It has often been thought that in a play, boys will be boys and girls will be girls. There are male roles and female roles. The truth is of course that the theatre is full of gender-swapping roles and often to great effect – Tamzin Greig (Malvolio) in Twelfth Night?
But, what happens when you take a much-loved show and swap every role, so the men are now women and the women are now men? Well, if you want to find out, then nippety-pop to the King’s Head Theatre where Fat Rascal Theatre are presenting Beauty and the Beast.
In a castle out in the woods, a beautiful but imperious princess (Robyn Grant) spurns an old beggar man seeking assistance. Upset by this, the beggar reveals himself to be an enchanter and curses the princess and all within her palace. The castle inhabitants (Aaron Dart, Allie Munro and Katie Wells) become furniture and crockery, while the princess is turned into an ugly beast doomed to stay that way unless she can learn to love and be loved. A short distance away, in a provincial little town, a handsome, well read and just a little bit pretentious, young man by the name of Beau (Jamie Mawson) dreams of finding a better life and a wife with whom he connects both emotionally and intellectually. Two lonely individuals seeking unconventional love. Will they ever both be happy or are they forever going to be alone?
So, I have to declare an interest here. When it comes to Beauty and the Beast, I have watched both Disney movies – animated and live action – and saw the stage show when it was on in London. I’m guessing writers Robyn Grant and Daniel Elliot, along with composer James Ringer-Beck have done the same but seen the movies many more times than I. The story they presented was a superb copy of the originals – even down to the pointless subplot of Beau’s father dying in Paris.
The songs were just on the right side of not being too like the originals that Disney’s lawyers can relax. And full congratulations to the songwriting team. Anyone that can take my favourite meal of the day and give it its own song in a show “Have a Brunch” has definitely got my vote for show of the year. Musical Director Nicola Chang uses her keyboard and drum well to provide the backing music and all of the cast have excellent singing voices. In fact, they all seem to be the proverbial ‘triple threat’
Basically, every element of the original Beauty and the Beast was accounted for in this production, right down to the opening company idents – ‘steamboat Willie’ and ‘Pixar Lamp’. So we have Chevonne – the lusty local beauty determined to make Beau her husband – and her devoted ‘friend’ La Fou Fou. There is Beau’s mother Maureen all the servants in the palace – Lumie, Clockface, Mrs Spout and her daughter Crack. The whole list of characters brought to life by five amazing actors, and some very quick costume changing backstage. And speaking of costumes, the ones used in the production of Beauty and the Beast are of a really high standard, particularly the Beast’s designed by Hugh Purves.
I’m going to be honest. I wasn’t sure about the show when I was first given it to review. A 9:30 start and roughly 90 minutes running time followed by a journey home, this was going to have to be something pretty special to keep me from my beauty sleep. But believe me, when I say it was so worth it. The time flew by and the show just kept me entertained from start to the well-deserved standing ovation from the audience at the end. Some old bores might complain to the Daily Mail about the idea of gender swapping all the roles, but that shows their problems, not the productions. Swapping everyone over really does work brilliantly. Ultimately proving that excellent writing, a talented cast and a professional production will guarantee an appreciative and entertained audience head out into the December night smiling and feeling happy to have witnessed something really special.
Review by Terry Eastham for www.LondonTheatre1.com
Dawid Minnar Janine Ulfane – Photograher credit Alixandra Fazzina. “Survival of the fittest” is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection. Which means that even in the most inhospitable of placers, life will find a way – even if at times, you may look and think what’s the point? For example, in South Africa, the aloe plant is considered one of the country’s most powerful, beautiful and celebratory symbols. It survives out in the wild when everything else is dried. At the end of everything, the aloe is still there. And it is this survival that is at the heart of Athol Fugard’s A Lesson From Aloes which has returned to the UK and is currently in residence at the Finborough Theatre. Set in South Africa in 1963, where apartheid is at its height and the citizens are living in a paranoid police state. The play revolves around a middle-aged left-leaning couple – Afrikaner Piet Bezuidenhout (Dawid Minnaar) and hi
Since 1912, the Blackburn Musical Theatre Company has been entertaining the theatre going folks of this Lancashire town with their annual musical production. In that time, they have covered the vast array of musical theatre from their first production - Sunday - through to their latest - Hello Dolly - which I caught at the Blackburn Empire Theatre. Dolly Gallagher Levi (Sue Chadwick) is a woman that likes to meddle, or as she puts it, arrange things. Whatever you need doing, Dolly is the person for the job. And right now, she is the talk of turn of the century New York, having brought together Mr Horace Vandergelder (Kris Wlodarczyk), the well-known half-a-millionaire and Mrs Irene Molloy (Laura Mitchell) a widowed millener. Their engagement and subsequent marriage seems pretty much sewn up though neither is marrying for love. Horace, as he tells his Chief Clerk, Cornelius Hackl (Ryan Coe), and Assistant, Barnaby Tucker (Fletcher Illingworth), is looking for someone to r
Since July 2014, I've seen and reviewed 588 shows altogether. 2017 was a fairly quiet year with a total of 132 shows visited by yours truly. So, in the best traditions of end of the year ideas, here is my list of the top 10 shows that I've seen this year. Please remember, this is my list not anybody else's and if you don't agree with the pick, well, what can I say? 1. Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Bridewell Theatre This story of friendship and hope took two drag queens and a trans woman from Sydney to Alice Springs, in a big pink bus. Along the way, the met new friends and face rampant homophobia. SEDOS brought every element of the show together beautifully, and to a standard that you would expect to see in the West End. Sold out virtually as soon as it was announced, this was the ‘must see production of the year. 2. La Cage aux Folles, New Wimbledon Theatre This is was a touring production of a show that demonstrates the importance of family a
Comments
Post a Comment