.

Beauty & The Beast opened at New Theatre Royal for its Christmas run on Friday, December 10 to a sold out audience who thoroughly enjoyed the show.

The cast includes star of The Voice Zoe Hanna May, who plays the lead role of Belle, James de Lauch Hay who plays the part of the Beast/Prince Roberto, and TV heartthrob Jake Quickenden, who portrays Flash Hugo.

The lead role of Belle is played by Zoe Hanna May. | Photo: Caroline Keyworth

Quickenden’s character is a vain, self-indulgent man who desperately tries to get Belle to marry him, and he is always accompanied by The Sing It Sisters, three women who will either burst into song or quote iconic films at any opportunity.

As well as this, CBBC’s Yonko and New Theatre Royal panto regular Chris Johnson is in the production, playing Belle’s father, clumsy inventor Ivar Brainstorm.

Flash Hugo always has his biggest fans the Sing It Sisters by his side. | Photo: Caroline Keyworth

The story follows the journey of Belle, an intelligent and beautiful girl looking for love, and how she ends up crossing paths with Prince Roberto, who has a curse cast upon him that turns him into a beast, and can only be cured with the power of love.

The show is a modern twist on a timeless classic, incorporating the realms of selfies and TikTok into a tale as old as time in the form of Beauty & The Beast.

Jake Quickenden on stage with Chris Johnson, pantomime regular at New Theatre Royal. | Photo: Caroline Keyworth

There are thrills, spills, moments of sincerity as well as witty jokes for both children and adults alike, along with some fantastic audience interaction in true pantomime fashion.

Members of The Lincolnite reporting team went to the opening night of the production and were wowed by the high calibre production value and fantastic acting, balancing sincerity with humour.

Hugo jokes about ‘taking a selfie’ in the mirror he regularly holds to look at himself. | Photo: Caroline Keyworth

Beauty & The Beast will run at the New Theatre Royal in Lincoln until January 9, 2022, with two to three shows a day all the way through the festive run-in, apart from Christmas Day itself.

To book tickets, which cost £26 for adults, £23 for under 18s and over 65s, or £90 for a family ticket of two adults and two children, visit the NTR Lincoln website.

A triumphant panto return for NTR Lincoln. | Photo: Caroline Keyworth

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