Some touring productions tend to look a bit tired once they have been on the road in their third or fourth incarnation. But judging by the audience applause on the opening night in Manchester, this Disney classic still has all the right magical ingredients to keep you coming back for more. 25 million people have seen this enduring musical and from the opening scenes it is easy to see what makes it so appealing. Opening with the song "Belle", our heroine sings that "There must be more to this provincial life." At last a female Disney character not content with cleaning and cooking whilst dreaming that her prince many come! Gone is the doey eyed princess of the past; in comes bookish Belle, a strong woman who will not accept that her life revolves around marriage to the local, dumb-hunk, Gaston.
Her life is transformed when she encounters the beast, a scary character aesthetically who needs to be taught how to love himself before he can pass this on to someone else. The curse will then be broken and he and his staff can live their lives in their own outer skin.
This sounds corny but due to Disney's depth of character and the lush romantic narrative, you are swept away with the heart-warming love story at its core. There is also comedy in the guise of Michael Quinn's brawn and no brains; Gaston. Tongue firmly in cheek, this actor truly captures the essence of this very old fashioned cartoon character. You even get the feeling that Disney are mocking their old stock characters with this comic creation.
Jo Gibb is wonderful as Belle, the modern woman who loves to read. She has a wide eyed sense of wonderment when she arrives at the beast's castle and this enables the audience to suspend disbelief throughout. For the kids, Sergio Priftis and Adam Stafford bring playful humour to their roles as Lumiere and Cogsworth masking their characters pain as they long to be "Human Again." Nic Greenshield's beast displays vulneribility beneath the mane, growls , horns and teeth. He and Gibb have real chemistry during the pivotal "King and I" style dance scene.
As Mrs Potts, Tania Newton delights the audience with her beautiful rendition of the title song which still moves after all these years. Alan Menken's score and the lyrics by Tim Rice and Howard Ashman are a cut above many musicals and lift this show via their clever simplicity. 
Martin Dodd and Peter Frosdick from UK Productions have put a great deal of time and money into this lavish production. Nothing has been scrimped on from the excellent ensemble to Charles Camm's stunning set. Glen Beckley's evocative sound brings several scary moments to the younger audience as the beast booms at Belle out of sheer frustration. The live orchestra are superb bringing a touch of class to an already superb show.
The ending featuring the beast transforming into a pony tailed hunk has always jarred. Although technically competent, you do end up wishing that this classic tale could go the 'Shrek' route by literally sticking to the 'beauty is only skin deep' premise. But this is from the house of mouse where plastic dolls of ugly chracters would hardly be best sellers. Also, at times act one suffers from being a bit too long for little ones as they fidget their way towards the interval. But these minor flaws do not detract from the fact that this is a stunning touring production.
In short, it's a real beauty; go on, be their guest!
Glenn Meads
