Beauty and the Beast
Polka Theatre
28th November
4 Stars
Beauty and the Beast is one of the oldest and most popular fairlytales, embedded in the public consciousness since the high profile Disney adaptation.
So it’s no surprise that it’s been chosen by Polka Theatre, one of London’s only children’s theatres, as its Christmas production. The production features an abridged version of the well-known tale, although the setting is moved to England, with London and Devon playing key parts (bizarrely Devon is portrayed as some sort of rural backwater).
A merchant encounters a horrible Beast, who agrees to spare his life if his youngest and kindest daughter, Belle, comes and live with him instead. Meanwhile, Belle’s vain sister has problems of her own, as she turns away her handsome prince once she discovers she’s lost her fortune. The prince disguises himself as a local farmer to see at close quarters how pure her heart really is.
It’s a colorful and well-written adaptation; Charles Way’s script has jokes which will resonate with both adults and children. The family scenes are particularly well written, with some fun squabbling and rivalry between the two sisters.
The most enjoyable aspect of this play is the choreography – there’s a balletic and dreamlike element to a lot of the movement, with some beautiful dancing vignettes during scene changes. The opening scene, featuring a depiction of Belle’s nightmare of a shipwreck, is particularly excellent, and gets the play going with a bang.
Ritu Arya is a pure and gentle Belle, but she also portrays her as a heroine with considerable strength of mind and resilience (and good dance moves!). Andrew Chevalier was hilariously foppish as the gentleman Daniel and also put in a great comic turn when disguised as a simple countryman. Jason Eddy’s Beast was masked for most of the show but managed to convey both menace and tenderness as the flawed villain turned hero.
Laura McEwen’s set is rich in fantasy and vibrancy; some childlike projections help to create an atmosphere of dreamlike wonder. The costumes are also grand and elegant, with a stirring score from composer Julian Butler.
Loyal Disney viewers may feel they’ve seen it all before, but this version of Beauty and the Beast is charming and well performed. It’s running until February so there’s plenty of time to see it, whether it’s as a Christmas treat or to shift the January blues.
Beauty And The Beast runs at the Polka Theatre until 7 February 2016
