Beauty and The Beast

This Ron Hall adaptation of Beauty and the Beast was an excellent choice, with plenty of opportunity to add those magical moments and make good use of an abundance of comedy. S.A.D.S took full advantage, utilizing all that was on offer and then some, with a generous sprinkling of glitz and glamour to boot. Principals brought their ‘seasoned’ experience to the fore, bringing energy and high spirits in their own irrepressible way. While Belle and Prince Andree charmed with their gentle presentation, Alphonse and Esmeralda kept the comedy at the centre of the action, their timing spot on, a team to be truly reckoned with! Cast a dame who can ‘talk the talk’ and throw in ad-libs at every opportunity and you are on to a winner, the outrageous Madame Fifi kept them coming, much to the amusement of the audience. A hilarious ‘haunted house’ slapstick scene, endorsed the skill of this talented trio. The lovely Rose fairy and suitably ‘grotty’ enchantress (Grottilda) brought the inevitable altercation between right and wrong to the mix, along with a large, splendidly dressed  beast whose loud, electronically aided distorted voice, caused a highly charged reaction from several children in the audience, initial shock over, calm was quickly restored! There appeared a distinct divide between acts one and two with the first presenting as your traditional “oh yes it is, oh no it isn’t”, while the second appeared more modern, with some ‘edgy’ dance sequences, performed with  skilful dynamism, both sets entertaining in their own right. Visually, the production could not be faulted, costumes were striking and colourful, none more so than in the ‘Masquerade’ number. This production was jam packed with entertainment, enough to please the most stalwart of pantomime lovers.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.