Beauty & The Beast

It’s not very often that I’ve felt the need to begin a show review with a superlative but after watching the Curtain Call Studios production of Disney’s ‘Beauty & The Beast’ on Saturday at Theatre Severn’s Walker Theatre in Shrewsbury, I don’t have any other option. So here goes … WOW!

This really was one of the most outstanding amateur stage productions I’ve seen for a long time, breathtakingly brilliant in performance and technically flawless in its staging. From the minute the theatre lights dimmed and the main house tabs opened, right up to the final calls when I joined every other member of the audience in the most rapturous of standing ovations, this really was a very memorable theatrical experience I shall never forget.

Certainly ‘Beauty & The Beast' is one of the most fantastic musicals ever to be brought to the stage with the same abundance of fabulous characters and situations that featured in the original story, now enriched with some of the most clever and beautiful songs ever written by the genius of Alan Menken. And those are the songs we heard so wonderfully performed in this latest Curtain Call Studios epic production on Saturday headed by Ismay Dudzinski Grubb and Joe Fisher in the title roles.

I recall it was Andrew Lloyd Webber who once described Sarah Brightman’s voice as that of an angel and having almost melted in my seat every time Ismay sang, it reminded me very much of his compliment. The whole way in which Ismay portrayed Belle was simply outstanding and I feel sure that her supreme talent and dazzling personality as both an actress and singer will take her far in the theatrical world. Her rendition of ‘Home’, one of my favourites, was simply enchanting and her scenes with the Beast were also wonderfully portrayed and highly believable.

As the Prince and Beast, Joe Fisher gave a incredible performance in both roles. I was particularly captivated by his ongoing demeanour and attitude as the Beast as he mellowed from a bad-tempered, misunderstood figure to the more tender of characters who Belle eventually fell in love with. Their scenes together were totally convincing and honed to absolute perfection by Ben Connor’s inspired direction. Joe’s rendition of ‘How Long Must This Go On?’ and his Act One closing delivery of ‘If I Can’t Love Her’ were simply outstanding.

As Belle’s father, the rather addled and eccentric inventor Maurice, Rich Kee, gave a very enjoyable and sincere performance, oozing with pride and love for his daughter which was particularly well shown in their duet, ‘No Matter What’. I’m not exactly sure what it was intended to be, but I loved Maurice’s latest invention, a type of wood-chopping device on wheels fitted with all sorts of multi-purpose gadgetry.

As the vain and egotistical village huntsman, Dylan O’Connor gave an inspired portrayal of Gaston, suitably arrogant as the role demanded. He was determined to have Belle’s hand in marriage and made no secret of his love and family plans for her in ‘Me’. He was also on full throttle in the Tavern Scene to remind everyone of his village importance in a rousing chorus of ‘Gaston’. His final scene when he crossed swords with the Beast was particularly well staged and played out before his fall to death from the castle battlements.

As Gaston’s friend and sidekick, Lefou, Stan Dudzinski Grubb gave a very comical performance, with brilliant facial expressions and clearly willing to do anything Gaston asked of him as underdogs often do. Some of the scrapes he got involved in were hilarious, much to the enjoyment of the audience.

Having been turned into one of the household objects in the prince’s castle by the enchantress, Lumiere, formerly a French valet and now a candelabra, was portrayed quite brilliantly by Zachary Hollinshead with an outstanding stage presence, perfect comic timing and a French accent which never faltered once throughout the entire performance. I simply loved his flirting with Babbette, the beautiful and cheeky feather duster, saucily played by Jilli Gray, and his clever footwork and arm gestures complete with illuminated hands were quite exceptional. Une performance absolument de premier ordre!

Formerly the head of the house and now transformed into a carriage clock, Nat Hodgkiss gave another masterful performance with a very clear speaking voice and some very enjoyable one-liners. He and Zachary were a great double act and worked superbly together especially in ‘Be Our Guest’ – a real showstopper - where along with the whole company, they were joined by Amelia Wildmore Evans as Madame de le Grande, a former opera singer and most definitely the most beautiful wardrobe I have ever seen!

And, of course, you can’t have a cup of tea in a castle without a teapot and as the loveable Mrs Potts, Elly Clark was simply superb along with her teacup son Chip, played at alternate performances by Sam Evason and Neave Adams. Elly’s rendition of the title song, ‘Beauty & The Beast’, probably the best-known number from the show, was absolutely captivating and a highlight of the afternoon.

There were so many other smaller roles in this production, almost impossible to mention by name in my review but, without exception, every one of them was performed with the same high degree of excellence. The dancers and ensemble too made a huge contribution to the overall success of the show with their breathtaking choreography, high-quality vocals and outstanding harmonies. And with a wealth of production numbers, there was a huge amount of talent and energy displayed especially in the opening village sequence, ‘Belle’, ‘Gaston’, ‘Be Our Guest’ and, of course, ‘Beauty & The Beast’.

Made entirely practical by the Walker Theatre’s full flying height and depth of stage, the scenery was spectacular in itself and managed seamlessly with great skill by an obviously highly efficient stage crew. I guess the highly detailed castle interior with three arches on a raised level was permanently set at the back of the stage allowing the village and woodland cloths to be lowered in front of it with still plenty of room for the stage action.

The huge variety and complexity of costumes used in this production was awe-inspiring, all perfectly in vogue and weaved into this ‘tale as old as time’. Every item had been carefully designed and selected to enhance and give style and colour to each of the various scenes including, of course, the legendary yellow dress worn by Belle for her dinner date with the Beast. The ‘enchanted’ items donned by Lumiere, Cogsworth, Madame de le Grande, Mrs Potts and Chip were all of very high quality adding a further touch of Disney magic to the castle scenes.

The show was masterfully lit from start to finish, taking full advantage of the Walker Theatre’s impressive bank of LED and intelligent lamps which had all been carefully programmed to enhance the mood and excitement of the various scenes. The sound too was of exceptional quality, perfectly in sync with the beautifully orchestrated Disney ‘Beauty & The Beast’ backing track and flawlessly operated.

But my final comments, and probably the most important, must go to Director & Choreographer, Benjamin Connor, Amy Griffiths (Assistant Director), Neave Beddow (Assistant Choreographer) and Musical Director, Izzy Cullis, together with the huge backstage team of specialists for their outstanding talent and sheer professionalism in staging this production to the very peak of theatrical standards. It was truly brilliant in every aspect!

Thank you for inviting me to your latest production and for your warm welcome and hospitality. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of spending the early evening with you and am already looking forward to ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ in July.

Andy Brown, NODA West Midlands Regional Councillor, added ...

In my role as Regional Councillor for the West Midlands, I have the honour of seeing shows across the whole region. This means some long journeys, numerous traffic issues and finding car parking especially on a Saturday afternoon when I visited.

On leaving the theatre I stated to Ben that I could happily sit through the show again. This production was totally amazing from start to finish and was in my opinion without fault and without a weak link. Ismay was totally wonderful and could have graced any stage with her performance. I was delighted to speak with her for a few moments following the final curtain having waited for the multitude of children wanting a photograph.

I do not wish to repeat Chris regarding the remaining cast, but I must repeat the comment regarding Zachary Hollinshead and his ‘outstanding stage presence.’

The set and costumes as well as sound and lighting were all spot on – well done to all responsible for these.

This show was totally stunning – a massive well done from me. I also look forward to Dear Evan Hansen in a few months’ time.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.