Beauty and The Beast

When Beauty (Ruth Milne) and Martin (Andrew Rothney) meet, it’s love at first sight; but when the evil witch Crackjaw (Angela Clerkin) banishes him, Beauty begins a journey that leads her to the palace of a mysterious, magical and lonely Beast, who could be the key to her quest.

As both director and designer, it’s clear Neil Murray's talents lie in set design - his enchanting forest and austere palace are exceptional. Whilst on the whole his costumes are a triumph, the Beast looked clumsy and restrictive, affecting Rothney’s performance. There is a disappointing lack of secondary conversation, making it clear this production is solely aimed at children. To enjoy the piece you must lose your inhibitions and join in with the panto fun.

Stuart Paterson’s script is comical yet resonates with heart-warming sentiments: that if you live honestly, humbly and don’t succumb to evil you will be infinitely rewarded. Despite the lack of secondary meaning, at least the messages in the piece are clear to the parents. It’s dumbfounding that although the adult audience's childhood stories were conceivably filled with such intrinsically wholesome morality (such as this piece portrays), many adults may have evolved into consumer robots.

Beauty and her two materialistic bullying sisters are a paradox: why is it we know Beauty will be the one to find true fulfilment? Perhaps a good dose of childhood morality is just what the doctor ordered (and not just for the kids) to remind us of the distinct difference between good, bad, right and wrong - and that materialism will never equate to happiness.