Brisbane review: Family Friendly Beauty and the Beast Wows!

By Lilian Harrington

Production: Beauty and the Beast

Writer: Linda Woolverton 

Music: Alan Menken,

Lyrics: Howard Ashman & Tim Rice

Company: Brisbane Musical Theatre 

Director: Jesse Bradford 

Choreography: Ava Moschetti

Musical Director: Mark Beilby 

Location: Emerge Church Hall, 1 Coorparoo Rd. Warner, 4500

Season dates: 7 pm, January 15, 16, 17, 22, 23. (Mat.) 1 pm Jan. 16.

Bookings: try booking https://www.trybooking.com/DHLYF.

Tucked away in Warner, in North Brisbane, one can find the home of Brisbane Musical Theatre, led by producers Jack and Deborah Bradford, and director, Jesse Bradford. Their creative vision and production crew have enabled them to produce a high-quality musical which presents as a polished artistic and technical performance.

Beauty and the Beast is written by Linda Woolverton and was developed into a classical, popular Disney musical by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. It’s the story of Belle, and the Beast. She lives in a quiet French village with Maurice, her inventor father, close to a forest, where there’s an enchanted castle. Unknown to all, a huge ugly beast lives there; He was once a very proud prince, but a magic spell has changed him. This change was a punishment for his behavior when he misunderstood an old woman’s request for help. The castle staff are all under the spell too, which will only be broken if a young woman falls in love with the beast and kisses him before the last petal on the magic rose drops.

The beautiful and intelligent Belle, is pursued by the bold and arrogant Gaston, who’s keen to secure Belle’s hand in marriage. She realizes he’s not her type, and she refuses his advances. Like other bullies, he doesn’t take no for an answer, he plans to marry Belle; he does his best to discredit her father and have him placed in an asylum.

Belle’s father gets lost on his way to an inventors convention and he is attacked by forest wolves. He stumbles across the enchanted castle, where he is imprisoned by the Beast. He is only released from the castle when Belle finds him and does a deal with the Beast to trade her father’s freedom for hers, so she must remain at the Beast’s castle.

The castle staff are all trapped there too and they want to be released from the magic spell especially Lumiere, Cogsworth the clock, and Mrs. Potts, the Teapot; They encourage Belle and the Beast to grow to love each other. They teach the Beast to be calm, polite and courteous; They are pleased when Belle gradually starts to read to him and develop a friendship. He allows her to return home and visit her sick father. Gaston and the villagers, use this excuse to go and attack the Beast. Belle returns just in time as the last petal falls and tells the injured Beast she loves him, sealing it with a kiss. Beauty and the Beast is a comment on compassion, love, understanding others, and the real beauty that comes from within.

The musical is well- staged, energetic and the technical scene changes and music worked well; the changes were smooth, fast, effective and kept audience interest. The orchestra was on the left of the auditorium and at times it was harder to hear the dialogue, due to the sound level.

The featured leads: Belle (Leah Harford) and (Beast)Dan Pohlmann, along with Gaston (Reagan Warner) gave confident performances and the lead dance routines exciting. Special mention goes to the very entertaining characters: Lumiere (Michael Chazikantis) and Cogsworth (Jose de Andrade). Beauty and the Beast is family friendly, worth a go see!