A fragment of fantasy

The Disney classic Beauty and the Beast was staged in the City

There is nothing quite like revisiting the fairytales that one grew up listening to. And watching them being recreated on stage only adds to this experience.

This was precisely the sentiment of the audience, who had assembled for a staging of the Disney classic ‘Beauty and the Beast’ at the Jyoti Nivas College Auditorium recently.

Performed by the children of Sarla Birla Academy, the play saw a packed house.
People came to watch it along with their children and families. The tale revolves around an arrogant prince, who turns into a beast after a spell is cast upon him.
And the only way he can break the spell is if he learns to fall in love and accept the reality that love is a gift, which overcomes all external prejudices.

Thus enters Belle, the most beautiful girl in the village, who would rather read
her books than look out for a suitor.

Belle soon ends up stuck inside the enchanted castle and the play revolves around whether or not she falls in love with the beast.

The artistes breathed life into each one of the characters so beautifully that one was immediately sucked into the tale.

Keerthana, who had come along with her eight-year-old daughter, thought the play to be a different experience. “Though many know the story of ‘Beauty and the Beast’, it was still nice to see children perform it on stage. They really did a good job in recreating the story,” she adds.

Technically speaking as well, the play was a treat. With the clever use of the LCD backdrop, the bright props or the live music that played while the characters broke into a song, there was a lot of added colour in the story.

Songs like ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Be Our Guest’, ‘The Mob Song’  and many others kept the audience swaying to their tunes and even breaking into applause.
“I really liked the ‘Be Our Guest’ song. I liked the choreography of the children, who were dressed like forks and spoons, on skates. At times, the stage did seem a bit crowded but it’s amazing how they all managed to fit in,” says Shilpa, a student of Jyoti Nivas College.

Directed by Alexander Abraham, choreographed by Daniel Ibess Clifford and with the music arranged by Rohin Gabriel Joseph — along with the tunes that were originally composed by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice — the play certainly was worth watching.