Now Productions is a relatively new company in the Northern Suburbs of Adelaide but this is no way reflected in their productions.  This performance of Beauty and the Beast was slick, fast paced and didn’t let the audience down.  Co-directed by Bianco Woods and Chris Brown, the cast were tight and well rehearsed.   Choreography by Mandy Russell was well executed and the vocal training received by Robert Young and Amber Rusby was dynamic.  All the cast had a role to play whether a principal or chorus and this was done exceptionally well with no bunching or hidden members which can happen with larger casts.

Jemmah Rattley played the role of Belle with insight far beyond her years.  Her vocals were clear and clean throughout and often brought the audience to tears.  Axel Flynn who played Gaston was so brash and cocky you could not help but to love him which many of the young female audience members obviously did, given the comments and whistles that ensued every time he stepped on stage.  Aidan Good who played Lumiere had the audience in stitches more often than not with his comedic antics and Kane Mobbs as Cogsworth was the perfect foil for him with his hand-wringing.  Standout vocals from Saphron Giannos as Mrs Potts were a joy to listen to. Her performance of Beauty and the Beast in the second half was truly amazing.  Zachary Baseby as Lefou, Rhys Young as Chip, Madeleine Riggs as Babette, Taylah Knight as Madame de la Grande Bouche, Jade Watson as Maurice and Perry Robertson-Terranova as Monsieur D’arque rounded out the principal roles admirably.  With an additional 41 ensemble members this was a large production by anyone’s standards and was a joy to watch.

Sadly there were only two performances and the sound was a major issue on opening night so not a lot of time to get it right.  As much as I hate seeing a sound desk in the audience, there is a case for the technician to be right there hearing exactly what the audience hears and being able to adjust accordingly.

Again as there were only two performances it would have been hard to get tickets given Opening was near to full and I can only imagine Finale would have been the same.  If you missed it, get in now for their next production of Les Miserables in July.

- Advertisement -