Curtain rises on Scotland’s smallest pro panto – Ya Wee Beauty & The Beastie

It is Scotland’s smallest professional panto. The stage at the Kings Theatre, Kirkcaldy, is only big enough for a cast of five, but it is a production with a huge heart, and one which has proved a hit with audiences since launching three years ago.

The opening gala night on of Ya Wee Beauty And The Beastie last Thursday was one of a number of full houses already booked at the 100-seater venue.

The panto, written and directed by Jonathon Stone, has a packed six-week schedule which includes sold-out school shows, matinees, relaxed performances and some adults only nights on the other side of Hogmanay.

He bills the panto as “small in size but huge in ambition” and points to one other unique claim to fame - it has retained the same cast and crew since launching in 2020. Billy Mack, the doyen of panto dames in Fife theatreland, is joined by Kirsty Strachan, Marc McDonnell, Sarah Brown-Cooper, and Robin McKenzie on stage, with musical director Stephen Roberts, and Graham Scott who is the voice of the cat from the wings.

The backdrop of Kirkcaldy's fab wee panto ‘Ya Wee Beauty And Beastie’ designed by Crail based artist Lilias Conroy (Pic: Lewis Milne)

Graham was also instrumental in launching the show to ensure Kirkcaldy’s long panto tradition was maintained while the Adam Smith Theatre was closed for a three-year refurbishment. He went to Billy and then Jonathon, and created a whole new audience at the Kings.

The only limitation on the team is the size of the stage, but that is worked around by using the entire room with cast members entering through every door, and also springing up around the building, inside and outside, to get to their next scene.

“It’s incredible fun,” said Jonathon. “Because it is in such a small venue it is panto up close and personal. In 30 years of directing pantos, I have never experienced such a reaction to a show - we had such a positive response. With a full house there is a real buzz. It is fantastic.”

The fact the cast of five has remained unchanged for a third season also makes it stand apart from all other touring shows - and allows rehearsals to move quickly from the opening read through.

The cast of the panto Ya Wee Beauty and the Beastie turned on the High Street's Christmas lights on Saturday.

The Kings’ pantos have always had a strong Lang Toun feel – and this year that has been strengthened even further. The High Street has been turned into one of several cloth backdrops specially commissioned for the show, while Beveridge and Ravenscraig Park are brought into a narrative with lots of ultra local jokes and scenes.

As well as his feline role, Graham, is single-handedly building all the sets, based around a theme of a semi-ruined castle, to transform the stage. Everything has to be measured down to millimetre to fit the exacting dimensions of the stage.

The finished result will transform the theatre – and transfix audiences. Last year, without exception, they left full of praise for the show and, for many, it was their first experience of live theatre. For youngsters it is not as daunting as sitting in a huge theatre – so much so, in one scene last season, when Billy was left out of a group hug, one wee boy climbed up on stage and gave him a cuddle.

For Jonathon the magic of panto is simple: “If we can make them laugh and cry we have done our jobs. There really is no other theatre quite like this. We have comedy, dance, we have a love story and we have songs – last year’s song about Kirkcaldy was moving and special. It’s going to be even better this year.”