Beauty and the Beast
By Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Linda Woolverton. Guilford Young College, Tasmania. Allan Jeffrey (Direction). Leiz Moore (Choreography). Andrew Castles (Musical direction). Allan Jeffrey and Leiz Moore (Set design). Helen Cronin (Costume and props Coordinator). Matthew Andrewartha (Lighting design). Don Bosco Creative Arts Centre. 18-20 August 2022
Anticipating who might audition in the year preceding the staging of a school show must be a risky business. Yet somehow, the perfect cast materialised for Guilford Young College.
Rarely has a school show boasted so many capable young men.
Dione Oloroso, behind his beastly mask, wooed the audience with the warmth and feeling of his voice. He was not impeded by the concealment of his features; his sensitive and passionate performance made him entirely deserving of the girl.
Julius Lovell, as Gaston, almost stole the show. His was a thoroughly amusing physical characterisation and his voice was excellent. Josh Murray, Le Fou, is another very assured comic who was reviewed favourably for his role as Nicely Nicely Johnson for Old Nick earlier this year.
Josh Skelly proved a master of comedy in the role of Lumiere. He was the perfect foil for the stuffy Cogsworth, played with aplomb by Hartley Jak, and the fluffy Babette played with arch coquettishness by Lucy Hannon. Their accents were all on point. Hannon was one of several excellent dancers.
Mietta Burton (Fran in Strictly Ballroom, 2021) is another fine dancer. She and Kate Young were assured as Madame de la Grande Bouche and Mrs Potts, respectively.
Much of the success, or otherwise, of this show, must fall on the casting of “Beauty”. Grace Rowbottom, as Belle, was able to hold the stage with charm and natural poise. Her voice has a particularly pleasing timbre and good range which training should even out into a very expressive instrument. She looked exactly right.
The Don Bosco theatre is a well-appointed theatre that was used to advantage in this production. Suspending the set on two fly lines facilitated the flow of action. The village at the front of the stage was easily swept away to reveal the forest, and behind that, the elevated castle.
Lighting bars behind the proscenium enabled a feature to be made of the enchanted rose, expertly managed by Helen Cronin. Filtered lighting effects gave atmosphere to the forest. The beast’s transformation was especially magical.
Ensemble numbers were particularly enjoyable. The opening scene in the village established the individual characters with costumes that were distinctive and detailed, the first number supported by well sequenced action. “Be our Guest” was a very appealing item with interesting choreography and excellent costuming. The serviettes were especially skilful. “Human again” and “Something There” were delightful in different ways. A great deal of attention and effort had been devoted to the visual aspects of the show, especially the costumes, which made for a diverting spectacle.
Andrew Castles is a highly esteemed performer and director. Quite apart from his professional and teaching work, he recently undertook musical direction for Chicago for Rosny College and Guys and Dolls for Old Nick Summer School. Beauty and the Beast is Castles third undertaking (of which this author is aware) in youth theatre for 2022. As with most pit orchestras in this environment, the core comprises local professionals augmented by students. Two young trumpet players held their own in contributing to the realisation of the lush Disney score in Castles’ expert hands.
Every element of this production is strong. On preview night the audience was very much invested in the story and enraptured by its magic.
Anne Blythe-Cooper