The fairy-tale was first adapted into the much-loved Disney
animated film in 1991 and became a Broadway production in 1993. The show opens
with the familiar voice of Angela Lansbury and the enchanting music that we all
recognise and with the help of the beautiful rose projection we are transported
into the magic. Director Matt West leaves the story exactly how it is, only
adding extra bits of comedy here and there which the audience engage with
easily.
The cast all suit their characters and portray them to perfection.
Grace Swaby- Moore, understudy to Courtney Stapleton, was the embodiment of
Belle, she captured the innocence of the character and belted the songs to perfection.
Shaq Taylor portrayed the Beast will emotion and ferocity when needed. His voice
was rich and really underused as he doesn’t sing much during the show. He
really encapsulated the Beast with his movements on stage. Then we have the
iconic duo of Gavin Lee as Lumiere and Nigel Richards as Cogsworth. Their
playful but commanding performance helped move the story along as well as
adding a comedic element to the show. I particularly enjoyed Cogsworth’s tour
of the castle with his umbrella. Also, joining these two is Sam Bailey who
portrays Mrs Potts, she is perfectly jolly and caring but also wise. Tom Senior
as Gaston and Louis Stockil as LeFou were a right duo. I honestly didn’t love
Gaston I thought he was a bit much at times. However, they were a great comedic
duo, especially with LeFou walking into Gaston whenever he stopped.
This show has all the spellbinding music from Alan Menken,
Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice. Highlights were the 10-minute tap dancing sequence
of Be Our Guest which was a remarkable sight. Using kaleidoscopic staging and a
plethora of lighting that could rival the same sequences in the film. Beauty
and the Beast must be one of the most beautiful sequences I have ever seen on
stage. Belle descending the stairs in that iconic yellow dress with the lights
bouncing of the gems. Beast in his iconic royal blue suit waiting for her, once
again the light bouncing off the gems. Helped along with Sam Bailey softly
singing the iconic song, it was incredibly moving and as soon as those opening
bars started, I was crying. In contrast to this we also had the energetic and
entertaining Gaston, again this was a sequence that was full on similarly to Be
Our Guest and again entertained the audience.
While this show is a homage to Beauty and the Beast the
production is very modern with the use of dramatic screen projections to create
the wolf- filled woods and the fireworks at the end of show. Additionally, beautiful,
and versatile set which created Belle’s cute town and the gothic castle. The highlight
is the transition of the Beast into the Prince, use of lighting meant that Shaq
had enough time to transform as he was seamlessly lifted into the air and turned,
landing back onto the stage as the prince. The costumes in this show are beautiful
and pay homage to those that we see in the film. I particularly loved Belle’s blue
dress as well her iconic yellow dress.
At first, I wasn’t too sure how good the view from our seats
were going to be, but I was pleasantly surprised. We were in the middle of row
U in the stalls, and we didn’t miss any part of the show. The merchandise
stalls were cute and had the Beauty and the Beast branding. I bought a
programme and a pin. The Hippodrome is a great venue, getting through the
security and finding our seats was a seamless process and everyone was helpful.
Overall, if you love Beauty and the Beast and Disney, you
need to see this show. It’s magical and uplifting, and timely tale of love
triumphing over evil. It is currently touring around the UK and has summer residency
in the West End.
Book your tickets here: Beauty and the Beast tickets
See what's on at the Hippodrome here: Birmingham Hippodrome
Until next time,
Stacey
Comments
Post a Comment