REVIEW: Disney's First Foray Onto The Theatre Stage Returns To Sydney With the Premiere Of The Reimagined West End Production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: THE MUSICAL

Thursday 22nd June 2023, 7pm, Capitol Theatre Sydney

Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: THE MUSICAL returns to Sydney with a refreshed production incorporating new technology to entrance a new generation.  For the 2023 Sydney season, the reimagined production, first toured through the UK and Ireland in 2021 with a limited season on the West End in 2022, opens at the Capitol Theatre.

Based on Disney’s 30th Animated feature of the same name, released in 1991, which was ultimately based on Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve’s 18th century tale of a young woman’s unexpected love for her aesthetically challenged captor in La Belle et la Bête, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: THE MUSICAL was Disney’s first translation from screen to stage.  In true Disney style, the story sees an unlikely pair overcome their differences, social status, and personal convictions to come together for a fairytale wedding.  The premise of this work is that the Beast (Brendan Xavier) of the title was a judgmental young prince who was cursed to spend his life looking like a frightening minotaur when he dismisses an old beggar woman looking for shelter.  She transforms the prince and his servants with the promise that he can break the spell if he learns how to love and can earn love before the final petal of a red rose she gives him falls.  The Beauty of the story is Belle (Shubshri Kandiah), a young woman who despite having a keen suitor in the form of the boorish beefcake Gaston (Andy Cook), is not interested in matrimony but would rather spend her time reading and caring for her inventor father Maurice (Rodney Dobson).

While the creatives are still listed as the original creatives from the 1994 Broadway production, with the production conceived by Rob Roth and Directed and Choreographed by Matt West, this new production incorporates more cinematic elements, echoing the work’s history on film.  The backdrop is given depth with the large projections and scenes like the wolf attacks in the woods are conveyed through the use of animation projected onto the scrim screen in front of the performance. Circus and magician’s illusions are used to add to the magic of the work though the need to conceal the trickery has led to the lighting design to be somewhat darker than the Gothic Victorian and Louis Quinze aesthetic of the Beast’s castle requires.  The whole lighting design aside from the glitzy chorus line of BE OUR GUEST, which was artfully projected via overhead cameras onto the rear screen in Busby Berkley style, felt somewhat muted with follow spots not really capturing the performers in their entirety and feeling somewhat flat when viewed from the middle to rear of the audience. 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was considered to be one of Disney’s earliest expressions of a stronger female lead with Belle openly denouncing any intention to marry, particularly not the town’s most sought-after bachelor Gaston, favoring books to boys but this work still feels as if that message isnt pushed enough, possibly diluted to suit the general public that still prescribes to the Disney Princess ideal.  Shubshri Kandiah is delightful as a Disney princess, having previously taken on the role of Princess Jasmine in Disney Theatrical’s production of ALADDIN, but the direction of the work doesnt allow her the scope to give Belle enough gravitas as a modern woman strong enough to really stand up to Gaston’s misogynistic aggression.  The choice to keep Belle’s accent as a ‘standard western accent’ also keeps the character somewhat two dimensional and perpetually ‘pleasant’, lacking the texture and depth of emotional response that could reinforce her character.  Similarly, Brendan Xavier’s Beast feels less threatening and more comical than one would expect of a character that is supposed to instill fear in the villagers.  The inner socially inept prince comes through but there are times that he is supposed to express more animalistic tendencies that don’t really have the weight or roar behind them. 

The standout performances come from the animated objects that were formerly staff at the Beast’s castle before the curse befell them.  Rohan Browne is delightful as Lumière, the maître d' of the castle, trapped inside the shiny camp Candelabra, working the candle stubs that replace hands with flamboyant ease as they ignite to add emphasis while he infuses a fun style and sass to the character.  Gareth Jacobs gives Cogsworth, the former Butler turned mantle clock a delightful serious and worrying nature while Jayde Westaby is Mrs Potts, the maternal head of the kitchen, trapped in a teapot. Due to Angela Lansbury’s iconic voice originating the role of Mrs Potts on film, Westaby seeks to echo Lansbury’s voice in her portrayal of the stage character in an effort to appease audiences more familiar with the original film. 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: THE MUSICAL is a lovely piece of nostalgia 32 years on from the original movie and will definitely have an audience in the generation that grew up with the Disney Renaissance.  While it does hold a message about looking beyond appearances to appreciate the person within, it remains a very Disney production with more flash and magic than the deep substance of contemporary musicals.  For those looking for a connection to their youth, looking for an easy ‘date night’ or a chance to escape to the sparkle of fairytales, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: THE MUSICAL fits the bill.

https://beautyandthebeastmusical.com.au/ 

Images: Daniel Boud

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