Beauty and The Beast

Beauty and the Beast, based on the 1991 Disney film and a classic French fairy tale, is about a young woman named Belle who, in rescuing her father, ends up in a magical castle with a cursed Beast—and as they grow closer, they must discover love in time to break the spell before the enchanted rose loses its final petal.

It’s a big show for any group to take on, and for a youth group to take on the full version is impressive, and Phoenix did a great job. I’m seeing improvements in each production I come and see and am enjoying seeing the progression in all the children.

The set consisted of a raised area across the back with a central staircase, depicting different areas in the castle and adding some height, with added pieces of set furniture as required.  Smaller wheeled flats were moved on when in the village and Belle’s house, and the main tabs brought in when moving into the forest. Most of the performance took place on the larger floor area. High quality projections were used throughout which worked very well, particularly in the opening scene with the Narrator and in the castle. I felt that some of the scene transitions could have been smoother, especially when using the Tabs, bringing them in sooner and doing the scene change behind would have picked up the pace a little.

The lighting design worked well throughout, mainly using the rig above and to the side. Use of colour was good, and the use of haze created some nice effects. Lighting towards the audience can be a risk, but you managed this really well to create some lovely effects.

Sound was generally well cued, initially the orchestra was a little loud over the soloists in the first village scene but that seemed to rectify itself. Radio Microphones were well-controlled with minimal interference. Some lines from those without microphones were missed, but we appreciate the cost and management involved in doing so.

I want to congratulate the wardrobe/costume designers as they were great throughout, it’s not clear in the programme if some of the principal ones were hired, but either way they were all appropriate in style and in keeping with the story. The cheese grater and the whisk in particular made me smile. Belle’s yellow dress and the Beast’s costume were lovely.

The 10-piece orchestra played beautifully and was a highlight for me. I noticed some younger players among them, which was great to see. I’m seeing less and less live orchestras in amateur theatre these days, but it truly makes such a difference to the overall experience.

The choreography was kept simple and suitable for everyone in the group. I enjoyed the Beast and Belle’s dance and also Be My Guest. Impressive tumbling skills from the Champagne.  There was some congestion on-stage in the opening scene, perhaps because people were concerned about getting too close to the audience, though this was not an issue later in the production.

In reviewing the Principal Characters:

Belle: A charming confident and feisty performance, and lovely voice. I liked your relationship with your father.

Beast: Another really strong performance from you, well done. Maybe you could have found a bit more physicality in the Beast, so we could really see a transition back to being human. “If I Can’t Love Her” was a highlight for me.

Gaston: You certainly created a real presence on stage and really gave the part your all. Well done.

LeFou: A great character performance, you had so much energy throughout, with some lovely facial expressions, and physicality.

Mrs Potts: A suitably restrained and maternal portrayal, your performance of “Beauty and The Beast was lovely another highlight.

Lumiere: As I’ve come to expect from you, you gave a great character performance, some nice touches. A great accent just be careful we don’t lose some of the words. “Be Our Guest” was performed well.

Cogsworth: I really enjoyed your interpretation; you did uptight very well.

Mme de la Grande Bouche: Not an easy costume to manoeuvre about in, but you managed so well, your acting was strong throughout.

Babette: A good accent throughout, strong acting.

Chip: A lovely performance and well done for coping with being in that trolley in the heat. A great entrance utilising your gymnastic skills when you became human again.

Maurice: Playing a character so much older than yourselves is not easy, but you managed well, you had a lovely relationship with Belle throughout which really worked.

Mr D’Arque: A small part but well-played.

Les Filles De La Ville: Suitably “Silly” well done.

Ensemble: A great effort, I would have liked to see a bit more energy, confidence, and characterisation generally throughout, but I’m sure that as the cast matures and grows in confidence this will develop. Bonus points to you all for performing in that heat, in some of those costumes.

Well done a lovely performance, we had a great night (albeit very warm)

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