Beauty and the Beast Jr, performed by Nelson Youth Theatre Company at the Theatre Royal, Wednesday 13 July. Reviewed by Jen Amosa.
The opening performance of Nelson Youth Theatre’s Beauty and the Beast was enthusiastically received by the audience and so it should have been.
The creative design and quality of the costumes was beautiful and the set design and lighting incorporated excellent use of projections and tiered staging to transport the audience to the Beast’s french castle.
Nelson Youth Theatre Company is to be commended for the theatre opportunities they continually provide for children and young people in the Nelson region.
I counted 80 names in the programme and each and every one gave it their all. In particular, Emily Furniss, as the heroine Belle, gave a strong performance and I heard every word clearly whether she was singing or speaking.
I very much enjoyed Sam Clark and Devan Gavin who carried off the roles of narcissistic Gaston and obsequious Le Fou with aplomb. Georgie Horncastle as Lumiere was excellent and Yasmin Ismael as Mrs Potts sang her solo beautifully.
I was surprised that the costume of the Beast included a full-face mask. I’m certain the young actor who played the role in the opening performance was acting his heart out, but unfortunately the audience couldn’t see this, and it is very hard for an audience to engage with a character when we cannot see their expressions.
Vocally, Neo Gunn-Stringer did a good job although (again) he was hampered by the ‘monster’ mask and his mic was noticeably more muffled than the other leads.
The Disney Jnr version is very well adapted from the full-length version and comes in at a running time of 75 minutes with no interval, so it’s a great length for kids and perfect school holiday entertainment for the young and the young-at-heart.
Beauty and the Beast Jr is on at the Theatre Royal from 13 - 15 July for six shows in total. Book at theatreroyalnelson.co.nz
