Having been produced by the Arts Club four times since 2005, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is a proven favourite among audiences and creative teams alike. Many of the cast, crew, and designers are returning for the company’s fifth production of the musical. Jonathan Winsby, now starring as the Beast, performed in the previous productions as Gaston, and Susan Anderson, Shawn Macdonald, Peter Jorgensen, Darren Burkett, Vincent Tong, and Bernard Cuffling will all reprise their respective roles.
Bill Millerd also returns to direct the production, one of his last as the Arts Club’s Artistic Managing Director. “Our original production of Beauty and the Beast was a wonderful creation, but I decided to go with a redesign of the set by Alison Green, along with new costume and lighting designers (Barbara Clayden and Gerald King), and production choreography by Scott Augustine based on the original choreography by Valerie Easton,” says Millerd.
On the opportunity to re-design the set, Alison Green says, “Revisiting the design for Beauty and the Beast has been a gift. We have come a long way in our production capacities since the original was built, with such talent and expertise in our production staff. I took the set out of the 2005 version’s Gothic and into 18th-century France for this production. I was inspired by the colourful folk art of the Alsace for Belle’s world, and by the rococo fantasy of the Loire Châteaux for the Beast’s castle.”
Noting the 77 elaborate costumes, Barbara Clayden says, “It’s a challenge to let the costumes be true to the story but allow for a wide range of movement for the actors, so I’ve been collaborating with our choreographer. I want to respect the audience’s expectations for this classic while also trying to do something new.”
Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage
December 7, 2017–January 13, 2018
Tue–Thu at 7:30 PM, Fri & Sat at 8 PM, Wed at 1:30 PM, and Sat & Sun at 2 PM
Holiday showtimes: Sat, Dec 30, at 1 & 6 PM
Tickets from $29 at artsclub.com or the Arts Club Box Office at 604.687.1644
Photo by David Cooper