Beauty & The Beast

Beauty & The Beast – KW Productions

Little Theatre Leicester – 19 September 2024

Before this show started the audience was given an onscreen montage of KW productions over the last 10 years. This was the company’s 10th anniversary, having won 3 Noda awards in that time, most recently for Gypsy in 2023. In looking forward to this KW production I wondered how they would follow Gypsy’s success.

Evidently thinking “and now for something completely different”, this was a complete contrast. Beauty and the Beast is full of colour, music, dance, fascinating characters and lots of comedy. It is of course a love story, and as a stage production true to the 1991 Disney movie.

Direction

The show was directed by Keiran Whelan-Newby, founder of KW Productions. Full credit to Keiran and the company for another successful production.

The Cast

As the title character Belle, Rose Bale was beautiful, sang nicely and with great characterisation drove the story as the show progressed. She was convincing as the book-loving young girl, innocent but streetwise, and protective of those she loves. She had us on her side from the start.

All the characters were well played. I particularly enjoyed the clock Cogsworth (Russell Webster) and the candelabra Lumiere (Simon Butler). An excellent comedy duo, very amusing & in character throughout.

The philanderer Gaston (Vaughan Barton-Ashcroft) is a character who, to be effective, must be played assertively yet comedically. Vaughan achieved both. The audience hated the villain but loved his arrogance. Evil but fun. He was ably supported by his three ‘groupies’, Les Filles de la Ville Phillipa Hamilton, Kerry Smith and Rachel Wheeler who, united in their competition for his affections, fell frequently and enthusiastically at Gaston’s feet.

 With its colour, animated utensils, and melodrama villain, the story has many pantomime aspects. A challenge is to make the most of these, without it becoming panto. This production achieved the balance admirably, while allowing one character, Lefou, Gaston’s hapless sidekick, played gymnastically by Matt Barton-Ashcroft, to bring a touch of pantomime comedy. Matt’s facial and physical acrobatics were a feature of the show.

Experienced Little Theatre performer Tony Whitmore gave a characteristically convincing & sympathetic performance as Maurice, Belle’s devoted father and confused inventor, complete with his ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ vehicle.

Director Kieran West in the demanding role of The Beast played the part with the right balance of menace, fear and tenderness. His early emergence at the haunting hands of The Enchantress (Liz Kavanagh), and his eventual transition to Handsome Prince, were both skilfully managed.

Besides Lumiere & Cogsworth, we enjoyed several convincing portrayals of household utensils and furniture. Mrs Potts, a reassuring teapot who did her best to keep the others under control, was played sympathetically and amusingly by Siobhan Ball (a lovely reminiscence of Dora Bryan). Her ‘Beauty and the Beast’ number in Act 2 one of the show’s musical and visual highlights.

Mrs Potts’ young offspring, Chip, was played at this performance by Hollie Longley-Wilford. Hollie’s head, cleverly balanced on a tea-trolley, acted and sang the teacup role with an ever-present smile and a charming innocence. While unfortunately we were unable to see a performance in which Edward Lander played this role, we are assured that he, too, performed with skill and maturity.

Katherine Wadd, as the seductively wiggling Babette whose curvaceous charms kept Lumiere’s candles flickering, was entertainingly convincing as the temptress, coming to life with all the others in the enjoyable ‘Human Again’.  Karen Gordon, the grandly-named Madame de la Grande-Bouche, an operatic wardrobe, lent a dignified characterisation to this item of bedroom furniture.

While appearing only towards the end of the show as Madame D’Arque, with ‘The Mob’ preparing to attack the Beast’s castle, Monica Winfield’s familiar voice was heard at the very beginning, narrating the background to the story of the Entrancess’s spell. A comforting start to an enjoyable experience

Music, Choreography & Costumes

Beauty and the Beast features 24 musical numbers. The quality of the music, and the skilful direction of cast and excellent 11-piece band under MD Tim Stokes, helped the whole performance to flow smoothly. The three best known musical numbers are Be My Guest, Gaston, and of course the theme tune Beauty and the Beast. Be My Guest in particular was an engaging showstopper, involving almost the whole company. At over 10 minutes, a lengthy number, but so captivating you couldn’t tire of it.

Congratulations to Choreographer Caroline Walsh and her dancers for imaginative, attractive and well-managed routines. Costumes also were particularly good. Many of the ‘speciality’ items hired from John Hill Hinckley, with others provided by members of the company and the Little Theatre wardrobe itself. They were colourful and attractive.

Technical & Staging

This production was cleverly supported technically, particularly in the projection of scenes, some including movement, which was extremely attractive and expertly achieved.

A technical feature I loved was the orchestra players, mostly hidden behind the production’s rear projection screen, revealed as a banquet orchestra when Belle finally dines with The Beast. Extremely effective and, besides its dramatic visual context, gave the audience a nice chance to see the band.

Sensitive and intelligently deployed lighting, including accurate use of travel-spots enhanced the colour of the scenes throughout, with Be My Guest in particular very effectively and colourfully lit.

Congratulations to Stage Managers Lydia Clemence, Simon Dickens and Andy Mear, Alex Crooks (Lighting) & Tom Brooks (Sound), and Amanda Sadler (Props) and their teams for the highly effective technical support.

 

It’s always special to have a chance to meet members of the cast and the production team. It was good, therefore, for Director Keiran and Choreographer Caroline, and a couple of cast members, to spare the time for a chat at the end of the show.

Thanks, once again, KW Productions, for a very enjoyable evening. My wife and I look forward to the next one.

Colin Blackler

Noda

September 2024

 

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved 

 

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.