October 2009
Only costume store is dressing for success
When the Cockett Amateur Operatic Society needed costumes for their forthcoming production Beauty and the Beast...
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/amateurs-classic-fairytale/article-1888207-detail/article.html
REVIEW
Beauty and the Beast
Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea University
Disney's Beauty and the Beast is a show calculated to touch the heart of anyone who has ever felt "different", isolated or left out of the normal everyday world - this is the subtext of what has become a perennial favourite in the world of musical theatre, and rarely has this been conveyed more effectively than in this truly stunning production from Cockett Amateur Operatic Society, directed by Kathryn Rice with musical direction from Christopher Waring Davies and accompaniment from James Drummer.
The term "amateur" is something of a misnomer here, as there are times when the show could be mistaken for a professional production, such is its pace, slickness and sheer energy.
Richard Burman is in fine form as the Beast, and we watch as he is transformed by love from a hot-tempered ogre into a gentler and more receptive soul in a wholly convincing manner. His beloved Belle is played by Zoe George, who breathes life into a role that could well have been written for her.
Stefan Pejic - fresh from filming an episode of the new Sherlock Holmes TV series for the BBC, and a name to watch out for in the future - was a wonderfully swaggering Gaston, while the ever-reliable Peter L Howard pulled out all the dramatic stops in his role as Belle's father Maurice. Daniel Moses also acquits himself brilliantly as Le Fou, Gaston's comic foil.
The roles of the enchanted household objects are brought vividly to life by Nia Trussler-Jones(Mrs Potts), Ken Thomas(Cogsworth), Mark Warren(Lumiere), Liz Stockton(Babette), Rhiannon Williams (Madame de la Grande Bouche)and - providing the "aah" factor - young Oliver Trussler-Jones as Chip(the role is shared during the week by Alexander Stevens).
Gaston's camp followers, collectively known as the Silly Girls, are played with great verve by Siobhan Lanfear, Beverley Harris and Carys Comley, and Julie George's choreography has produced some of the finest finished work to have graced the amateur stage for some time.
A special word of praise for the costumes - to go to see a supposedly "amateur" show that features such stunning sartorial creations is rare indeed, and demonstrates the high standards to which this Society aspires: when the audience gasps audibly at the entrance of a character in an elegant, beautifully lit gown, it is apparent that attention to detail has reaped dividends.
Beauty and the Beast runs at Taliesin until Saturday. An absolutely amazing show on every level, and a production of which everyone involved can feel justly proud.
Graham Williams
Back to Press Release Menu
|
