Tale’s heart beats loud and clear
Beauty and the Beast
(out of 4) Music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, book by Linda Woolverton. Directed by Allen MacInnis. Until Dec. 31 at Young People’s Theatre, 165 Front St. E. youngpeoplestheatre.ca or 416-862-2222, ext. 2
It’s a “tale as old as time,” as you can’t help but know: this musical is amongst the most familiar in contemporary culture: from the 1991 movie that helped usher in the Disney animation renaissance, to the spinoff stage musical premiered on Broadway in 1994, to this year’s liveaction film, which made more than $1 billion worldwide.
Young People’s Theatre is staging what director Allen MacInnis calls a chamber version: 85 minutes long in one act, and scaled down for a relatively modest budget and a cast of 14. You’re not going to get a chorus line of hundreds of high-kicking forks, but all the great group and comedy numbers have been retained (“Be Our Guest,” “Belle,” “Gaston”) and the positive message about acceptance of oneself and others comes through loud and clear.
Particularly impressive is the efficiency of a number of passages where plot is established and moved along. Initial narration by the beautifully spoken Claire Rouleau as the Beggar Woman/Enchantress swiftly sets up the premise of the spoiled Prince (Stewart Adam McKensy) put under a spell and turned into a beast until he can learn to love.
Celine Tsai is a winning Belle, with a strong singing voice and stage presence. Aaron Ferguson nails his performance as the dopily overconfident Gaston and he gets great support from Jacob MacInnis as devoted sidekick LeFou.
Abig part of what holds this version together is the hard work of the ensemble, who make repeated quick changes to appear both as townspeople and the Beast’s staff. The highlights of the show are the big group numbers; under Diane Leah’s musical direction, the diction and harmonies are impressive.
Damien Atkins and Andrew Prashad play off each other wittily as Lumiere and Cogsworth, and Prashad gets a few welcome opportunities to show off his exceptional tap-dancing skills.
Playing the Beast is always going to be a challenge, underneath all that hair (here, a full face mask). McKensy’s performance is initially physically tentative, but when the time comes for his big solo (“If I Can’t Have Her”), his baritone soars and, as the Prince, his performance gains conviction.
A built-in challenge for this material to hold young people’s attention is that a lot of the action takes place in a dark castle and there are a number of scenes where, frustratingly, you have to strain to see the characters’ faces. Those numbers where designer Jason Hand clearly illuminates the soloists gain much in effectiveness. While Joanna Yu has found some clever ways to costume the enchanted characters (Mrs. Potts and Chip, played by Susan Henley and Phoebe Hu, are particularly adorable), the big reveal of Belle’s party dress feels anticlimactic, as it does not particularly flatter Tsai.
To dwell on that, though, would be to miss the point of the story, which comes through clearly through the company’s committed performances: looking beyond appearances and honouring your true self will bring out the best in others and makes love possible. Nothing beastly about that.