Beauty and The Beast at Playlovers (Regal Theatre)

Wednesday afternoon...I'm just about to leave work boasting to everyone that tonight I'm off to go watch the opening night of Beauty and the Beast. "Ha ha ha!" I say to everyone as I smugly leave my office boasting that my night is going to be markably more entertaining than anything they are likely to do...then my phone rings. ABSOLUTELY SHATTERED!!! I'm sure my situation was not the only one on that Wednesday afternoon. I heard of some people who didn't even get a phone call from Ticketek to tell them the shows opening night had been cancelled. Opening night cancelled??? How could that possibly happen? But thankfully I was able to switch my tickets for Thursday night and can I say first of all WOW!!! So let's not dwell on why the show had to wait a day to open and rather focus on the show. First of all the highly debated sets and costumes. These were wonderful and in a show like Beauty and the Beast it is really essential for these to be of the standard they were. When the castle was first revealed on stage there was a roar of applause from the audience as they felt truely overwhelmed by the sheer size and effectiveness of the set. The costumes as well were an absolute delight. I was reading in the West Australian that they had a former professional costumer working with the Playlovers production (please correct me if I'm wrong) and can I say it truely paid off. I was concerned about being able to see the emotion of the Beast (after all he is in a very heavy mask) but the actors commitment to the character and the freedom of the costume allowed for all this to still come through. The music was amazingly overwhelming. Very powerful and of an incredibly high standard. Craig Dalton (surprisingly young looking in such a huge role as musical director) is to be commended on his ability to direct such a fantastically beautiful piece of music for Perth audience. Without a doubt my favourite part of this show was "Be Our Guest" and really was a chance for the cast to show off their skills and the beautiful costumes. A good strong dancing chorus of both males and females. The plates were girlishly cutesy, with a real playful charm. I can't even imagine trying to dance with something that big attatched to my back (wonderful job girls). The other dancing girls - not sure what they were meant to be - were a little bit more 'grown-up' compared to the plate girls. Beautiful high kicks and well executed partnership dancing. It was a nice difference between the two 'characters' of the female ensemble and gave them something to set them apart and gave them more of a personal character. The male ensemble was amazing. How Playlovers got so many boys to not only appear on stage but also dance is beyond me. They were wonderfully energetic and performed as individual characters not as one solid group which was particularly effective in their performance of "Gaston" (another of my favourites). I must say I haven't enjoyed drunken men dancing ever before in my life but then these men could actually dance whereas those I meet on a Saturday night more wiggle...anyway I loved it! Now onto the leads. A wonderful leading cast with some truely standout performance. The BIG standouts were: Jen Godleman as Belle Beautiful voice and very convincing character. She seemed a little nervous to begin with and some lines were dropped but not so much that it was distracting. Nerves are a part of opening night and she did a wodnerful job. Craig Menner as the Beast What a voice!!! "If I can't love her" was truely amazing. He had an amazing acting range, from being frighteningly scary to being kindhearted and gentle. Amazing actor. I especially liked his excitement as Belle read him the story of King Arthur. Very cute. Kim Godleman as Lumiere An absolute delight to watch. The physicality he portrayed was wonderful and the chemistry between him and Babette was very cute and believable to watch. Wonderfull performance. Hayley Mayne, Genevieve Newman and Kylie Baker as the silly girls These three girls stole the show everytime they were on stage. Absolutely adorable to watch and very very funny. The entire cast and crew should be commeneded on this production. After months of bitching, whinging, complaining, disasters, triumphs and enjoyment the show finally went on and it was FANTASTIC!!! Good luck for the rest of the production and I will definetly be spending $60 to go see it again.

What $60 to see an amateur show???!!! You've gotta be kidding??

I saw it last night too, now I am an amatuer dramatic person myself and always go to support the fellow community thespian. And I can tell you... The only thing amatuer about it is that the cast aren't getting paid! This was on par with a professional show. So Walter what..the! your comment is laughable! So if you don't want to spend $60 on this show... don't maybe spend $60 and go buy yourself a life! Yes ladies and gentleman... let the S*&t fight begin!

Maybe it would be nice for this thread to remain as comments about the show - a s*&t fight isn't called for. I haven't seen the show as yet - planning to in the coming weeks - but I've heard a lot about it from people on the inside and from people who saw the opening last night. Evrything I have heard so far is good. I offer my well wishes to the cast and crew - keep doing what you're doing as it sounds like it is hitting the spot with audiences so far. I look forward to seeing the show myself. But please - let's not demean this review thread by having a slagging match! DazzaB "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." Scott Adams

I went to see Beauty and the Beast on Thursday. I had previously read the comments posted on here regarding the price of tickets etc and I have to say I thought the $60 charged was a fair price considering the magnitude of the production and the venue itself. I am a fan of the show and was therefore very excited about the prospect of seeing and to be honest,rather envious that I wasn't a part of it. Overall I would say it made for a pleasant evening, however, my experience was soured by the performance of Gaston. I found the interpretation uncomfortable as I felt the actor was out of his depth (this could be to do with nerves or perhaps the fact that the rest of the cast were so strong?). For me (and maybe only me?) he was to feminine and rather camp, a stark contrast to what Gaston should be! I found this irritating performance spoilt the balance as when ever he appeared I could feel the theatre 'groan'. Maybe, he could add some gusto to his Gaston and improve the performance. The rest of the cast were strong in parts although some sections seemed under rehearsed (sometimes synonomous with amateur theatre). Kudos to Belle I thought she acted and sang beautifully. I would advise people to go and judge for yourself but approach with caution.

Hey Dazza, I totally agree, My comment of "Let the S*&T fit begin" was more aimed at the fact that this show has been up against it from the beginning and comments that the previous person wrote, slagging off the price is only the beginning of the nasty emails that are going to start that has nothing to do with reviews of the actual show! I am just going to sit back and watch it unfold... what a shame...

I can think of better things to do with a candle! ;) Have heard lots of mixed reviews about this production - but just remember: a) You go to a restaurant and spend $60 on a meal and it's not worth it - you either ask for your money back or leave (and tell evryone how bad it is) b) You go to a theatre and spend $60 on a ticket ......... Oranges and pears, swings and roundabouts. I would rather see my beasts in the bedroom rather than the regal - but that's just me. If it goes well - great. If it doesn't - oh well Anna x

Make no mistake, this show IS GOING WELL. The production was well cast in the beginning which the two opening nights have prooved. The all round performances have been outstanding and audience response has been most positive. This show could very well sell out, it is so entertaining.

I saw Saturday evenings performance of Beauty and the Beast and I was extremely impressed with the quality of this show especially by a local amateur theatre group. The Belle and Beast were fantastic! Belle was played with beautiful innocence with a modern sounding style to her singing rather then what is normally delivered in this Disney role, while the beast was terrifying at times and equally vulnerable when required with a strong voice. Mrs Potts, was everything that you would expect and what a voice! Lumiere and Cogsworth were charming and had perfect chemistry together. Gaston and Lefou were a bit of a disappointment. Gaston should have been charming and chauvinistic but came across annoying and many of his lines were delivered with far too many pauses and Lefou although loud was inaudible for most of his performance. The Ensemble was enthusiastic and energetic. All of their scenes were passionate and its very rare to have such a strong chorus for an amateur show, especially on the male front. There were some standout performaces amongst the male chorus. The Choreography of the show was well beyond what I was expecting (especially when I read the programme and saw the age of the choreographer). Such a talented young lady! At times there were a few bad notes in the singing by some of the female leads but overall the singing was well received. With a show like Beauty and the Beast, The costumes and Sets needed to be BIG and this show delivered with GUSTO! I wish the cast and crew all the very best for the remainder of the run and keep up the great work!

I went and saw the performance of B&B Friday night and once again was blown away, just as I was 19 months ago when it was first performed in Mandurah. Kim Godleman, rocked, you son are a star and even stepped it up from your last performance. I think in what ever show I have seen you in, you steal my attention in one way or another. It was great to see you up there with some new faces and a fantastically talented cast as you fit in so well and really captured the audiences heart. The lovely Jenn, It was great to see you in this role, your lines and movement were delivered with such conviction that I forgot it was you. You had a warmth around you the entire performance and you had drawn everyone in from the time the curtain rose to the time it fell. It doesn't surprise me though how well you have done, as not matter what character I have seen you play, you put your all in and it really pays off. The gentleman who played cogsworth! Also excellent, it is good to see remarkable comic timing and someone feel so comfortable on stage, Yourself and Lumier bounced so naturally together it was a great team. There has been a lot said about certain characters in this being out of their depth. I believe that Jason Arrow playing Gaston was not entirely out of their depth. I must admit when seeing he was playing the role I was curious to see how he would go, but I was really pleased with his performance. He took a character that is meant to be big and burley and almost made it his own. I know how he would have felt playing a character like this as I too have been cast in a role before that needs to be tweaked to fit the performer. His voice was great and his acting was terrific, however it will be extremley hard to break the audiences conception of what Gaston should really be like. I think the Disney picture is still too fresh in anyones minds to break that stereotype. But Jason to me you were great and a pleasure to watch, and if anything your getting toungues wagging which is what you want to create for an audience. The Beast himself, I was a little taken back, I didn't see the first Beast which seems to have got some great and stunning reviews on opening night and bravo to him, On the second night I got to see Gareth as the beast. Knowing Gareth for many years I knew he would be quite competent in this role and I feel he was. After watching the original beast however in the MPAC version I feel the stature of this beast was a little underdone and didn't quite suit (once again) what people stereotype the character to be, which is not Gareths falt being as thin as he is but would have been good to have built that suit up a little more. The acting was good aswell as the singing, but knowing Gareth was also recovering from illness I know his voice could not stand up 100% to capture the Beast properly that night. But great job non the less I enjoyed it. The sets were great, the costumes remarkable. There needed to be some work on the microphones as the popping did get a little too much, and sometimes in the chorus numbers you could not tell who was actually singing the solo lines. Chorus were outstanding and were all very focused, however I do feel that there may have been too many chorus people on stage at times as they blocked a lot of the action of the leads from where I was seated. Overall I had a great night, and thank everyone in the bast and crew for putting in a great effort, I would love to come and see it again with the other Beast and Belle. Good luck for the rest of the season!

No I am sorry, Jason Arrow as Gaston in this production was not as strong as the other cast members and it is unfair to post such an irresponsible response as above. It is fair to say that Gaston has to be played as was presented by Disney, as all the other actors have based their characterisation on it. Therefore, when an actor strays away from the holistic vision it becomes unbalanced as I stated. Im not having a go at Jason, far from it, I would advise him to research the role by watching the Disney animation so that he can benefit as will the production as a whole. Good luck Jason and hopefully Laurence will be more honest in his appraisal from now on.

Getting tongues wagging is just such a stupid point. As the reason people are talking is a negative one...what an idiot! laurence owen is

No need to get personal Brendan. Laurence is just as entitled to his opinion as you are. I haven't seen "Beauty and the Beast" yet but knowing Jason I'm sure he is taking in all the comments and adding to and improving on his performance.

I went to see the Friday B&B ,and I thought overall it was an enjoyable experience - the sets were wonderful such a visual feast. I was lucky and got $25 tickets at the box office the day before. The stand outs for me were, Mrs.Potts,Chip,Lumiere,Cogsworth,The Three Silly Girls and the feather duster. The leads must have had a cold because their vocal performances lacked a bit of energy -their acting was good and Belle had a sweet voice. Gastons performance was ok with me,his singing could have been a bit stronger but then the same could be said for others in the cast. The chorus was great and the all the group scenes were fantastic. I loved Mrs. Potts solo,that was one of my favourite scenes, she is a fine singer and very professional all the singing should have been to that standard. Congrats to the young Musical Director Craig he did a great job once again as he did in Annie. Well Done to everyone in the cast I would reccomend this show to others.

Disclaimer: This is not a comment on any performance in Beauty and The Beast. I haven't seen it and won't because I live in the wrong state. I am disturbed by the comment above "It is fair to say that Gaston has to be played as was presented by Disney, ... " Why? We work in an industry and a hobby which should value creativity. When approaching a new production we should be seeking our own way to present it, the Director should have a concept which he or she then brings to life with the assistance of a designers, a choreographer a musical director and the performers. Performers should be actively creative bringing to each role played a combination of the text and songs and something of themselves. This whole attitude is why I never go to see productions of "Little Shop of Horrors" I am sick of seeing actresses wearing blonde wigs giving second rate copies of Ellen Greene as Audrey and actors stumbling around copying Rick Moranis. Perhaps you (and the rest of the world) feel that these performances are the definitive ones and that no one can ever improve on them. Well, no one will unless they try. In this case someone is suggesting that the definitive performance of a character was given by an animated cartoon. I know the voice was a human but the acting you see on screen was drawn there. Can this be a definitive performance? I personally do not believe that any performance has actually said all there is to be said about a character. Many people believed that Olivier's Henry the V was definitive until Kenneth Branagh did his. If you are suggesting that the character should be more like the Disney character because everyone else in the show was then I say that everyone else in the show shouldn't have been. Do we not use our creative minds anymore or are we simply providing the public with what they want? Sir Henry Irving (Google him) said "Don't give the public what they want, give them what you want them to want and eventually they will want it." The other way is the easy way. Lets try and be original. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au

Pick me Pick me, Roar Roar Roar!!

Yep your right $60 is way too much, they are kidding, there is no show, everyones gone home, sets costumes musicians and crew for sale. Going Cheap (apparently). Stay away Dont come, your pathetic attitude wouldnt allow you too enjoy it anyway. Oh yeah, ???!!!??

I'm playing a character in the play "The Return" at present. At no time did I feel tempted to rent the DVD of "Last Train To Freo" to reference that performance and have it influence mine. You take the text and you provide, as an actor, your interpretation of the character and put it up there for the consideration of the audience. Sometimes we get it right - at other times we don't but as a general rule we shouldn't accept an interpretation as definitive otherwise what's the point of turning up? If you're merely immitating, there's no challenge or reward. Interestingly, the reviewer in the West Australian singled out the performance of the actor who played Gaston as one that he felt had some merit. Different horses for different courses I guess.

"Beauty and the Beast" have announced more $25 special tickets for this week only. Wed 17 Sept matinee 2pm Wed 17 Sept evening 8pm Thu 18 Sept evening 8pm Copy this link into your browser to book now through Ticketek. http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=BEAUTYBE08&v=REP&searchId=e1b44074-26cf-48e9-81b6-2fbf06576a3d or phone Ticketek 132 849 or 1300 795 012 Melz

I'm in the show and I'm prepared to put my name on this and not hide behind anonymity! I’ve enjoyed so many aspects of this show and, as with all things ‘we’ do, there have been some times I haven’t enjoyed things as much as I would have liked. I can’t believe people are prepared to ‘bag’ a show they haven’t seen or, even worse, not put their true name to comments they make. The shows have been brilliant so far with certain little hitches happening here and there, as with all productions I’ve been involved in. Yes the price of the tickets may appear steep, but look at the circumstances surrounding the price; the cost of the Regal is one, the need to hire professional stage crew is another, and that’s not to mention the cost of sets, costumes and rights. As for actors performances; it would be so nice if we could all play the part to what we think it should be… mind you, the way I think the part should be played, might not be the same as the way you think the part should be played. That’s why we are individuals! I personally tried to adapt my character according to what the play requires, as well as what the Director wanted. I still haven’t seen the cartoon version and my kids own a DVD of it! Does that mean that my character isn’t a true representation of the part? Before the show going up, there were so many people complaining about the audition process. Who really cares? If you did audition and didn’t get a part, then perhaps you didn’t fit what the Director wanted. As for being pre-cast; I’m not sure of many directors who haven’t pre-cast certain parts in certain plays. It’s the nature of the beast really. I know it can be disappointing, but it was stated quite clearly that the role of Mrs POTTS was already cast. That should at least say something about the fact that the director is prepared to advise which parts are precast! Why can’t directors also be in shows? I ask this as I can think of quite a few Actor/Directors who have been in the shows they direct! If you have seen the show, do you think it would have been different if the Director weren’t in the show? I doubt it very much! Personally, if you have anything to say, good or bad, put your name to it and be constructive. Anyone can be destructive with their comments, but my point is, we’re not professional critics or anything like that. If we were, we’d be doing criticism for a JOB and not putting an anonymous comment on a free web page! CRAIG MENNER… see; I sign it!

Having skipped the typical banter that tends to lend itself to these threads, the only comment that I can make is that I'm a bit dissappointed in the fact that more and more $25.00 tickets are being released considering that I and 8 of my friends have all paid full price for our tickets . . . this of course is a production company decision. Chookas to the cast . . . .

Well said Craig.

well as im entitled to my opinion so here it is i saw the show on Saturday and i feel it lacked in so so many ways and given the hype and cost of putting on this show it really didnt live up to its name the cast were quite weak ... beast was a timid pussy cat and belle was dul and has alot of character to pick up ... i feel cogsworth was very strong maybe a bit to flamboyant but very well done . . . the scenes were quite poorly directed and i felt the show ran very very slow .... the connection between each scene was terrible and the plain colored curtain just before be our guest i think confused everyone into thinking it was intermission ... overall i think the show will sell because it's disney but the standard considering the magnitude of the show is quite low ... of course the costumes and set are good but thats what you pay for the cast were really over shone by the set and costumes and didn't come up to the standard of such professional costumes and set ... i wish the cast luck for the rest of the shows i really hope it picks up .... peace out

The production costs are usually quantified prior to committing to production, in this case a long time ago. Thereafter, ticket pricing is determined, hopefully covering the same costs and any other associated costs. Unfortunately, due to fewer bookings on the Wednesday and Thursday, a decision was made to reduce the ticket prices to hopefully fill some of these seats. It is a predicament one finds themselves in occasionally at short notice and have to respond to the situation accordingly.

I think it's pretty sad that there is so much slagging off of this show and even more sad that the performers are reading this stuff. Can you imagine what it must feel like to work your heart out to the best of your ability and then read these reviews hoping for some encouragement only to have people slagging your performance. How heartbreaking! It's important to remember that this is an amateur show and the performers are not professionals. They are not being paid for their roles and are doing their best to entertain their audiences while learning and developing their skills as performers. Shame on you for your mean spirits and small mindedness.

"I think it's pretty sad that there is so much slagging off of this show" Well I think this show has gotten off pretty lightly so far... No ACTUAL personal attacks on Sue or her cast or her crew or PlayLovers as a whole... well done everyone for playing nicely Sorry, Sarah J. - criticism isn't slagging, saying a role wasn't played well is fair comment, saying the actor can't act, that's slagging! But then again, maybe the trolls exhausted themselves on this show during and after the auditions [Here's hoping] Congratulations to Sue and everyone concerned for an enjoyable show, it's great to finally SEE it (as opposed to just listening to it while being stuck behind that castle) I've seen one cast so far, and am hoping to be able to take advantage of one of the cheap nights so I can see the other one as well... Personal note to Sue if she reads this: When are we getting those T-shirts? :-D Paul Treasure Manager, Kwinana Rhino Sanctuary and Perth's HUGEST Ego (Now Sarah, those were slagging!)

"Why can’t directors also be in shows?" As a general rule, it is inadvisable, although there are exceptions... Why? Examples... The director (who, by the time the show goes up, is normally just propping up the bar) is often first in line to cover. As a director I've had to go on at short notice TWICE this year to cover for actors who were phyically unable to perform on a particular night! And I know a choreographer who had to cover for chorus THREE times in the one season! Possible Exception 1: I can't cast this role, bugger I'm going to have to play it myself... Possible Exception 2: I'm not going to get someone in just to do these three lines... Possible Exception 3: I KNOW I am not going to be able to cover any of the other roles and I know this role like the back of my hand anyway... "If you have seen the show, do you think it would have been different if the Director weren’t in the show? I doubt it very much!" Well, actually there were a number of tiny little things that I know Sue would have picked up on had she not been on stage in that scene, but they were so tiny that only a few people would have picked them up... but hey we're only talking like a 0.1 deduction here, not like a total miss. And your average punter would not have even noticed them... Well done Sue for managing such a difficult juggling act with such aplomb! I missed not being able to help you off the steps after the song! :-( Paul Treasure PS Craig: not an attack, an attempt to honestly answer a question you raised. BTW - hoping to catch your Beast sometime in the season if I can, heard really good things so far

Although in puppetry it's usually advisable not to have the director perform in the show (it's extremely difficult to know how a puppet looks unless you're watching it yourself), shadow puppetry is one form of theatre where the performer gets to see exactly what the audience sees, only reversed. In this case, a director could easily be the performer without losing any quality in said performance. Case in point: Richard Bradshaw who directs and performs all of his shadow puppets. Sometimes having a (separate person be) director isn't necessary. Finger puppet pattern for under $4 at Puppets in Melbourne

The worst part of the Perth Theatre Community is not the Theatre, but the Community. Why so bitter? Why so negative? Failed actor syndrome flying around from these anonymous biters?

The moment I get cast in a role I actively avoid seeing any other interpretations of it to make sure I don't get unintentionally influenced.

Congratulations Susan and Craig D on a fabulous production. I must say the comments made so far have been amusing - common Perth, lift up your game and show your support. We are lucky to have a production of this calibre like this play here. I have seen a fair number of productions, here in Australia and overseas and for an am dram production, the standard of the show is excellent. It would certainly give some of the productions playing on the West End strip in London a good run for their money! I've been to the shows on opening night and on Friday night and the response from the audience is especially telling. Not only were the adult reviews incredibly complimentary ,the children in the audience absolutely loved the show and how more honest a response can you get than that. The Leads are to be congratulated for a strong and brilliant performance. Belle's and the Beast's voices are truly amazing and I particularly enjoyed the performances by Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs Potts and Chip. I must say the fight scene between the Beast and Gaston is very compelling! Kudos must be given to the chorus who really take your breath away with their energy, vibrance and amazing singing and dancing skills. The Silly Girls as are the Wolves are particularly impressive. The show stopper though are the performances by the male ensemble - they could easily be mistaken for professionals and what a joy it was to watch them in the "Be Our Guest","Gaston" and "Human Again" scenes. The performances are beautifuly matched by the remarkable sets which are breath taking. Enough said - for those of you who haven't watched the show - go see and then judge. For me, I'll be watching the show again this weekend, the next and the final weekend together with more fans of the show. To the cast of B&B - you should be really proud of all your efforts in bringing together a fantastic show. It has been an honour being in the audience and I look forward to the next show. Congratulations again and well done. Lisa

To all the above, They spent over $600,000 on an amateur show. I saw it, but won't go into details for the sake of a few spoiled egos. $600,000!!!!! At $60 a ticket I expect brilliance...I saw Rent last year with Yellow Glass and that was average by amateur standards at $45 a ticket, and they had pros...well not very good pros. This was...not that good. At what point, and how in the name of Jesus tap dancing Christ does an amateur company have that much money to put on a show of such magnitude, only to fill it with perth am actors, and then flog tickets to the public less than half price after selling them for over a month at full whack? Playlovers...disappointing. You lost a few fans out of this one. I know two people who will be looking for a refund for tomorrow night. Good luck with the tax office. "And the Finley Award for worst decision made by an amateur theatre committee...goes to..."

I would like to thank Playlovers for a wonderful time with my family on Saturday afternoon.I took my grandchildren to see your Beautifully performed Beauty and The Beast musical. This is a show we have always wanted to see, and could never afford to go over east with our family to watch it. Over the years we have seen many professional shows here in Perth, and in our opinion this was the best of them all. The story and the music was just captivating, the actors were excellent and the orchestra all Top Notch! I can't believe anyone could not have enjoyed this first class show. My family and I could not fault it, and the audience was packed out, there were cheers at seeing the castle and the wonder of the amazing scene changes, the audience was in raptures. In the interval we were all smiling and thoroughly enjoying chatting about the wonder of it all. It was worth every cent for the tickets and we loved it so much we are talking of going to see it again with other family members.CONGRATULATIONS to everyone involved in bringing this show to Perth and THANK-YOU from the YOUNG FAMILY.

I would like to thank Playlovers for a wonderful time with my family on Saturday afternoon.I took my grandchildren to see your Beautifully performed Beauty and The Beast musical. This is a show we have always wanted to see, and could never afford to go over east with our family to watch it. Over the years we have seen many professional shows here in Perth, and in our opinion this was the best of them all. The story and the music was just captivating, the actors were excellent and the orchestra all Top Notch! I can't believe anyone could not have enjoyed this first class show. My family and I could not fault it, and the audience was packed out, there were cheers at seeing the castle and the wonder of the amazing scene changes, the audience was in raptures. In the interval we were all smiling and thoroughly enjoying chatting about the wonder of it all. It was worth every cent for the tickets and we loved it so much we are talking of going to see it again with other family members.CONGRATULATIONS to everyone involved in bringing this show to Perth and THANK-YOU from the YOUNG FAMILY.

You are all fantastic! What a great community you are. The back stabbing, the jealousy that exudes from these threads is amazing! Keep it up! I love amateur theatre I really do...where would we be without the self inflated ego of the camp directors, the lady (well into her 60's) squeazing into Sandy's end of show costume insisting that she 'still has it!', the guy who directs Romeo and Juliet insisting he play the lead role to ensure he gets to run around in pantaloons and high knee boots (again tragically too old). I love it, just keep up the cat calls and general ill mannered, ill informed swipes...its comedy gold!!! Well done Perth! Ps loved the comments about B and B...who cares if its good or bad...its amateur, theyre having fun...get on with your lives. This site is so much fun!

Hear! Hear! I saw this show on Saturday night with friends and we were all blown away by so many aspects of the show. The female lead had the most incredible voice, beautifully expressive and portrayed the true essence of Belle - a well bred young girl with a strong character; the beast had a sweetness and humility which was essential for us to come to love him and sang his songs with power and pathos; Gaston carried off his part as the arrogant suitor with conviction and humour; the old dad and the silly girls were marvellous; and we couldn't fault Babette, Lumiere and Cogsworth. They were all wonderful characters and made us laugh. The orchestra was wonderful as was the chorusline of dancers during "Be My Guest" and the wolves. The only thing we could fault was that the sound wasn't always clear and sometimes it was difficult to make out what the actors were saying. Otherwise it was a great show and well worth our $10 tickets. (just joking! We paid $60 just like everyone else) Well done to all concerned and thank you for the opportunity to see this much-loved show.

What a gift! I was a member of a group of 6 people that travelled to see the show. With out a doubt we were all impressed with the stage, setting, singing and acting of the production. The choreography was also impressive. It was only at the conclusion that I became aware that this was an "amateur" production. I am always sincerely thankful when I see an amateur production of all the people who dedicate an ENORMOUS amount of time to stage an event. Thank you one and all.

Brendan - I believe Laurence was being more then honest in his appraisal. After all it seems he knows these people on a personal level and even he admits it was different to what people expected. I think you need to realise that people are entitled to there own opinion as you are and not everyone thinks like you. I loved the shw and everyone in it.

Who is to say that the toungue wagging is all negative I saw the show and thought Jason didn't do such a bad job, and no matter what acting job your doing a bit of toungue wagging is good, even if it is good or bad, it is great to have balance. It is better then being un-noticed on stage and not mentioned at all.

I saw Beauty and the Beast on opening night (thursday) and I was MORE than impressed with the amount of work that the cast and crew has put in. First of all let me say congratulations to Susan vincent for an amazing production. Well done!!! You deserve all the kudo's. The sets were amazing, the costumes were dazzling and the music was incredible. I saw Jennifer Godleman as Belle...She was lovely. Perfectly portraying the warmth and independence that Belle holds, while adding her own personal flair to the character. Her voice is truly a gift. So thank you for sharing it with us. I'm sure we will be seeing a lot more from you. We did not get Gareth Jay as the Beast as I heard he was sick and we had the alternate Beast played by Craig Menner. What a delight!! You did a fine job my friend!! You played the beast with ferocity and vulnerability that was so compelling, I was drawn in. I really enjoyed your performance. ahhh the irrepressible Kim Godleman. Once again, you caught my attention everytime you were onstage. Comical genuis, great voice!! Why are you not famous yet? I'm a fan!! You were paired very well with Cogsworth who did a FANTASTIC job also. The comic repore you both had was really felt from the audience... well, where I was seated anyway! I loved how Cogsworth nailed his character impeccably!! The lady who played the Wardrobe was one of my favourites. You were a force on stage, and even though your role was minor, you impressed me with your vocal skills and your great charactarisation :) Babette, Chip, the silly girls and all the extra characters, really filled out the show. The dancing spoons and dishes..just brilliant. The dancing was very entertaining and it looked as if a lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes. Congratulations to all the hard working dancers and the choreographer. Be our Guest, and the Tavern scene were absolute Eye Candy!! Mrs Potts... you were delightful. Great voice... great acting,great accent and great directing. shall i say it again??? GREAT now for Gaston and Lefou... I thought you guys did a MAGNIFICENT job. I have read alot of the posts on here and do not agree with the harshness of your critique. I think that Lefou was the perfect slapstick sidekick. Very animated and hilarious. Good job mate!!! Now Jason Arrow. i have seen this young man perform in WWRY and he blew me away then. I was blown away again by his performance as Gaston. A complete flip, a totally different character, which he played very largely. In my opinion, Jason may have seemed larger than everyone else in his performance, but I think that shows the true talent of a broadway star. Everytime he was on stage, he filled it with his presence... And the West Australians review on his performance has been a lot kinder than the opinions on this website. So chin up Jason. You were a standout. And a lot of people I saw it with agreed with me :) Ps... i loved the laugh... totally nailed it! All up, I was totally impressed with the calibre of talent in the show!! I will be back to watch it closing night, and I'm sure I'll be even more blown away in the difference from opening. If I have left anyone out I do apologise. I thought you were all MAGNIFICENT and for an amateur show, you have no criticism from me. Can't wait until closing night!! Keep shining!

Congratulations to Susan Vincent and all the cast and crew of this magnificent show. I have seen it twice now, and I am going to watch it again on the final night with a group of friends. What a Cast! What a show! WE LOVE IT well done to everybody. You are all true professionals. Kudos to you all.

Bravo,Encore! We saw it last night and were blown away, the cast so talented, the singing lovely, the sets and costumes, this show has everything.The audience loved you. WELL DONE. thoroughly enjoyable and highly entertaining evening was had by all. You made us laugh you made us cry. Forget the word amature! this show matches any professional shows I have seen in perth!

Tim Russell-Clarke if that is your name. You sir are a disgruntled, il-informed, un-educated, miserable, tiresome, idiot and you should get a life. Where on earth did you get your figures from? Do you have any understanding of what is involved with putting on any show, especially one of the logistical heights of the Playlovers Beauty and the Beast. I too saw RENT and I too was disappointed at the thing as a whole. Badly cast, directed, produced, even the sad looking scaffold set and awful lighting stick more in my mind than the show itself. How can you compare the 2 shows, regardless of ticket price there is no comparison. Playlovers have done a brilliant job with a huge cast, set, production, orchestra, lighting and the sound too. If it was up to me I would happily refund your money and give you a little extra too just to keep you away from something that has been done with passion, love and a whole heap of hard work by many people over a long period. Stay home! Please stay home, your an idiot!!

One can't help but wonder if all these praises are legit or written by someone in or related to the cast. Pardon my cynicism.

Bravo,Encore! We saw it last night and were blown away, the cast so talented, the singing lovely, the sets and costumes, this show has everything.The audience loved you. WELL DONE. thoroughly enjoyable and highly entertaining evening was had by all. You made us laugh you made us cry. Forget the word amature! this show matches any professional shows I have seen in perth!

Shame on you! I have NEVER met or know anyone from this show. I saw this show advertised in The west and went along with my wife. My opinions are my own! I find your comments offensive and beyond the pale

Okay, I think it’s important to state my position before I begin this review. I am not now, nor have I ever been a member of Playlovers, and as such I was not a part of this show. However, I do know a fair few of the company personally and have worked with them on any number of occasions. I was also fortunate enough to perform the role of Gaston in the state premiere of this musical down at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, so I do have a personal connection to the show as an entity. I would also like to disclaim – this is my personal opinion of the performance I saw at 8pm on Wednesday 17th September. Hopefully that states my position clearly enough. And please remember, this show has dual cast for the roles of Belle, the Beast, Cogsworth, Maurice and Chip so my comments are regarding the cast I saw (Cassandra Kotchie as Belle, Craig Menner as the Beast, Drew Elliott as Gogsworth, Clayton Zwanenburg as Maurice and Sam Tye as Chip) not the other players. Alrighty, housekeeping aside, now to my thoughts. As I said earlier, this show holds a very dear place in my heart and I was very much looking forward to seeing it. Not only did I wish to support both my friends in the cast and the Perth community theatre scene, but being in the 2007 show, I never got to see it! I was excited to see the amazing sets and costumes that we got to use in Mandurah; and Miss Kotchie played Belle opposite my Gaston so I was very keen to get to see her performance (which stunned me from on stage in 2007) from the audience’s perspective. I must say that I was most certainly not disappointed. This show is visually spectacular and the teams from Playlovers and the Regal Theatre have made the large, complicated sets work to the best advantage in the venue. The Regal Theatre has limited space back stage so this was no mean feat and needs to be applauded – bravo! The performances in general were well done. The highlights for me were: Cassandra Kotchie shone as Belle with her pure vocals and highly emotive acting drawing me into her world. I laughed and cried and sat entranced by her story. I think that one day those of us who have had the opportunity to work with this young lady will be telling our peers that we know a big star. Susan Vincent as Mrs Potts was also entrancing and her performance of the title song from the show was impeccable. I can’t agree with the nay-sayers who are questioning whether it was right for her to direct and perform – I can’t imagine anyone else in this role. Wade Ellis as Monsieur D’Arque was deliciously evil and I enjoyed his performance immensely. The program states that this was his first foray into Musical Theatre and I really hope to see more of him in the future. He has a wonderful presence on stage and also managed to draw me into his world – thank you. In regards to the other performers, I felt both Craig Menner as the Beast and Jason Arrow as Gaston had beautiful vocal tone but their performances were muted. I kept wanting them to give that little bit more, to reach out from the stage and draw me into their own personal journey. But overall their performances were sound and enjoyable. Kim Godleman and Drew Elliott as Lumiere and Cogsworth respectively exhibited fantastic onstage rapport and gave truly enjoyable performances. Also to be commended are Karly Pisano as Babette and Natalie Jackson as Madame de la Grande Bouche, the Wardrobe. The objects are difficult characters to play, due in part to the highly restrictive costumes – well done. I didn’t enjoy the performance of Maurice by Clayton Zwanenburg, I felt it to be more in line with crazy Doc Emmet Brown from the Back to the Future movies rather than the sweet yet eccentric father that I see Maurice to be. Also I found Tim How’s Le’fou a little on the annoying side and difficult to understand in places as the accent became too thick. Once again though, these are my opinions not a statement of fact. I felt that the three silly girls, Kylie Baker, Hayley Mayne and Genevieve Newman captured the essence of the characters well and it was a shame the parts aren’t larger. The direction of the show was very good, although I was a little confused as to why the characters kept using the stairs that lead to the west wing when heading for Belle’s bedroom. Other than that I felt that the set was incorporated well into the blocking and that the actors had clearly been given license to develop their own interpretations of the characters while remaining within the overall vision of the direction team. The music was stunning – I can’t say anything more than that. HUGE congratulations to Musical Director Craig Dalton and his very talented orchestra. I would have liked to have seen a little more innovation in the choreography, however the dance moves were well executed and clearly within the abilities of the performers. My main disappointment dance wise was the wolves though. I felt that the wolves were underused and spent a lot of the time waiting for the right bit of music rather than menacing their intended victims. I also didn’t understand why they all entered from stage left as opposed to entering from both sides; particularly during Belle’s flight scene – I wondered why Belle didn’t simply run away when she saw the wolves behind her. The lighting design worked well to complement the set and it was nice to see actors finding theirs lights every time for once. One of my pet-hates is actors standing halfway in the light and I didn’t have that gripe here. The sound operation left a little to be desired though. There were several times when microphones dropped out for a line or two here or there or levels weren’t brought up until the second line of someone’s dialogue or song. Overall, I thought Playlovers’ Beauty and the Beast was a well crafted piece of theatre that showed that community theatre can reach for and achieve higher standards. It wasn’t perfect, but what show is – even Wicked on Broadway had some mic trouble during Dancing Through Life ;) DazzaB "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." Scott Adams