Thomas and Seren Howells visit Wales Millennium Centre for a seasonal presentation of Disney’s Beauty and The Beast.
The stage presentation of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, currently at Wales Millennium Centre is undoubtedly one of the big treats of this year’s festive theatre calendar.
A well-produced show, the musical, featuring many of the film’s songs (and some additional ones) tells the love story about how you can fall in love with someone through their inward behaviour rather than their external appearance.
Making incredible use of a projector that allows effects from terrifying to gorgeous, Beauty and The Beast is so much more immersive than other productions. The amazing set includes a suspenseful forest, an adorable and quaint town and a rather ominous castle. The way the castle has branches that expand and move really emphasises its enchanting nature.
The bright flashing lights the show employs are incredibly successful at making certain scenes more intense, scary, and exciting. The lighting showcases each area perfectly, while bringing hints of magic to the performance. Sound scaping is also used to help create a spooky atmosphere when Alyn Hawke’s Beast first meets Courtney Stapleton’s Belle.
There are many outstanding performances from the ensemble cast. Nigel Richards as the stuffy mantle clock, Cogsworth, Emma Caffrey as flirtatious feather duster, Babette and Sam Murphy as the fabulously suave, French candelabra, Lumiere all portray their characters in a very exciting and animated way.
Louis Stockil and Tom Senior are also hilarious in their portrayal of Le Fou and Gaston. With Le Fou’s exaggerated and intense movements and Gaston’s criminal behaviour and narcissism the duo are such dislikeable people, but in the best possible way!
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is a beautiful presentation from start to finish, if you loved the film version, you will adore this!
- Beauty and the Beast is recommended for ages 6 and up and continues at Wales Millennium Centre until January 15 2022. Visit Wales Millennium Centre’s official website for ticket availability.