Beauty and the Beast

This was my first trip to see the Wayfarers, a company with a great reputation in a lovely venue and with a directing team reuniting for a second time. It promised to be a great show and wow, did they deliver!!

Gathering everyone into the spirit, the show started as it meant to go on with an audience countdown before the overture began.

The show opened and Masquerade was played as dancers moved behind a gauze curtain and, with the help of the lovely narrator, we are cast back to the night the foolish young prince was condemned to be a Beast until such time as he found and inspired real love.

The opening sequence followed snatches of the original fairytale and was a magical prologue.
It was immediately obvious as this show progressed that a huge amount of thought, time and work had been poured into all aspects of this project.  The set was cleverly designed from the very lavish multi-level interior of the castle to the forest and the village square. The props were witty and imaginative particularly Papa’s Invention Trolley and the tandem and the sound, lights and special effects were superb.

The fairies, sassy Sacrebleu and the lovely Spirit were well cast, each very competent performers and both brought great character to their opposing roles.
There was an energetic, upbeat opening chorus as we are introduced to Belle and the ensemble with a nicely rehearsed dance routine.

We also meet Belle’s enthusiastic suitor, Franque along with his patient friend, Clochard  and their entourage of adoring fans, Annette, Babette, Cosette and… Tracey – this group of ladies were very funny and worked very well together as they drooled over the egotistical Franque.

Franque was a confident and sauve performance – he could very easily have stopped the show and commanded an encore with his brilliant I’m sexy and I know it routine – this was side splitting and a very memorable panto moment with excellent choreography.
Belle’s was a lovely performance, played with gentle humour and great vocals.

The entrance of the lovely Fifi, the Dame as she made her way in through the audience was a joy and her outrageous French accent was really enjoyable. Her interplay throughout with the funny, talented performer playing Brie, was a great part of this show.

The choices by the choreographer created a lovely variety of styles all beautifully taught and performed with relish – it’s always great to see tapping and this company had it all.
Papa makes his trip to the fair, gets lost and we all know what happens next – we then get to meet the lovely inhabitants of the castle. Although it had been great all the way through, this was a point at which the skill of the wardrobe team really shone – the household staff looked fabulous, each costume sparkly gorgeous and very original. 

As Poivre, Sale, Fourchette and Cuilliere launched into Busy Doing Nothing in a lovely melodic arrangement, it was striking how well the casting had worked and how inclusive the script was to incorporate so many very talented players. The beast was deliciously scary and we were treated to a truly brilliant UV scene – these are such a juggling act and can easily fall flat – that was not the case here – the creatures were wild and inventive and the timing worked perfectly – that the sequence was executed to Thriller added the cherry on top!!

Another truly great number and a personal favourite was Be Prepared – very nicely performed by Sacre Bleu, Franque, Clochard and Company. The romantic ballad, A Thousand Years performed by Belle and the Beast was enchanting and Everybody Needs Somebody To Love was a great favourite too.  

This was a memorable, thoroughly enjoyable evening – the effort that went into Beauty and the Beast by everyone involved really paid off – the show glittered from beginning to end.

Congratulations Wayfarers – what a great show!!!
 

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