SINODUN Players are promising to amaze audiences when they take to the stage in Wallingford with their annual pantomime offering Beauty and the Beast.

The jaw-dropping moment will come when Prince Danton, played by principal boy Samantha Field, undergoes his transformation into the ugly Beast — but the Players are not letting on how it will be achieved.

Sinodun will be aiming for a hat-trick with the panto written by Alan P Frayn, as two of his other seasonal scripts performed by the company have previously won them the best panto accolade awarded annually by Oxfordshire Drama Network.

The show, directed by Julie Utley, promises a traditional tale with many twists and turns before the inevitable happy ending, but with some imaginative new characters thrown into the mix to provide extra dashes of humour.

Playing opposite Samantha as the Prince/Beast is Annabelle Buckland, who is marking her debut in panto as the beautiful heroine Belle.

However, she is not new to Sinodun’s ranks, having previously appeared in its productions of Alan Ayckbourn’s House and Garden and Dancing at Lughnasa, by Brian Friel.

She might not have appeared in a panto, but she is well used to the experience of seeing one from the audience’s point of view at the town’s Corn Exchange, coming from a family in which it was a tradtional outing to see Sinodun’s seasonal fun.

Annabelle, who works in sales and marketing but would like to pursue a career in radio, said: “I really love this new experience of pantomime. I enjoy every rehearsal.

“We have such fun!"

Samantha said she was delighted at the chance to play the Prince/Beast as she just played the part of Belle in Enchanted Theatre Tours’ production of Beauty and the Beast.

She works as a communication officer at the University of Reading and is a member of Mensa. Her partner Kevin Goodfellow is also appearing in the Sinodun show, playing one of the two comedic beauticians Marcel and Monique alongside Rebecca Cleverley Belle has to contend with the antics of her two older sisters, Ermengarde and Esmeralda (Barbara Wood and Marilyn Johnstone), a couple of greedy and selfish madams who flounce around thinking they are the bees’ knees.

Belle’s scientist father Alphonse (Keith Yapp) is eccentric and lovable, but no match for his two other flighty daughters.

David Simmons takes the role of the panto dame, playing French maid Madame Fifi, who has a lazy son Jacques (Joel Webster). Hunky lothario Gustave, played by Alex Watts, might have big muscles but has certainly been short-changed in the brain department.

The role of glamorous baddie enchantress Belladonna is taken by Sarah Enticknap.

Completing the cast are Pete Smithson as Monsieur Le Fou and Monica Beacroft as Flora.

Director Utley said: “Despite being really hard work, I have enjoyed doing this production as we have a very strong cast, a very full chorus and I have been able to share the highs and lows with my co-director Caroline Wilkes which makes a lot of difference when you take on a huge project like pantomime.”

The panto is being performed at the Corn Exchange in Market Place from Friday to Saturday, January 16 to 31, at 7.30pm, with Saturday matinées at 2.30pm. There are no performances on Sunday or Monday.

Tickets are £10 from Tuesday to Thursday, £12 on Friday and Saturday and £6 for under-16s throughout the run. They are available online from www.cornexchange.org.uk or from the box office on 01491 825000 between 10am and 2pm Fridays and Saturdays and 7-8pm nightly.