On the 24th February 2016, I decided to go and watch the school performance of 'Beauty and the Beast'. It was opening night and as someone who rarely ever goes to school productions, I'm not quite sure what it was that I expected. Nevertheless I was amazed.
The show started with an opening number where Belle was introduced as a book-lover who didn't seem to quite fit in with the rest of the town. I have to say when Belle sang, I didn't even feel like I was sat in a school hall but in a professional theatre. Her voice was unbelievable and I think everyone agreed, from the murmurs of conversation that took place in the interval. I have to say all the main characters were fantastic and stood out especially Belle, the silly girls, Gaston and of course the objects (the teapot, the wardrobe, the candle etcetera).
The funniest character of all had to be the candle Lumiere who kept everyone in the hall laughing and my favourite moments of the whole performance had to be the musical numbers. 'Be our guest' was as good and extravagant as it was in the movie and Mrs Potts 'Beauty and the Beast' was perfect!
One thing I did not understand however, was why the whole cast other than Lumiere the candle was speaking in an American accent after all the story is meant to be set in a small town in France, although I can't say it had much of an impact on the overall performance. Being a school performance, there were people of all different ages acting and Belle's father being younger than Belle brought the audience back from the professionalism of the main characters ( who were a lot older) to the school hall although I have to say the main characters performances did more than outweigh the younger actors' performance.
The sets and scenery were absolutely amazing and the scene changes were brilliantly done. As well as this, the lighting and sound was great and only added to how amazing the show was as a whole. I don't envy the job of the person in charge of making sure everything is done at the right time, but I have to say they did a brilliant job!
On the whole, the experience was great. I don't think I can praise the actors and actresses enough for how well they got into their character and the performance they gave. They were all amazing. I would definitely watch it again!
You have to love any effort to bring a classic like Beauty and the Beast to life. And I completely understand the wrong use of accents annoying you - you always have to get that right!