Theatre Review

Eleanor Pearson
13 November 2017

Be Our Guest: Local Theatre Serves up Warmth and Wit

In the intimate performance space of St Aidan’s, Longueville, a classic fairytale brought to life captivated its predominantly youthful audience on Sunday.

With its enchanted and enchanting characters, and large cast, Beauty and the Beast presents a charming, but somewhat daunting challenge for a community theatre to produce. Lane Cove Theatre Company’s (LCTC) writer/director Sarah Edwards proved up to the task.
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Alexei Belchenko as the Beast. Photos by Rachael Ashley.
Edwards’ directorial touch included garlands of red roses not only draped from the black curtains on the stage, but single roses worn by the supporting crew as they met audience members before the show.
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The mood was set by a beautifully narrated voiceover, as the Beast’s (Alexei Belchenko) backstory was revealed. Alexei Belchenko, 15, ably played the dual roles of romantic lead and tormented beast. A puff of stage smoke, and the ensemble cast of young actors made their entrance with vigour at high volume.
The energy and enthusiasm of the big cast numbers made these scenes outstanding. My personal favourite scene was the song and dance Be Our Guest, performed by the magical furniture to Belle in the enchanted castle. The invasion of the castle by the angry mob was another highlight.

Beauty and the Beast

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Tale as Old as Time: Belle (Josie Segal) and the Prince (Alexei Belchenko)
Jeremy Segal as Lumiere, a larger-than-life magical candelabra, stole the show. But he was well supported by Haydon Ashley, as the doddering Cogsworth, the enchanted clock, who (with comic timing and appropriate amounts of pomp and attitude) delivered lines such as: “I’ll tell them their time is up.”
Madeleine Biddle did a double turn as the comedic villain Lefou and the motherly Mrs. Potts, the teapot. Her vocal talents were also displayed in the solo, Tale as Old as Time, sung with sensitivity.
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As the bright and headstrong heroine Belle, Josie Segal, was demure, but warm. She cut an elegant figure, particularly in the waltz scene when she made her entry in a gold, flowing ball gown. The relationship between Belle and her inventor father, Maurice (Aidan Emeleus) was played straight, and so was moving, in a way that stood out from the wit and humour of the rest of the show.
The main villain of the piece, the brutish Gaston, was well cast, and played by Cassie Mildwater. It was fun to see Mildwater enjoying her role, as she hammed it up in the crowd scenes:

“No is a word that happens to other people.”
It was also the little touches that made this show engaging: The romance between Lumiere and Plumette, the feather duster (Emma Ashley), the wit of the horse, Philippe (Katie McPherson) and the nimble acrobatics of ensemble cast member Valeria Gonzalez Lopez. Nine-year-old Eve Emeleus as Chip, the teacup, also had cute one-liners, such as: “I’m Chip. I’m half-full.”
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​The feminist discourse of the otherwise sycophantic female admirers of Gaston (Holly Barling, Charlotte Pugh, and Amelie Balestriere) at the end was an unusual, absurdist touch.

The imagination of this production was enhanced by the creative efforts of costume designer Rose Edwards.  In the colourful, stylised designs of the enchanted furniture characters she especially demonstrated her artistic flair.

Beauty and the Beast plays until November 25, 2017
Lane Cove Theatre Company  
Season:  10 November - 25 November
Address:  The Performance Space at St Aidans, 
​1 Christina Street, Longueville NSW 2066