Beauty and the Beast: a monster of a production packed with memorable tunes, high-tech wizardry and talent aplenty
So far as adaptations go, if the job of film is to revive a classic story so that it reaches broader audiences and continues to satisfy fans, then the job of the musical is to do so, too, while also providing a fresh perspective of the story altogether. Films, after all, are finished and edited and sit on shelves forever in posterity, while musicals tour and have the opportunity to evolve according to the times – at least in their tone, casting and the occasional postmodern gesture thrown in for good measure.
The Disney Theatrical Group’s ‘Beauty and the Beast The Musical’, which premiered this weekend at Crown Theatre in Perth, does all of the latter and for this reason will appeal to all generations – from ye olde and traditionalist to the young and über-cool.
Taking the music by Alan Menken (originally heard in the debut Broadway production in 1994), with lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice (you might know his work in Aladdin, Aida, The Lion King), this very evolved incarnation of Beauty and the Beast is a mammoth production filled with always-on-note singing, choreography crafted to the Nth degree, kaleidoscopic colour, smart-tech sets, and all super-polished so that no theatrical stone is left unturned. It’s certainly something that will stay in the minds of audiences, possibly even longer than the classic tale we once read.
In case you’ve not read the book (or seen any of the cinematic takes), it’s a story of a young woman named Belle (obviously the French word for Beauty) who longs for adventure beyond her tiny, provincial village. One day her eccentric father goes AWOL so Belle goes looking for him, only to encounter a fearsome beast who keeps her trapped in his castle. With the help of the castle’s enchanted staff – all formerly humans whom the Beast has turned into more practical household objects – Belle looks past her captor’s exterior and realises a gentle soul within.
The role of Beauty in this musical incarnation is performed by Shubshri Kandiah, a fresh artist on the theatre circuit whose perfect articulation of script and song quickly makes you realise why she was picked for the lead part. Belle’s antagonist-turned-love-interest, aka: the Beast, is played by relative newcomer to the stage Brendan Xavier, and while Xavier’s roaring in certain parts of the script might be a little too high at times (note to sound crew: bring the decibels down just a tad when he gets really angry), his shifting from beast to gentelman and his character’s practise of this in between conversion reveals a performer with potential to truly shine a few productions down the line.
The love story’s third wheel antagonist, Gaston, is played by Jackson Head who brings enough gravitas to this rather important part so as not to come off as too Jim Carrey. His role as the town’s most sought-after stud might just need a bit of Brando-ing so that audiences understand why his character is so coveted (in the original story, the women after him are not chasing the humour, let me tell you).
As for the supporting cast, each of the animated objects in the Beast’s castle maintain a unique and memorable personality, their accents dependent on their role: Jayde Westaby’s spot-on Cockney as Mrs Potts, Rohan Browne’s thick French delivery as Lumiere, Gareth Jacobs’ fussy articulation as Cogsworth, Hayley Martin’s sassy delivery as Babette (once a quivering feather duster), and Alana Tranter’s over-the-top excitement as Madame (a fashion doyenne turned into a set of dress drawers) all succeed in playing their animated parts without overstepping their mark, avoiding the danger of becoming pantomine. These guys are all very, very good.
As for the ensemble players who dance and sing throughout a majority of the show, the word magnificent only half covers it. Every performer puts in their best so that the end result is like one great extravaganza that Busby Berkeley would be smiling down from the heavens at. Seriously, you needn’t bother watching any of those old black-and-white song-and-dance movies when you have a spectacle as grand as this to see.
Talk about dazzling, the brilliant number Be Our Guest alone uses over 2,400 different lights. Now that’s spectacular.
Packed with puns and peppered with ballads and uplifting songs, including Be Our Guest, If I Can’t Love Her, and of course the title song, Beauty and the Beast also explores morality and sentiment with its broader thems of inner beauty, redemption, and the transformative power of love.
Be their guest and enjoy a production that’s worth every penny and minute of your time in its full two-and-a-half hour presentation.
‘Beauty and the Beast The Musical’ is on at Crown Theatre until October 12, 2025.
Tickets are available through the show’s official website or through crownperth.com.au.
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