Beauty and the Beast
29/09/2008 - 11/10/2008
Production Details
Beauty is more than skin deep in a family favourite making a magical appearance these school holidays in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, at The Court Theatre from September 29 – October 11.
Writer and director Greg Cooper has adapted the classic tale of magic, romance and how appearances can be deceiving to appeal to children and parents of all ages. Beauty must stay in the palace of a hideous but lonely Beast after her father tries to pick her a magical rose. With the help of a magic mirror, Beauty learns to see beyond the surface – but will she realise her true feelings in time?
Torum Heng (last seen at The Court in The Producers and recent touring show The Magic Island) stars as Beauty, Javier Jarquin (The History Boys, The Cape) plays the Beast and Daniel Bain (Robin Hood & Maid Marian, Aunty McDuff’s Magical Trunk) is the magical mirror.
With music, magic and mystery (and all tickets only $7), BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is certain to be a very popular show – book your tickets early to avoid missing out on this fun family fairy-tale!
Venue: The Court Theatre, 20 Worcester Boulevard, Christchurch
Show Dates/Times: 29 September – 11 October 2008; 10am and 12pm Monday – Friday, 10am only Saturdays
Price: All tickets $7
Bookings: The Court Theatre: www.courttheatre.org.nz or phone: 963 0870
Actor 1 (Beauty): Torum Heng
Actor 2 (Belladonna/Merchant/Mirror): Dan Bain
Actor 3 (Delilah/Captain Salty/Beast): Javier Jarquin
Set design: David Thornley
Set build: Richard van den Berg
Costume design: Emily Thomas
Lighting design: Brendan Albrey
Sound design: Michael Bell
Stage manager: Anna Dodgshun
Lighting/Sound Operator: Darryn Woods
50 mins
Scrambled tale delights
Review by Lindsay Clark 07th Oct 2008
This holiday concoction is generously packed with the sort of thing that keeps the tiddlers happily engaged – short scenes, the appropriate mix of wacky and loveable characters, paint box fresh costumes and snappy choreography. This is not even counting audience involvement ploys and the laugh bait written in for adult attendees. The name of the game is fun and the fleeting final message about personality counting more than looks is just a nod in the direction of the purists who like their fables to reach deeper than laughter. The young audience likes things very well the way they are.
One successful addition to the story (as far as my 5 year old fairy tale connoisseur and I were able to recall) is the magic mirror, the one that gets no gratitude for messing up the ‘fairest of them all’ reply in other stories. Here, the mirror is a major communicator cum narrator, a wonderful excuse to bring in quick physical play and a teasing test of quick changes for the actor concerned.
In fact all three in the cast are in rattling good form, Beauty (Torum Heng) meeting the exacting requirements of my companion, as a ‘nice person for a friend’ sort of heroine, as well as being adjudged ‘very pretty’.
In the multiple roles peopling the rest of the story (though not necessarily powering it along) Javier Jarquin and Daniel Bain are often exuberant and infectiously over the top in their capers. The audience was thoroughly delighted with its part in the action too, providing thunder, various rooms of the Beastly Prince’s palace and a wonderful rain gag sequence with the sort of unconstrained enthusiasm which lifts children’s theatre into something delightful, no matter how banal the material.
All up, this is a polished and not too predictable holiday treat for those who can take their tales a little scrambled in the name of entertainment.
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