Jul 31

Jul 31 REVIEW: "Beauty and the Beast" musical is a spellbinding, spectacular adaptation of a Disney classic

Disney brings its highly anticipated production of Beauty and the Beast The Musical to WA for the first time, taking the stage Crown Theatre Perth for the final leg of its national tour.

When something is adapted from a beloved source material, it’s fair to feel a bit sceptical. For those of us who grew up with the iconic 1991 animated Disney movie (itself, of course, an adaptation of a 17th-century French fairytale), it’s natural to wonder: Does it need to exist? What can an on-stage adaptation possibly add to a tale that is already as old as time?

This production addresses this, first and foremost, in its writing. Building on her own screenplay, writer Linda Woolverton shows a level of care in her stage adaptation. The musical understands what made the animated film special to its audience at the time, and with a longer runtime (the film was only 84 minutes!), it takes the film’s core elements, nurtures them, and gives the story room to bloom, adding more dimensions that we got to see on screen. Side characters, like the castle’s transfigured servants, gain stronger perspectives, and new songs add connective tissue that fleshes out Belle’s arc further alongside Beast’s. Beauty and the Beast The Musical doesn’t just avoid deviating from the heart of the film; it crystallises it, encasing them like the enchanted rose, and makes the revisit feel worthwhile.

But of course, the ace up the sleeve here is the sheer spectacle of its production design, which alone is well worth the price of admission. Disney has spared no expense both in budget and imagination, with each number dialled up to 11. The set design is so immersive, and the transitions so seamless, that it doesn’t feel as though the show moves from scene to scene; it feels as if the scenes flow toward us instead. It’s stagecraft as sleight of hand, a kind of spellbinding trick where you can find no fault in the magician’s craft.

Every set piece feels distinct in both mood and style. Shadow-silhouetted projections conjure a wonderfully eerie moment as wolves close in on Belle in the woods. Lumière's (Rohan Browne, who embodies the role with a perpetual twinkle in his eye) showstopper, “Be Our Guest”, channels Golden Age Hollywood extravagance with sweeping, showgirl-inspired choreography, playful tap breaks, and Technicolour props. Another highlight for me is the raucous tavern number “Gaston”, led by a gleefully cheeky double act performance from Jackson Head as the bull-headed Gaston and Adam Di Martino as his co-dependent hype man, Le Fou. Guided by playful stage direction, we see background dancers weave around the leads with infectious energy (clinking their mugs over 800 times!), props fly in comedic precision, and pitch-perfect sight gags, turning the number into a riotous crowd-pleaser that earns every laugh and stomp along the way.

What makes the musical’s choreography so captivating is its attention to detail. It’s not just paint‑by‑numbers dancing. Executed with skill by the committed ensemble performers, each routine feels alive. If you focus on individual performers, you catch little moments rooted in character, tiny gestures and expressions that go beyond mechanical synchronicity.

Beneath the dazzle, the show finds its anchor in the capable, grounded performances from its leads. Shubshri Kandiah infuses Belle with warmth and effervescence in a way that feels so effortless. You believe in her completely, from the curiously bookish way she carries herself around others, to the way her voice soars as she belts those big musical numbers and makes them her own. Brendan Xavier offers a refreshingly new twist to the Beast, less a fearsome monster and more a confused, rash, almost petulant young man on the cusp of adulthood. This take makes his problematic misbehaviours early in the story more understandable, reshaping his arc into a recognisable coming-of-age journey.

And that’s really the heart of this musical. Adults revisiting Beauty and the Beast may find it unexpectedly clarifying in its themes. This production leans into the idea that this is a story about growing up: Belle realising that her childhood fantasies may not materialise exactly as she dreamed, and, more importantly, Beast learning that love cannot be demanded, and true connection comes only from mutual respect. If you find yourself yearning for Disney magic again, this musical may be one of the most entertaining ways for you (and your family) to rediscover this classic fairytale.