Beauty and the Beast at the Albany Theatre...

This production is closer to the original fairy tale from the 1700s



Coventry's Albany Theatre is bringing something a bit different to the city's Christmas offering this year. A festive adaptation of Beauty and the Beast hit the stage on December 6 and is less of a reimagining of the beloved tale, and more of a working of the original source material from the mid-1700s.

Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve’s original 18th-century fairy tale is less talking tea pots and more mischievously gregarious goblins. Aimed at those aged 6 and above, this telling of Beauty and the Beast is no pantomime, though it is slashed through with slapstick moments and crowd participation which means it leans into that territory occasionally.

And it certainly had a festive feel, helped no doubt by the beautifully subtle decorations and the medieval-esque music serenading the audience before the production began.

Shadows and wooden puppets beautifully help tell the Beast's origin story in the opening moments - this includes his ferocious warrior queen mother who is warring with the goblin nation. They retaliate by turning her to stone and her mute infant son into a beast.

By the time the Beauty - Bella - stumbles across the Beast's enchanted castle on a mission to kickstart her cleaning business, the Beast is the frighteningly grumpy figure we've came to know from retellings.

It takes sometime for the Beast to actually appear though, the tension built masterfully with shadowy hints and ominous growls. The music for the production is lovely - the queen goblin's violin bringing at times emotional depth but also lighter whimsy when required.

Comical moments mainly come from an enchanted 'mechanical' servant called Wheelium, who moves around the stage on a variety of, you guessed it, wheels. Bella's two argumentative and jealous siblings, reminiscent of Cinderella's ugly sisters, adds a modern and silly shrillness to proceedings.

The cast bring the story to life, and there is just enough daftness to offset the more serious moments and make it suitable for all the family. If you're looking for something close to the Disney version's French candlestick or talking clocks and teapots, this is not the version being told. Similarly there are no dame's or 'it's behind yous'.

But there is still lots of enjoyment to be had if you fancy something unique this Christmas. My own children loved it, one of them saying on the way out they wanted to watch it all over again - high praise indeed.

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/reviews/took-kids-see-albany-theatres-33065373