Ruby Eva and Sion Lloyd will play the title roles in the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry 2021 panto Beauty and the Beast.
They will join Iain Lauchlan as Dame Dolly Mixture—his 22nd time as dame in Coventry—and Craig Hollingsworth as Silly Billy who will be celebrating his tenth anniversary in the Belgrade panto.
Three other actors return from the Belgrade’s last live panto, 2019’s Puss in Boots. Peter Watts will play the evil villain Maurice, Miriam Grace Edwards will be his sidekick Grub and David Gilbrook will play Beauty’s father Harold.
Katy Anna Southgate, who was in the Belgrade’s 2018 panto Sleeping Beauty, joins the cast as the magical Enchantress. Completing the cast are ensemble members Samuel Lake and Louie Wood.
Lauchlan, who again writes the show, said, “I’m absolutely thrilled that this year we’ll be having a live pantomime on the stage at the Belgrade. After a year without live panto, we can finally get together and experience the magic of theatre again.”
Beauty and the Beast will run on the Belgrade’s main stage from Wednesday 24 November until Saturday 8 January 2022.