How many of us know the story of Beauty & The Beast? I suspect most of us do as it is staple viewing for young children and grandchildren being one of the most popular films in the long and illustrious Disney canon.
And now its back, this time with a stage version that roars into The Hippodrome in Bristol and runs until the 12 November.
First released on film in 1991, Beauty and the Beast, based on the 1756 fairy tale La Belle et la Bête, tells the story of the Beast, a prince who refuses to help a needy old witch one stormy night. In return she puts a curse on him that transforms him into a monster. The Beast now lives a lonely life in his imposing, forbidding castle in the woods tended too only by his servants who have been transformed, as part of the curse, into household objects.
Belle, the heroine of the tale, becomes imprisoned in the castle in return for the freedom of her father. The Beast must now learn to love Belle and in return get her to love him to break the curse, all before the last petals fall from an enchanted rose, which sits on stage, like the elephant in the room. Succeed and the Beast will be redeemed, fail and he will remain a monster for all time.
Visually, the show is stunning, combining at time gargantuan stage props with emotive illusions that add atmosphere and a sense of suspense, but it is the visuals and the costumes, particularly those of the ensemble, that really make the show sing.
The kaleidoscopic dance scene towards the end of the first act is worth the admission money alone. Its beautifully costumed and the choreography, especially when the ensemble are in Broadway tap mode, is captivating – you don’t see enough good tap routines in musicals these days!
The supporting cast are well worth a mention, Louis Stockil as Le Fou is so over the top (in a good way) it’s almost like having Norman Wisdom or Lee Evans back on stage whilst Tom Senior as Gaston is suitably muscled and macho.
The servants are a comic act in their own right. Nigel Richards is excellent as Cogsworth the clock, Alyn Hawke as Lumiere, the candelabra, in his gold lamé suit and codpiece is suitably camp whilst Sam Bailey as Mrs Potts is the calming voice of reason.
The Beast is played by Shaq Taylor, he’s like a volcano that’s just about to erupt, tense like a coiled spring but the star of the show is, without doubt, Courtney Stapleton who plays Belle. Almost omnipresent throughout the show, her performance is both skilful and captivating.
You can see where the money has been spent on this production, and it pays off big time. This is a show that allows you to suspend belief for two and a half hours, it transports you to another place and if musical theatre is your thing, then it is well worth the ticket price.
Beauty and the Beast plays at the Bristol Hippodrome until 12 November 2022 and then moves onto the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin. For more information and tickets follow this link.
