This is our review of Beauty And The Beast at St Helens Theatre Royal!
Synopsis Of Beauty And The Beast
This tale as old as time showcases Belle, a beautiful woman who comes face to face with a prince that has been cursed to look like a hideous beast. Can Belle see past this rough exterior to the soft heart within, and can the beast learn to love and be loved in return?
Starring Lauren McCrory as Belle, Benjamin Keith as the Beast, Lewis Devine as French Frank, Richard Aucott as Potty Polly, Maria Lovelady as Fairy Rose, Auguste Voulton as Gaston, and Abigail Middleton as Madam Botox.
Analysis Of Beauty And The Beast
Regal Entertainments return to St Helens Theatre Royal with another classic tale to entertain children and adults alike. During press night, this show definitely had its ups and downs, but the audience left with smiles on their faces.
Unfortunately, it took a while for the audience to warm up to the actors on stage. For example, the awkwardness of Gaston’s over-exaggerated muscle flexes should have resulted in laughter, but initially received an awkward mutter.
However, when this tension started to ease, the show flowed well. As with all classic pantomimes, there were pop culture references to relate to all ages. From 80’s classics to TikTok hits, we weren’t short of head-bopping tracks. Alongside the musical accompaniment, the senior dancers did a wonderful job throughout the production. From elegant lifts to high-energy dance numbers, this group showed off their expertise and performed brilliantly.
Star
Lewis Devine was without a doubt the star of the show. His performance as French Frank had the audience in fits of laughter. From hilarious interactions with the audience to stumbling over tongue twisters on stage with his fellow actors, Lewis keeps the atmosphere light and positive. One particularly memorable moment involved Lewis calling a strong member of the audience onto the stage for assistance.
At press night, Lewis picked a gentleman from the front row and made sure to take full advantage of his new stagehand. From jumping all over him and making hilarious one-liners, people couldn’t help themselves laughing at the poor guy’s misfortune.
Addition
Another wonderful addition to the cast was Richard Aucott with his portrayal of Potty Polly. Polly and Frank were a perfectly match on stage, bouncing off each other at all the right moments. Their interactions during the honey scene went down a treat, giving a perfect example of how magic can form on stage.
There were some unfortunate sound issues that made the show slightly uncomfortable. For example, Maria Lovelady playing Fairy Rose had trouble with her microphone. Every high note she hit both in speech and in song peaked and started to hurt audience members’ ears. This never changed throughout the show. That unfortunately put a damper on the scenes Fairy Rose was a part of. Hopefully, there is a correction for future shows, giving Maria the spotlight she deserves.
Summary Of Beauty And The Beast
All in all, this production works well at entertaining people of all ages in classic pantomime style. The comedic relief is an absolute highlight of the entire production, making light of technical glitches and awkward moments on stage. Beauty And The Beast was well received on press night. And I’m sure it will go down a treat for the rest of its run over the Easter holidays.