Meet the cast of pantomime, Beauty and the Beast

We're excited to reveal the cast of our pantomime, Beauty and the Beast.

A magical charm has transformed a Prince into a beastly creature. Now trapped in his castle, only true love will lift the spell...

Enter Belle, a Huddersfield lass who loves nothing more than getting lost in a good book. But Belle’s a bit fed up. She’s feeling lonely and dreams of the faraway lands and love stories she finds between the pages. Could she be the one to lift the curse? 

Full of incredible effects, lavish costumes, a side-splitting script and big musical numbers prepare for this fairytale with a Lawrence Batley Theatre twist that will leave you positively spellbound. 

Back for his fourth pantomime, Pete Toon (A Kick in the Baubles – Hull Truck, The Tempest – Northern Broadsides) returns as Dame, this time taking on the role of Betty Bonbon. Pete has become a firm favourite with Huddersfield audiences, families now returning year-on-year for his trademark warmth and cheeky humour.

Playing the title roles of Belle and Prince Friedrich/Beast, Sonia Wrightson (Pick ‘n’ Mix – Leeds Playhouse, If All The World Were – Tutti Frutti Productions) is back for her third Lawrence Batley Theatre pantomime, and after making his debut last year Reece Carter (Goldilocks and the Three Bears – Nottingham Playhouse, The Princess and the Sprout – Wrongsemble) returns. Both hailing from West Yorkshire, Sonia is a Bradford-born actress and Reece is born and bred in Leeds.

We have two new cast members making their Lawrence Batley Theatre pantomime debuts this year. Shady Murphy (Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood – Spontaneous Productions, Fighting Irish – Belgrade Theatre) will play Belle’s sister Soufflé. Local audiences may remember Shady from her electrifying performance as Katherina in HER Productions The Taming of the “Shrew” which visited the theatre last year. Oluwalonimi (Nimi) Owoyemi (Wind in the Willows – Shakespeare North Playhouse, SoftLad – Wonderif Theatre) joins as Stupid Cupid. Huddersfield audiences will recognise Nimi from his appearances in musicals with the Huddersfield Light Opera Company.

Two familiar faces are also back. James McLean (Much Ado About Nothing – Northern Broadsides, A Christmas Carol – Derby Theatre) plays Belle and Soufflé’s father Monsieur Marzipan and Shorelle Hepkin (Robin Hood – Oldham Coliseum, Little Red – Page 2 Stage) becomes the malevolent enchantress Spite. This is Bradford based James’ fourth Huddersfield panto; audiences may have also recently seen him appearing in local theatre company Mikron’s 2025 shows. After her loveable appearances as Fairy Godmother and Meowly Cyrus, this time around Shorelle is ready for boos and hisses as she takes on the part of the baddie.

We also welcome Leeds-based actor Lauren Bickerdike (The Man in the Shadows – Leeds Playhouse, Somewhere: The New Musical – Bradford Alhambra) to the panto team as Understudy.

Our award-winning pantomime is produced by the team at Lawrence Batley Theatre. Back at the helm for the fourth time Rachel Gee leads the creative team as Director/Choreographer. Writer Andrew Pollard returns penning his eighth pantomime script for the theatre. Returning creatives also include Musical Director Robert Cooper, Lighting DesignerChris Brearley and Sound Designer Jonathan Hudson. From the in-house team Becky Dash is Producer, with Olivia Race as Creative Producer/Assistant Director, and Keisha Hamilton as Assistant Choreographer.

Becky Dash, Chief Executive of Lawrence Batley Theatre, said, "Being able to produce our very own home grown pantomime for the people of Huddersfield is an absolute joy. We have been deep in planning for Beauty and the Beast since January and can promise another year of larger than life characters, lots of silliness and a twist on the traditional tale. The cast and creative team is packed with northern talent, lots of returning faces and some brilliant new additions too. Panto is a real highlight of our year as we get to be creative, put our own stamp on a production and welcome in tens of thousands of local people to spread a little magic over the festive season."

Beauty and the Beast will open on Mon 1 December 2025 and run until Sun 4 January 2026.