The Beast and the Prince in Portsmouth this Christmas

This year, he’s heading west to play the same roles – with some of the same cast – at the New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth, running from December 13-January 5.

“I just loved it so much last year so it is fantastic to come back and do the roles again, this time in Portsmouth which is a new theatre for me. I have never been here before but it has immediately become one of my favourite theatres. It's a Matcham design and I love how grand it feels and also how intimate. And also I'm a huge Laurel & Hardy fan. I grew up on them. I absolutely love their comedy and knowing that they played on the stage here, it's great to be stepping on this sacred hallowed ground. Just the thought of it brings me a lot of joy.

“Last year in Eastbourne went really well and it was fantastic to watch people really get into the story. What is lovely about this shows is that yes, it is fun and yes, it has got some big songs and some big costumes and some big characters but it is at heart a good and really lovely story that comes with its very own panto twist and flair. You know that people will have a great time but that they will have also enjoyed a really good tale.”

And Lewes once again gets a really great character to play, in fact three characters in one: “You start as the very arrogant, pompous prince and then he has his beastly transformation and it's a delight to act that. It is not just a surface pantomime. There's a real depth to it and it's nice to see how the children in the audience sense what is right and what is wrong. The audience will tell you and they know exactly what they think and I think that's echoed loudly in their response when the arrogant prince becomes a beast and gets a little bit of growth! It's personal growth but it is also massive hair growth!

“And my beast is pretty scary sometimes. I'm six foot six and when I am on the stage in the mask and the fur, the beast is a pretty striking figure and that's what is lovely about Beauty and the Beast: there's a real sense of jeopardy. When he first steps out it's a marvellous sequence in the show because the beast is very imposing. Where else do you get to make the audience laugh and maybe also cry a bit but also feel a little bit scared... but all in a fun way!”

And then comes the transformation through love: “It is all a great lesson that he learns and luckily our prince very much learns his lesson. In pantomime even the villain gets the chance to turn.”

The cast is Chris Aukett as Dame Dorothea; Lewes Roberts as the Prince/Beast; Christian James as Potty Pierre; Breanna Bradshaw as Beauty; Rachel Stanley as Malevolent; Becky Vere as Fairy Formidable; and Brendan Hooper as Jean Jacques. Tickets from the venue.