A Tale As Old As Time? Beauty and The Beast UK and Ireland Tour.

Date of Performance: 18th of December 2022- 7PM.

Location: Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin.

The current UK and Ireland Tour invites their audience to step into the world of Disney's beloved classic, Beauty and the Beast. But was it as good as the grey stuff? I'm here to tell you all about it in this SPOILER FREE Review!

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We were extremely luck to score some last minute tickets to see Beauty and the Beast's nearly sold out run in the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin. Unfortunately, with many shows cancelling due to illness, this production released an additional performance which we thankfully snagged some tickets to. And I am glad we did!

The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre is a beautiful venue. The large glass exterior of the building boasted some beautiful artwork for the production. It was dolled up to the nines in Christmas decor, and had a wonderful festive feeling about it. It is one of the only venues in Ireland capable of hosting large West End productions due to its stage size. With three levels (stalls, circle and upper circle) and very few viewing obstructions (slight overhang from the back of the stalls), this theatre has a wonderful relaxed feel to it. I would highly recommend sitting in the stalls or near the front of the circle, as the sound on some productions doesn't seem to carry to the very back of the theatre.

If I'm honest, I was very nervous about our seats. I had booked the stalls, but by accident had placed myself and my partner to the very right hand side. I was there to see a spectacle of a show, and I wanted to ensure I could see everything. I even spoke to the box office about possibly changing our seats, but we were assured that they were great by a very helpful staff member.

I was pretty impressed with our view, and we were placed right beside a speaker, which really made us feel fully immersed in the production.

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ABOUT THE SHOW

Beauty and the Beast will always be one of my favourite Disney movies, and based on how many Belle dresses I saw in the theatre, I am not the only one!

Who is ready for a brief history lesson? Beauty and the Beast was originally written as a fairy tale entitled La Belle et La Bête written by a French Novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740. I was surprised when researching that there were many adaptations of the original piece before it was produced by Disney in 1991. What makes it stand out from the Renaissance era of Disney classics is the beautiful score written by Alan Menken with lyrics by the late Howard Ashman. With this, this production faces the many challenges of trying to replicate the classic scenes from the movie, along with keeping up previous 1997 West End production. However, this production is very much reimagined, with new costumes and set pieces.

And I would think that we all have some grasp of the story of Beauty and the Beast... But I have thrown together a very brief synopsis, just incase. A greedy prince dismisses an enchantress, who places a spell on him which turns him into a beast. He must learn to love and be loved in return in order to break the spell. In a small French village, a local girl who is considered odd tries to navigate through life. But when her father is captured by the beast, she must sacrifice herself as a prisoner to save her father. Will Belle be able to escape? Will the Beast be able to love? Can they be saved?

Alright Richard, enough of the background. Let's get down to business.

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MY OVERALL VIEW

I loved this production. (And that is a rare thing for me to say!) I was honestly very skeptical of what to expect. Will it live up to the hype? Will I feel the emotion that I get from the movie? It absolutely did! And although the costumes, set and performances were incredible, one person stood out. And that was Courtney Stapleton.

Playing the role of one of the world most loved, book smart Disney princesses is no small feat, but Stapleton does this with ease. Is there anything that this actress can not do? From portraying the grief-stricken daughter in 'Home', to tapping her way through 'Be Our Guest', to belting her eleven o'clock number 'A Change in Me', Stapleton works hard to win over the audience. The perfect casting is evident in her mannerism, not fully taking everything seriously, which allows us to connect with her character. There is an element of joy that radiates off of her performance. Also, Ms. Stapleton, if you are reading this, can I please borrow that cape? Its incredible!

We were also surprised by Sam Baileys performance as Mrs. Potts. We all know Ms. Bailey can sing, but her acting was also very strong. Her scenes with Chip and her version of 'Beauty and the Beast' were not overplayed, which could easily happen.

Other great performances included Shaq Taylor (Playing a very difficult role of the Beast) and Alyn Hawke (The charismatic Lumiere, who never seems to leave the stage) . I wanted to throw a quick mention to Rhys West, a swing who was on for Gaston. Again, another difficult role, which he played extremely well. He has a lovely tone to his voice, and 'Gaston' was another highlight.

What does sell this show is the set, which is beautifully created Stanley A. Meyer. The clear transitions from the town to the castle, and use of screens are really impactful. I felt transported into the world of this characters, which is hard to do. The special effects are also brilliant, leaving me scratching my head wondering how they achieved some of them.

My only issue with this production is act two. It does feel extremely long, especially when you are surrounded by hundreds of children on a Sunday night. I felt like there needed to be a few cuts and edits to the final act to allow the characters more time to tie up lose ends. For example, Belles final scene with the Beast felt rushed, however we have a longer scene with the mob and Belle's father.

RATING:

So, what's my rating? I would give this a solid four stars our of five. A clean, well polished production, with Stapleton at the helm. With a stellar front line cast, this production is a great way to spend the festive season!

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Beauty and the Beast runs in Dublin until the 8th of January 2023.

You can purchase tickets here: https://www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie

Photographs by John Person