My Rating – ⭐⭐⭐ and three quarters/5

Ticket Price: $36 CAD after taxes and fees

After a long hiatus, Regina Lyric Musical Theatre makes its return to Darke Hall to present Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Led by some of the best actors Regina community theatre has to offer and using some of the new technology added to Darke Hall, Lyric’s presentation is for the most part a high energy and emotional stage presentation of the Disney movie and Broadway musical.

The show has a great start with Marianne Woods coming forward to introduce the back story. Woods is practically royalty in the Regina community theatre scene and her eloquence and diction is just what is needed to set the scene. Poised and regal, this former Mrs. Potts (Globe Theatre’s 2019 production) does a perfect job of setting the stage for the show.

The title characters Belle and Beast are played by Sydney Ell and Jay-Jay Bigsky. Ell’s characterization is charming, playing Belle with grace and poise. Her facial expressions bring out both the intellectual and emotional intelligence of the character. Her light soprano very much brings to mind Paige O’Hara’s voice – the original voice of Belle. Bigsky, as well, is an excellent actor. While his speaking voice does not reach the bass growl one would hope for from Beast, his characterization more than makes up for it. Bigsky is a very physical actor and he uses this to full advantage to embody the character from coarse and unrefined to sweet and almost kind.

Equally important as the title characters is the villain Gaston – and Ryan Ramsey in the role very much steals the show. Ramsey has a great voice, great looks, and the ability to fill the stage with the overbearing presence that Gaston requires. His only downfall in the show is (spoiler alert) his downfall where he disappears so abruptly that the effect is comedic rather than dramatic.

The supporting cast in the show is also indispensable. In the village, Maurice (Belle’s father) is ably played by Edward Willett. Well known to Regina audiences Willett has a great stage presence and a hearty baritone voice. Those expecting the over the top cartoonish antics of the animated movie character might be disappointed as Willett plays the role in a more serious tone. Jonah Durnin, while not having the strongest singing voice is an excellent choice for Lefou with great comedic timing, slapstick antics and some very funny moments. The Filles de la ville also deserve a mention. Played by Jessica Amadi, Jordan Levesque, and Hayleigh Piak, the trio work beautifully together. All three have fantastic voices and play off each other vocally and comedically to bring forth the spirit and intent of the characters.

In the castle, Justin Hardy and Mark Kelly are an excellent pairing as Lumiere and Cogsworth. They are well suited to their characters, they both nail the voices, and they very much evoke their animated character counterparts. Candice Armstrong‘s Madame de la Grande Bouche (the wardrobe) is well played. Armstrong’s vocal training matches well with the operatic background of Madame. Miranda Sheepwash is charming as Babette (the feather duster), both sexy and hilarious as she flits around and flirts with Lumiere. Jamie Shaheen as Mrs. Potts is a capable actor and singer. However, the somewhat cockney accent that she or the directors worked out doesn’t fit well to the character.

The rest of the ensemble does a fine job although they are somewhat impeded by the number of actors on such a small stage. Scenes that should be high energy and quick movement like “Be Our Guest” and “Gaston” end up feeling slow and lethargic, largely because moving faster would have the actors tripping over each other.

The orchestra, piped in from another room, is capable enough but is somewhat under-amplified and in general sounds thin. There are also some issues with coordination between actors and orchestra with singing coming in in the wrong spot or not at all. Even Ell had one moment where she ended up off by a half bar although was able to find herself again. The volume of the cast is generally good as well with just a couple of moments where microphones are perhaps not turned up as far as they should be and some dialogue is lost and other moments where some microphones are turned up too far.

From a technical standpoint, the projections are lovely but did have some opening night errors. Sets are simple – a couple of risers on lifting casters. Whether due to the size of the stage or just needing more practice, the stage hands are seen very obviously moving around the stage, fully lit, moving stage pieces and set around, and raising the casters so a set piece wouldn’t accidentally go rolling away. Hopefully that becomes more streamlined in remaining performances.

Lighting is generally good but is sometimes too bright for a scene. Also, the interaction between the bright lighting and shiny props is sometimes blinding. Even the top edge gilt on the books sends errant reflections into the hall. As well, the magic mirror prop has a reflective glass in it which, while the audience never sees that face, it too sends out errant reflections of the overhead lighting.

A standout achievement for the production is in the costuming. Overall costumes are brilliant and the yellow dress (you know the one) gets appropriate oohs and ahs as Ell comes on stage wearing it.

Directors Jill Wiens and Katlyn Redding with choreographers Breeann DeHaven and Claire Castle have put together an enjoyable evening of musical theatre. It is certainly worth seeing and plays 3 more performances – May 25th at 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm and May 26th at 1:30 pm. Go, take your kids. You’ll have a great time. 3.75 out of 5.