Caleb being at work hasn’t slowed me down from going out, but going to the British Club and hoping to get in without a member(ship) could have. I was going to see the matinee of Beauty and the Beast Pantomime — where there is always a girl dressed as a boy (who would get the audience to say oui, oui — louder and longer), a Dame played by a man who is an over-the-top (best costume) dressed woman (Fifi, controller of the bright red handle), a sassy heroine (Belle), and some bad guys that we got to boo!

I got to the ticket window and was lucky enough to buy one of the last three tickets. It is my first time here and didn’t leave me many minutes to explore the sports fields or heated pool before the show started. I sat near the back, as the front was full of the other 120 people, with parents putting little ones in their laps to make more room. The show was a great mix of local knowledge and being snobbish towards other clubs (Yacht and Rugby). It was British humor with a French touch as that’s where the story is set. There were a few changes to the storyline and a moral that beauty is more than skin deep.

Belle, Gaston, Beast, and Mrs. Potts

Belle was trying to get the Beast to invite her to dinner politely and when she asked which word came next the voice of a three-year-old girl from the audience answered for him and received ahhs and applause from the crowd for her cute, “please”. There was an intermission for more popcorn on the floor and beers in hand, but I stayed in my seat perched on my ankles so I could get my camera over heads. The costumes were great and the engagement so authentic between actors and involved spectators. Dusk had arrived when I left the small theater two hours later.