Directed by
Jordan Best
Musical
Direction by Susan Davenport
Choreography
by Jodi Hammond
Ickle Pickle
Productions
Belconnen
Theatre until 23rd January 2016
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
Pretty
costumes, an opulent fairy-tale setting, imaginative staging, and some excellent
singing and acting from the large, predominately young, cast, are the
ingredients which ensure that Ickle Pickle’s latest offering is a delight from
start to finish.
 |
| Kaitlin Nihill as Belle |
Guided by Jordan
Best’s experienced directorial hand, this charming interpretation of a ‘love will conquer all’ story about a feisty young woman, Belle
(Kaitlin Nihill), who disdains the overtures of the village hoon, Gaston (Liam
Jones), to rescue her aged father,
Maurice (Michael Jordan), and in the
process, melt the heart of the despised town outcast, the Beast (Adam Salter),
who turns out to be the enchanted Prince Adam (Nicholas Beecher), moves along swiftly. Tuneful songs and eye-dazzling dance
routines deliciously sugar-coat subversive messages about body-image, integrity
and trust hidden among the witty dialogue.
Ebullient
performances from Pip Carroll, (Lumiere), Bojana Kos (Babette), Amy Jenkins
(Mrs Potts) Rebecca Franks (Madame de la Grand Bouche), Zara McCann (Chip), Patrick
Galen-Mules (Cogsworth) and Lachlan Burke (Lefou), as inhabitants of the
enchanted castle, insure there is plenty of fun along the way.
 |
| Pip Carroll as Lumiere |
Jodi Hammond’s
high-spirited dance routines add spectacle, as well as cleverly displaying the dance
and acrobatic skills of her talented dancers. Miram Miley-Read’s costumes are
also clever and appropriately colourful, excepting for the “Be My Guest”
sequence in which most of the ensemble is surprisingly costumed in drab grey,
rather than providing a riot of colour.
Steve
Galinic and Anita Davenport’s impressively opulent setting provided some
surprises, although Caitlin Jones’ rather dull lighting design adds little
enhancement. Some adjustment to the sound levels of the under-play sections of Susan
Davenport’s digital sound track, which provides the charming calliope-like musical
accompaniment for the show, would also allow more of the unamplified spoken
dialogue to be heard.
However,
this delightful production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” is a triumph for
all concerned and the perfect escapist holiday entertainment for young and old
alike.
 |
| Zara McCann (Chip) Amy Jenkins (Mrs Potts) |
Photos by Bec Doyle Photography
This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS
on 9th January 2016.
