Beauty and the Beast

“MAGICAL” “MAGICAL” “MAGICAL”

I was very excited at the thought of seeing Perform Musical Theatre in their production of “Beauty and the Beast”, at the Wydean School Chepstow. I was certainly not ready for the overwhelming impact of the outstanding performance that this amateur company achieved. I use the word amateur not to be derogatory but to emphasise just how professional this production was.

From the open set, with the iconic Rose displayed ; from the opening narrative by Andi Davies- Wilcox, the whole audience held their breath for something special and as the first musical number hit the stage, we all knew that the magic of Disney was before us.

Millie England as “Belle “made her entrance to the stage and into every heart. With a look that little children dream of, she walked, looked, smiled and sang; she danced and laughed, and the audience knew they were watching a true Disney Princess. Her performance was flawless and even her fellow performers reacted to her magic. An outstanding performance: She was Belle.

Tom Fantom as “The Beast” was totally mesmerising . His body movements were perfect. Anger, emotion, love and hate were all portrayed to perfection and all without the aid of facial expression. His characterisation of The Beast must be congratulated. He made every movement and mood so believable. The choreographed scenes with Belle were perfect.

Everyone loves to hate “Gaston”, and Mike Morris played him with perfect characterisation. The performance worked so well with other principal cast roles to Belle, The Beast, the towns people, his side kick Lefou and of course the doting Silly Girls played by Sophie Evans Zara Chapman and Ellie Hall. He was a perfect Gaston. This is of course a compliment.

Danielle Manning as “Lefou” has got to be the best natural comedienne, that I have seen for a very long time. Her comic timing ,body movement, facial expressions and the rapport that she develops within her role with other cast members is a gift to any stage. A superb performance.

Callum Woodward as “Lumiere” gave such a presence to this much-loved character. He looked and sounded just perfect. His body movement and facial expressions gave the perfect image. He never faltered in maintaining his body structure giving the perfect shape of the candlestick figure throughout the performance. The song of the show “Be Our Guest” was an absolute triumph of talent, stamina, Timing and excellent choreography .I applaud you all.

Jo Postle as “Cogsworth” gave a performance to remember. The characterisation was perfect, and her facial expressions and body movements were a pleasure to watch.

“Mrs Potts” played by Rachel Davies was excellent casting. Her lovely facial expressions and soft speech gave the perfect image. An emotional rendition of Tale as Old as Time completely captured the audience, along with the lovely character of “Chip” played by Harry Fear it was a beautiful performance.

A dazzling performance by Stephanie Dean as “Babette “and an excellent rapport with Lumiere. Cheeky chirpy and just a little naughty. Absolutely perfect. “Madam De La Grande Bouche” An enormous title and an enormous costume, well portrayed by Izzy O’Driscoll. Lovely characterisation and great movement around the stage despite the difficult costume. Very well done.

Ryan Gluyas as Maurice [The Father] gave a very good performance. Not an easy role to take on the actions and movement of the elder, but with the aid of appropriate make-up a very successful change was achieved.

There are so many characters within the show that make it so well loved and I must commend each and every one of the cast for their efforts in making this production such a joy to watch.

The choreography by Megan Pugh Adams made every scene burst into life and the dance of the wolves and the Enchantress was very innovative and entertaining. I must congratulate the technical team, as without this area of expertise this type of production would not be feasible, and the shifting and changing scenes would not have the same impact. So much of the staging depends on the skills of the lighting and special effects delivered by Cait Townsend [LX Design/Tech Coordinator] Andi Davies- Wilcox[Sound & Design Engineer] Tom Fantom [Set Engineer]

This show has been a highlight in the theatre year. My congratulations to Megan Pugh [Director]

The show is a triumph in every way for both Cast and Audience.

BRAVO

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