In a tale as old as time (or at least since 2021) Greenwich Theatre is staging a summer family production as a warm up to their traditional winter panto. Following on from last year’s contemporary take on Cinderella comes another twist on a classic story; a brand new musical adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. Very much not the Disney version, this actor-musician production takes its inspiration from the traditional fairytale, promising a clever twist on a familiar story.
There are some excellent ideas in here, but they don’t quite come together to create a cohesive story. It’s great to see a non-traditional, more powerful Belle (Louise Cielecki) and it’s clear that the writers (Sidonie Welton and Brad Tutt) are trying to put a different spin on the back story of the Beast (Ed Tunningley). But the problem is that there’s a distinct lack of peril – We’re never frightened of the Beast, nor do we fear for him when he later comes under threat. It lacks the darkness that we expect of a fairytale. The narrative is also quite confusing (to the extent that there is even a recap within the show to check that the audience is keeping up).
It’s a shame, because the show has such a promising start, using the device of a story told by a travelling group of players. The highlight is the brilliant folk music from David Haller, who returns to compose the Greenwich summer show once more. It could work really well if it leaned more into this folk vibe, instead of segueing into panto. At the moment, it feels like a show that hasn’t quite worked out its own identity. That said, there is still a lot to like within it. It just doesn’t quite hit the heights of previous Greenwich summer shows.
Beauty and the Beast plays at Greenwich Theatre from 2 to 25 August 2024. We received complimentary tickets to the performance on 16 August.