Beauty and the Beast - The Broadway Musical

Knowing you are walking into a Disney show always raises an element of expectation owing to the iconic and well loved songs and general magic which surrounds the tales. Beauty and the Beast in the creative hands of the YMTC Academy, delivers exactly that. 

As the show opens you see the stage through a gauze curtain. There is a single shaft of light falling on a glass dome containing the enchanted rose centre stage in front of an impressive sweeping staircase which is part of the interior of the Beast’s household. 

After a dreamlike prologue, nicely narrated which gives the audience it’s first glimpse of the Beast, we head to the bustling streets of Belle’s home village. The opening song in the town square is populated with a spectacular procession of the full ensemble - an indication of the thought and ingenuity which had gone into staging and choreographing such a large cast. It was well executed, each player smiling and focussed, right to the tiny, tiny youngsters, some as young as three and four! 

 

The opening song was rousing and led beautifully by the pretty vocals of Belle, a lovely performance which set the performance bar for the show. We then meet Le Fou, a mischievous and funny performance by this young actor, interacting nicely with the wonderfully arrogant and brash Gaston in another great portrayal. There is a lovely scene where he proposes to the horrified Belle, much to the noisy and tragic disappointment of his female fan club who each play their parts with much comic anguish.

 

The story progresses and the nicely eccentric Maurice departs with his outrageous invention for the inventors fair. I very much enjoyed the directing choice of the young cast of wolves in the woods who attack Maurice - this scene was charming and imaginative and the children played their parts very well, including the tiny young players. 

 

The energy built throughout and the show was dynamic and pacey. The choreography was practical and creative and well executed; the dancers were very well rehearsed and the ensemble worked delightfully. 

 

In the bewitched household we meet the Beast, nicely played after a slightly tentative start in the dream sequence. The burgeoning relationship between Beast and Belle was well paced with real authenticity and was nicely played by both. 

 

Particularly entertaining were each of the magical inhabitants of the house – I especially enjoyed the antics of, Cogsworth - a pompous but tragically human, Mrs Potts, who did a fabulous job, particularly with the iconic Beauty and the Beast song and the saucy and delightfully coquettish Babette.

There were a few technical issues early on, poor Lumiere’s mic went mute and the young actor did a good job of belting until sound was restored. This was remedied with impressive speed. 

 

The iconic “Gaston” song was one of many which were lovely to watch but this really showcased the vocals of the cast and the lovely working relationship between Gaston and Le Fou – excellent.

 

I must mention the vocals, choreography and direction – this was a mixed experience cast and every member was showed at their absolute best – this does not happen magically and is almost always the result of considered and inspiring coaching and leadership. 

 

The work and love that went into this show was evident at every turn. To mention the beautifully designed props and the sets from the outlines of the spooky forest, the village square, the balustrading at the Beast’s enchanted mansion, the construction of the furniture donned by the cast as they portrayed the wardrobe, the chest of drawers is only a sample of the work that went into this show. 

 

What an achievement, congratulations everyone on a truly superb show. 

 

Katie Jones

NODA 

 

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what they see at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance, and it is inevitable that their assessment will be affected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other

performances and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

 

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