Beauty Is A Beast

In their Second Production since reforming the Junior section of St Augustine’s Repertory Society the cast this time round was full of new faces with a big section of the previous show now moved on to University and other ventures. It was great to not only see new members involved but also some familiar faces take on more Principal roles in this entertaining play, Beauty is a Beast by D.M.Larson.

The script is written in a humorous manner yet with very serious messages behind them as an Alien is sent to teach Princess Beauty a lesson in humility and compassion. 

Despite being overall a very inexperienced cast the whole group of roughly 20 Juniors did a great job under the joint direction of Donna Watson and Alan Anderson. The comedy was never allowed to overwhelm the messages in the plot and the whole show had a good balance to it.

The modern day setting allowed costuming to be relatively simple with just a number of key characters flamboyant dressed with the King looking extremely regal and Beauty herself combining a lovely mix of Rags and Riches outfits.

There wasn’t the need for huge amounts of scenery but colourful backdrops combined perfectly with the lighting to create some lovely pictures on stage. The sound balance was good throughout with only a couple of Mic hiccups (quick lesson for the Juniors - sometimes your Microphones aren't always off when you are backstage!).

Being a relatively short play the Production team used a selection of music pieces in the show. Not only did this create a great party atmosphere at the Balls with some really fun and imaginative choreography from Jody Watson (I especially liked the dance off in the Finale). It also allowed some of the Principal Cast members to show off some lovely vocals in well chosen solo pieces.

Narrating the story and keeping us on the right track was our Alien, Celeste played by Alesha Hall. This young lady did a lovely job, dressed in a shiny shell suit style space suit with matching sparkling make-up. Her lines were delivered clearly showing off a good understanding of pace and story telling. When called upon she interacted well with the other cast members showing a good stage presence.

Princess Beauty’s character starts off as a right royal Spoiled Brat and Jasmine Ellerton really took to this role showing a real snobbish behaviour to her character looking down on everyone. Her shock and disgust as her Sister, Princess Honor is chosen as the Fiance for Prince Andres. As her character is forced into exile and poverty we saw not only her image become distressed but her characterisation too. Fighting against her urges to be catty to everyone she encounters, we really saw her character warm and blossom, the whole play saw Jasmine really explore and develop her role. Her solo was not only lovely to listen to but again she showed great meaning in the lyrics.

Playing her sister Honor was the really impressive Sayde Malcolm who lit up the stage on every entrance. With her beaming smile and cheery line delivery she really made the story believable as to why Beauty is on the inside. A real powerhouse in vocals she really commanded the stage in her scenes. Opposite her was the shy wall-flower Prince Andrew played by Alexander Smissen who again despite some early nerves really grew into the story.

Talking of love stories, when rejected by the Royal Family who no longer recognised Beauty, we saw an unlikely bond form between Commoner Nick and Beauty. Taking her into his small and humble house with his vast array of annoying relatives and a very curious Sister played excellently by Eliza Voss. Nick was played by Isaac Pullen in his 1st principal role with the group and he did a fantastic group. He was an excellent contrast to Beauty, her lines delivered in a quite somber and downbeat style which really suited the role. Despite the softness of his tone when called upon, his messages to Beauty really packed a punch, eventually delivering home the meaning of what Beauty is. The connection between Jasmine and Isaac was really believable and very heart warming to watch.

Poor Isaac really had his hands full with his slightly bonkers but totally loveable admirer Jill running around after him the whole play. Played by Eva Laing the temper tantrums were hilarious with high pitched and powerful line delivery and she really brought an extra dimension to the play.

In complete contrast to the shy and quiet side of Nick we had our flamboyant and wonderfully eccentric King played by the excellent Alfie Webster. Hilariously over the top in both accent and mannerisms, he really lit up the stage. The poor Royal Clerk, played by Sam Webber, had an impossible task of keeping him in line whilst juggling all the other royal duties on hand. Alfie not only played the king with style but like the rest of the cast doubled up in a number of ensemble roles. The rest of the cast seemed to thrive on this young actor’s experience and confidence and raised their performances alongside him - especially in the kids section at the dining table!

The stage was full of lots of little cameo roles and it’s impossible to mention everyone but a special shout out to our Guards played by Archee Malcolm and Ethan and Ethan Mulholland who delivered a great bouncer style attitude to their characters. Joey Holden as the Tutor also gave a very confident performance.

Overall the play was a lovely success and well received by the audience who, like myself, enjoyed the whole evening with the cabaret style seating and warm welcome from the volunteers really created a great feel to the evening. Whilst the show was missing some experience in the Performance I really enjoyed watching a lot of new talent emerge and there are definitely some faces to watch out for in the future. 

Thank you to everyone involved, I always love joining this company for their Adult and now Youth productions and it’s great to see the whole company really delivering and thriving.

 

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