Beauty and the Beast

Everyone knows the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast. A selfish young Prince transformed into a hideous beast and forced to live in solitude until Beauty arrives and breaks the spell through her love.   The story has been told many times and even given the Disney magic touch featuring an enchanted castle where all the inhabitants have been turned into household objects.

Lucy Kirkwood has taken the original story and added a twist which makes you ask questions about gender identity and unrequited love.   The story is told in retrospect by our hosts the ‘Man in Pink’ and his French assistant, Cecile.  We soon learn that they are fairies and have a personal interest in the unfolding story. As Mr Pink says, ‘I expect you have been told fairy tales before, but you have never heard a fairy tale until you have heard it from a real fairy.’   The fairies endlessly banter like an old married couple with Mr Pink making chauvinist comments as Cecile stomps around petulantly.   She wishes to have a bigger part in the partnership – she is fed up with Mr Pink’s empty promises as she wants to sing the song that Mr Pink has promised her!  Mr Pink is obviously irked by her constant whinging and quickly takes control by setting the scene for the story.  A handsome young prince rejects the attentions of a fairy and in a jealous rage the fairy transforms him into a hideous beast. 

Mr Pink then presents us with a single red rose and tells us that its theft is responsible for all the subsequent events that occur.  We next meet a lost and hungry man who has inadvertently stumbled into the beast’s castle.  Starving and desperate for food, he helps himself to the trolly of roast meat.  The shadow fairies use a device called a ‘Thought Snatcher’ a vacuum like tube machine that sucks out the inner thoughts of its victims.  The traveller’s inner thoughts tell us about his daughter Beauty and how he has promised to bring her back a rose from his travels. He spies a beautiful rose and takes it from under a glass dome.  Suddenly, the furious Beast appears and insists that Beauty is brought to the castle to live with him – forever.

We then halt the action by means of a complex machine with a big red button that ‘freeze frames’ creating a tableau.  Our hosts are back to fill us in on more of the story (a handy device for scene changes).  Mr Pink tells the audience that we have been told by our parents that it is wicked to steal things, but they are wrong. If Beauty’s father hadn’t stolen the rose ‘she wouldn’t have been forfeit to the Beast and there would have been no story.’   We next meet Beauty and her sister Lettice, a spoilt young lady who flies into a temper at the slightest thing.  Father arrives home and tells the horrified Beauty of his pact with the Beast.

Another scene change, and a hesitant Beauty arrives at the castle to be abandoned to her fate.  But this is no usual helpless heroine.  She is feisty and more than a match for the beast even insulting him at times complaining of his halitosis!  Gradually over time Beauty starts to fall for the gruff beast and quickly deduces that his real name is George.  The shadow fairies use the Thought Snatcher to read the inner thoughts of both Beauty and the Beast which helps to advance their relationship.  In a touching scene, Beast gives her a telescope and then fills the backdrop with stars.  He also gifts her with a device that grants her dearest wishes and a magical mirror so she can see the ghost of her mother. Beauty is starting to enjoy living in the castle but then she sees a terrible vision in the mirror – her father is ill and close to death.  Despite his growing affection for Beauty, the Beast releases her to visit her father with the promise that she would return. 

But here comes the twist.   Our Mr Pink is not all what he makes himself out to be - he is a wicked fairy and in fact the very one that placed the curse on poor George.  In an act of revenge, Mr Pink uses Beauty’s sister to persuade Beauty to stay in the full knowledge that the Beast will die.  Mr Pink does not want this tale to have a happy ending as he is still nursing a broken heart from George’s rejection.  It is down to Cecile to reason with Mr Pink and ensure the happy ending we truly desire.

Our two hosts Mr Pink (Robeol Michael) and Cecile (Jade Morrison Oreilly) played their parts very well and the relationship between the two was well done.  We got the impression that the characters have known each other a long time and therefore able to chastise each other mercilessly and squabble creating much of the humour with a hint of menace.  We even see Mr Pink conducting a miniature insect orchestra and Cecile finally gets to perform her song – ‘No one loves a fairy when she’s forty’.  Mr Pink was commanding as the master of ceremonies adding an almost festival feel, smashing through the fourth wall to interact with the audience even coming out pantomime style to use the ‘Thought Snatcher’ on some unwitting victims!

Beauty (Grace Freeman also the director) was miles away from our traditional heroine and played the part well and at short notice.  Her relationship with the Beast was sweet growing from a respect and friendship before eventually blossoming into true love.  Beast (Matthew Bain also the Producer) was a different take on the traditional hairy monster as he used body language and vocalisations to create the creature rather than prosthetics and costumes.  He rarely made eye contact with Beauty preferring to skulk around his body low to the ground while flexing his claws.  This was a beast with a man trapped inside desperate for release.

The main characters were ably supported by Adam Kuhl as the father a hapless pawn of destiny whose actions would result in the curse finally being lifted.  Beauty’s sister Lettice (Lindsey Pollitt) was deliciously spoilt as she flounced around the set and the scene where, influenced by a vengeful Mr Pink, she slyly persuaded Beauty not to return to the Beast was well done.

Costumes were in keeping with the traditional fairy tale with the shadow fairies (Molly Thorpe and Lauren Paul) in velvet draping dresses that moved fluidly as they danced. Beauty wore a simple red dress which she later swapped for a more practical pair of trousers.  The Man in Pink wore a suit (pink of course!) and sported some sparkly jazzy boots.  The Beast was barefoot, swathed in a black silk cloak which billowed and rippled as he moved and wore black nail varnish to accentuate his claws.  The stage was a simple two-tier framework to represent the castle and wooden panels that pivoted to form the house.  Props included the ‘Thought Snatcher’ which was a mini Hetty vacuum cleaner on a trolly draped with fairy lights.  Lighting was used well especially the glitter ball to create a myriad of stars and the red lights to turn the curtain crimson.

Well done director Grace Freeman and the production team for creating this unusual but charming take on a traditional tale injecting humour and a twist to a well-loved story.  Thank you also to Alison Duncombe for another warm welcome and chance to meet the cast afterwards.

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