Re-imagined and ready to dazzle audiences, this vibrant new production of Beauty and the Beast is enchanting audiences across the UK. Based on the classic Disney movie, the current touring production has been completely redesigned using state-of-the-art technology and compelling new set and costume designs to bring the story to life in a way never seen before.

The company and show

Leading the cast as the book-loving and compassionate Belle who trades her freedom to save her father, Courtney Stapleton is truly a force to be reckoned with. Originally the u/s Beast, Alyn Hawke stepped up to the role full-time after a certain controversy took place. His vocals during ‘If I Can’t Love With Her’ were so powerful they will stay in my mind for a very long time. He truly understood the turmoil the Beast was facing and presented us with a multi-layered character, with layers peeling away as the show went on.

It’s always great to see understudies stepping up, showing us all why they are covering this role, and saving the show. This is why I was quite disappointed when the casting for the London Palladium run was announced and he’s being replaced. Sort of makes you question how much they value their understudies if they’re quick to replace them for a West End stint. Congratulations to Shaq Taylor who is going to smash it. This isn’t his fault at all, of course, and I’m excited to see what he does with the role. The industry can be so harsh though.

Gavin Lee was born to play the over-dramatic candlestick, Lumiere. He delivers every line with so much flair and makes the perfect duo with Nigel Richards as Cogsworth. Another standout to me was Louis Stockil in the role of the clownish Le Fou who had perfect comedic timing. Bringing the house to tears with her rendition of the title song, we were blessed to have Sam Bailey bring her beautiful voice to this classic Disney song.

Songs you might not have heard before

If you have only seen the original and live action movies, then you may not have heard some of the songs written specifically for the stage show. We need to change that right now. You all need to know about Belle’s most beautiful songs, ‘Home’ and ‘A Change In Me’.

Equally, whilst we were given the gorgeous ‘Evermore’ for the live action movie, the Beast also has his own song in the stage show which differs from its’ movie successor greatly. I never truly appreciated ‘If I Can’t Love Her’ until I saw it performed on stage. I think the individual songs definitely both make sense for the different platforms they are being performed.

What moments were a highlight?

Instantly, my first thoughts go to ‘Be Our Guest’ which they have made bigger and better than ever before. A middle-of-the-act 10-minute long showstopping number with tap dancing that ended with confetti is exactly what we needed. It was so spectacular it felt like the end of the act. But we still had a ballad from the Beast to go!

The dynamic between Cogsworth and Lumiere was an absolute delight. Whenever they were on stage I was grinning from ear to ear. I also really enjoyed how they did the transformation scene as I think this is something really hard to accomplish on stage, making it look both good and realistically.

Theatre-going experience

From an audience perspective, this was one of the worst I have ever been a part of. I used to work front of house at Frozen and I’m very aware that ‘kids will be kids’ and that is understandable. I love that family shows like this are introducing children to the theatre. The problem is the adults who don’t try to explain theatre etiquette to their children.

It’s a joy to hear kids enjoying theatre, it truly is. An odd comment here or there is fine. Children are curious and excitable. We had a child talking behind us throughout the entire show and every so often I could hear the parent telling them to keep it down. An effort was being made, I can appreciate that. In front of me, however, there was a woman who was worse than her child. She was dancing, singing along, moving seats and by the end I’d had enough. And the constant rustling… I don’t even want to talk about that.

Final thoughts

There is no doubt this new production of Beauty and the Beast is a mesmerising treat for anyone who gets to see it. It may be a tale as old as time, but there’s something new and refreshing about this production that you should all be rushing to see.

The next stops on the tour are Birmingham and Manchester, ahead of their short West End run at the London Palladium. Tickets can be found on sale here.

** warning: I’ve never felt the need to do this before, but if you are affected by strobe lighting then please be aware they use it in both acts. I’m not usually affected by this but even I was like wow this is a bit yikes **

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Have you been to see Beauty and the Beast? If so let me know your thoughts in the comments!