Disney's Beauty and the Beast

Mid Cheshire Musical Theatre Company were back on stage with their production of the Disney classic, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, which was directed by Kit Phillips. Upon entering the auditorium, the stage was set with a fountain centre and a village backcloth, setting the scene immediately. The interior of Beast’s castle was a static set and allowed for different entrances and levels to be used throughout. The opening prologue was recorded by different cast members with lighting used to create an almost magical feeling. This worked well, but perhaps seeing it acted out would have peaked the audience’s interest. There were some nice directorial choices throughout, such as using the auditorium for sequences when the set was changing. This allowed the action to continue and the pace of the production to be kept up. Having said that, the scene changes were efficiently carried out. Unfortunately, due to how the transformation scene was staged and sight lines, some of the audience would have missed this piece of theatrical magic. The costumes were very good and added to the Disney magic, with the familiar costumes on show. Some of them did appear to be cumbersome, especially when actors were making their entrance or exiting. To hear that some of the costumes were made in-house is impressive, showing a great depth of talent.

Ben Evans-Clarke was the musical director for the production. He led the band as they brought the familiar music to life. There were some moments where the music lacked energy, which meant that some of the numbers appeared flat. Having said that, there were some great vocals from the cast, which was fantastic to hear.

The choreographer for ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was Lauren Chapman. The choreography suited all abilities and was performed well by the entire cast. The dance during ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was performed well by Ben and Gemma.

Technical elements were generally good throughout. There were moments where the band overpowered the performers on stage, especially the drums, due to the sound balance. The lighting was good, helping to establish locations throughout.

Gemma Chapman took on the role of Belle. Gemma has a pleasing voice and she embodied this Disney princess. She showed the strength of the character when standing up to Gaston and the Beast, whilst also showing Belle’s vulnerability. This was a pleasing performance.

Ben Vaughan impressed as the Beast. He commanded the stage both physically and vocally. The effects added to his voice as the Beast helped with the characterisation. Ben’s vocals were great throughout, especially in the Act One closer, ‘If I Can’t Love Her’. The character arc of the Beast was well played by Ben. Ben can tick another Disney leading male character off his list!

Michael Corteen and Samuel Salisbury proved to be a convincing double act as Gaston and Le Fou respectively. Michael was suitably cocky and preening, displaying great vocals. Samuel has a great sense of comedy, both physically and vocally, and he led the ‘Gaston’ number well.

Another great double act was John Viagus and Simon Pickup as Lumiere and Cogsworth. Simon’s Cogsworth was uptight and pompous, whereas John’s Lumiere was full of joy and light. They complimented each other well and worked convincingly with each other, offering great moments of comedy. John’s performance of ‘Be Our Guest’ was a highlight of the production.

The other enchanted objects of the castle worked well as a cohesive unit. Janine Royle was suitably motherly as Mrs Potts and did well with the title song. Sophie Congleton was able to display her diva tendencies as Madame de la Grande Bouche. She was over-the-top and displayed some good vocals. Jess Bragg played the flirtatious Babette well, and worked well with John’s Lumiere. Jay Jackson was excellent as Chip. He has great stage presence, and it was a joy to watch his performance.

Bill Shardlow was suitably eccentric as Maurice. The costuming of the character seemed odd, with Bill wearing a full head mask, which seemed totally out of place with the rest of the production. This meant the audience lost that connection between Belle and her father, as we could not see Bill’s facial reactions.

The small ensemble was kept busy throughout as villagers and enchanted objects in the Beast’s castle. They performed the ensemble numbers well and kept the energy up throughout.

Overall, this was a good production. There were some pleasing performances, the staging was good, and the partnerships with different characters were very good.

A big thank you to everyone at Mid Cheshire Musical Theatre Company for their kind invite and their hospitality.

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