Beauty And The Beast The Broadway Musical

It is a big undertaking to tackle something as iconic as Disney`s 'Beauty And The Beast' and keep it very much the same, but also give it your own twist. However, Rochdale Musical Theatre Company did it with grace and aplomb!

Champness Hall is a somewhat difficult space to stage this production in, but with a little imagination and some theatrical magic it was transformed into a very workable area. A large video wall provided by MSL Group at the rear of the space allowed the scene backdrops to be played - there was a particularly good one in the forest that felt very 3D. The tiered bench style seating towards the back of the stage area was well utilised as the raised West wing which housed the wilting rose, part way up a small balustrade gave 'The Beast' a small platform area to deliver his dialogue and vocals from. The flat performance space had been extended forwards which allowed all the cast to move about with a little more ease. A light up fountain was brought on to aid the visual that we were in Belle`s little French village. The sound by MASH Audiovisual was good throughout with no gremlins, unfortunately at times it was difficult to hear because of the audience – rustling sweet wrappers, talking loudly throughout both dialogue and vocals and singing along during all musical numbers, my heart goes out to any cast having to continue to perform and entertain while this is going on, well done. The lighting by MSL Group and operated by Aaron Smith was sympathetic to the scenes, it can be difficult when working with a video wall too because of light fall but everything looked great, it was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into the plot. The blue drench wash that we walked into when we entered the auditorium was very atmospheric and was a perfect Disney blue match. The costumes hired in from Triple C looked beautiful on stage and appeared to fit well. I must mention Belle`s dress by Philippa Jepsen – it was quite simply spectacular!  A full skirted, sumptuous, luxurious yellow satin with a soft voile satin edged tiered overlay combined with an embellished jacquard bodice with a voile shawl collar highlighted with yellow satin roses – instantly recognisable . I must also at this point mention the ease that  Emma Konnanov (Belle)  moved about the stage in this “monster” (I mean that in the nicest possible way) of a dress – not an easy task!

Chris Addington is the Musical Director behind this production, the sound that he produced from his orchestra and cast was phenomenal, at times I had to check that we weren`t being played tracks as everything was so tight and clean – Bravo! The harmonies were on point, the words in the musical numbers could be heard clearly. Nikki Cooke as Choreographer had a huge task on her hands with there being so many big ensemble numbers and the stage space being so compact but it did not phase her. I loved the  “Gaston”  number in particular, the tankards choreography was fantastic, the timing spot on. The cast clearly enjoying themselves.

The three girls in the village (Gemma Chapman, Lucy Young and Faye Allison) certainly were very believable in their love/lust for Gaston (Ben Vaughan) there were  some good comedic elements in their performance , their vocals were good and they used their stage space well. The chemistry on stage between Cogsworth (Ben Maguire), Lumiere (Ben Drane), Mrs Potts (Alison Foy), Madame De La Grande Bouche (Ainsley Neill) and Babette (Becky Woolstencroft) was very evident, the bouncy fun repertoire flowed well with good pace and reaction, it was also very clear that none of them were strangers to a stage , they all used their stage space well, made a good connection with the audience and delivered all their dialogue and vocals with great projection and good diction. The various accents used in this production, in particular, the exaggerated French from  Lumiere (Ben Drane) and Babette (Becky Woolstencroft)  were good. I loved “Human Again” between all of them, it gave us a chance to really see them emote. The scenes between Gaston (Ben Vaughan) and Lefou (Kit Phillips) were comedy gold, they controlled the audience well with just enough slapstick while still maintaining the fundamental principal that it is a musical . Personally, I was a little confused as to why Lefou had a strong cockney accent but perhaps it was a directorial decision to add extra interest, it did not detract from the character portrayal . As I said earlier I loved the “Gaston” number – it had everything ! Such a physical performance from both Ben and Kit while delivering strong vocals deserves recognition, especially with it being a long song. The Beast played by Liam Dodd did so well moving about his low lit stage area in his prosthetics before he even uttered a word, when he did his diction was clear and projection good. “If I Can`t Love Her” is one of my favourite songs from this musical, Liam`s delivery was good with lots of  light and shade, personally at the key change I would have liked a little bit more power but I do appreciate that this musical is a bit of a beast vocally and it requires such  an intense performance at all times it soon takes all that you have  – in that respect it is similar in my mind to Les Mis. Belle ( Emma Konnanov) owned the stage as soon as she appeared in “Belle”, her vocals were spot on. She had a definite smile in her voice and some good energy which was present all the way through. Her facial expressions of distaste towards Gaston were fantastic and big, she connected well with the audience which did consist of quite a lot of children that were expecting to see Disney`s Belle she most certainly delivered and did not disappoint. Her evolving trust and love for The Beast (Liam Dodd) was played out beautifully both in facial expression and in body language.

The ensemble have a lot to do in this production and they brought tons of energy every time they appeared, they were very well rehearsed in their choreography and they executed it all well . Thank you for inviting me, both myself and my guest enjoyed your production. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

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