REVIEW | Beauty and the Beast, Northern Ballet

Reviewer - Samantha

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review

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The Beauty & The Beast ballet was created by David Nixon CBE and first premiered on stage in 2011. It was an instant hit with the critics back then and in my personal opinion, it still is. This is a classic story about Beauty selflessly leaving her two sisters and father to go and live in the castle with a Beast. As time goes by, we see their love blossom into something beautiful through dance. Whilst Beast is hiding a secret, Beauty sees him for the man who is really is and breaks the evil curse.

Until last night, I hadn’t ever seen a live ballet performance before. It’s always been something I would like to see but the worries of not being able to follow the story has prevented me from booking a ticket to previous shows. I don’t feel that way anymore and Northern Ballet has helped me look at ballet differently. I think I can speak for many of those who attended last night as I was in awe of the talent on stage, it was truly magical.

This story is different to the Disney version, but I found that more interesting as I had to keep guessing what was going to happen next. I enjoyed the additional scenes between Beauty’s Father (Harry Skoupas) and her two sisters, Isabelle (Julie Nunès) and Chantelle (Heather Lethan). Their dysfunctional ways cause the family to lose their home as well as their clothes – it was a had to be there moment, but you will be sat there laughing when you see it.

We were also introduced to three new characters, who completely owned the stage. I thought La Fée Luminaire – good fairy (Rachael Gillespie), La Fée Magnifique – evil fairy (Sarah Chun) and Alfred – a man servant (Filippo Di Villo) were a fantastic trio and their timing, movements and facial expressions were impeccable. What chemistry!

Although there was no dialogue in this performance, it was still very engaging. The audience laughed a number of times thanks to the comedy goblins, Albert Gonzalez Orts, Bruno Serraclara, Archie Sherman and Stefano Varalta. Their performance was during Beauty (Dominique Larose) and Beast’s (Kevin Poeung) dinner scene, and they were great because they helped lift the atmosphere as Beauty and the Beast were having a disagreement. Their choreography certainly represented clumsy and mischievous goblins.

I have to mention the two individuals the show is about, Beauty and the Beast. Wow. Both individuals are incredible performers, and every single move was effortless. Their facial expressions were maintained throughout the show, and they were in sync with one another. I thought Beast’s choreography was sensational, I have no idea how one person can remember all of those moves and still make it look like his everyday routine. Beast’s character felt so real, the costume was simple yet drew me in and each movement symbolised anger, sadness, frustration, and the need to be loved. It was beautiful as was Beauty’s performance – Dominique is a graceful dancer and I feel very fortunate to have seen all of last night’s cast doing what they love. It’s not a job for them, it’s their way of telling a story and they did just that.

Overall, it was a faultless performance, and I cannot believe how strong everyone in the show is. I was blown away by the choreography, scenery, costumes, lighting, talent, the orchestra, all of it! Unfortunately, my seat was restricted, and I couldn’t see majority of the right side of the stage which is where some of the key scenes took place. Please also note, that there are bright lights reflecting off some of the scenery so it can be quite dazzling.

And finally, if you are visiting any of the Nottingham shows this week, you may see members of the Musicians Union within the foyer giving out leaflets and wearing white t-shirts to try and save the jobs of those in the orchestra. Please do take a flyer and read the contents as the current orchestra is at risk of being cut from future tours due to inflation, the cost-of-living crisis, and the war in Ukraine. The musicians within Sinfonia are not salaried, they are freelance artists, which means they are at a higher risk of having their part within the live show removed entirely. If you would like to support Northern Ballet and live music, please consider signing this petition. To save on costs, the current proposal is to have the orchestra replaced with a recorded soundtrack. For me, a live orchestra helps bring a performance to life and allows you to embrace your surroundings.

We are very fortunate to have so many talented individuals within Northern Ballet, so if you would like to see their future shows with live music, let’s keep the conversation going because I will be doing my bit.

Tickets are available in Nottingham until Saturday 7 October, however, there are an additional three tours taking place for the remainder of 2023 and during 2024 in Newcastle, Norwich, and Leeds.

★ ★ ★ ★