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ACT I
Prologue - An old woman asks a young and handsome prince for shelter from the cold and snow, offering a single white rose in return, but the prince haughtily turns her away. The old woman then transforms herself into a beautiful enchantress and again asks the prince for shelter. This time the prince welcomes her into his palace but it is too late. He has already revealed his true colours and in punishment she casts a spell which turns him into an ugly beast. Only when he finds true love can the spell be broken.
The Market Square - Belle, a beautiful maiden, and her two sisters, Anna and Francesca, are wandering around the market being admired by the young gallants while their father is seated at the local tavern and their brother is flirting with the other young ladies. Suddenly a messenger arrives with the news that the family fortune is lost. Belle comforts her father in his despair and as the news spreads the family find themselves outcasts and gather their belongings to return home.
The Family Home - The family are working around the house, Belle is content but her sisters are always complaining. A messenger arrives with news that a boat has arrived with their fathers merchandise. Feeling his financial troubles are over, their father leaves for the market place, promising to bring back for each of his daughters a gift. Belle asks for a single white rose.
The Market Square - Although the boat has indeed arrived, the value of it's cargo is not as great as was hoped. The creditors gather to reclaim what they are owed and the father is left bankrupt and ruined.
The Dark Forest - Returning home, the father gets lost in the forest in the dark. Happening upon a gate, he passes through and finds himself in a beautiful rose garden. Remembering Belle's wish, he picks a single white flower, but as he starts to leave he is captured by the beast and taken inside the castle.
Inside the Castle - The Beast accuses the father of theft and condemns him to death. The father begs for his life and the Beast agrees to release him - but only if he sends one of his daughters to be the Beast's servant and companion.
The Family Home - The father returns and relates all that has happened. Belle volunteers to go to the Beast to save her father and sisters but he does not want to lose his favourite. When both Anna and Francesca refuse to go, however, he has no choice but to allow his precious Belle to go. The Dark Forest - Belle wanders through the frightening dark forest, eventually finding the gates to the Beast's castle.
Inside the Castle - Inside the castle, Belle finds a large table prepared with food. Hungry, she sits down to eat. The Beast's retinue perform dances and circus acts, at the end of which the beast himself appears.
ACT II
Inside the Castle - Belle is at first frightened by the Beast's appearance but is reassured when he acts kindly towards her. As the day pass, she finds herself becoming increasingly fond of him and the Beast too is falling in love with her. Seeing that she misses her family, the Beast presents her with a magic mirror through which she can see them. Looking into the mirror, Belle sees that her father haS fallen ill, and begs the Beast to allow her to go to him. The Beast grants her wish, and magically transports her home, even though if she does not return within a week he will die.
The Family Home - Everyone is amazed at Belle's sudden return and also by her beautiful clothes and jewels, which she gives to her sisters. Her father is overjoyed at her return and quickly recovers from his illness. But when Belle again looks into her magic mirror some days later she sees that the Beast is suffering and knows she must return to him.
The Dark Forest - Belle returns through the forest to the Beast's castle, unaware that her brother and his friend, Fredrik, are following her and plan to rescue her from the Beast.
Inside the Castle - Arriving back at the castle, Belle desperately searches for the Beast.
The Dark Forest - Belle's brother and Fredrik arrive at the castle gates where they are confronted by the Beast's strange retinue.
Inside the Castle - Belle's brother and Fredrik get inside the castle and find Belle tending to the Beast. She calls to them for help and her brother aids the Beast to his throne. Fredrik, meanwhile is stealing from the Beast whose enraged retinue attack and kill him. Belle begs the beast not to die and tells him that she loves him.
The Transformed Castle - Belle's love has broken the spell and the Beast, fully recovered, has transformed back into a handsome young prince. A marriage ball follows as Belle and her prince begin a new happy life together.
Beauty and the Beast on Ice is a truly spectacular and exhiliarating experience. The action is fast paced and inventive with, besides the usual high speed jumps, spins and arcs, the skaters performing acrobatics and circus tricks such as fire juggling, trampolining and rope swinging. And all encompassed on a temporary ice rink set up on the tiny Victoria theatre stage.
The wings of the stage are lined with the spines of giant books bearing the titles of various fairy stories. At the back of the stage is a giant story-book of 'Beauty and the Beast' which, cleverly, opens up page by page to provide the backdrops for the various scenes. Opening the book to the first page places us in the market-place, turn another page and we are in the dark forest. Moody lighting and smoke effects also work hard to complete the illusions.
The choreography and plot development have much in common with ballet, but conducted at a much faster pace, with high speed arcs, spins and leaps combined into solos, duos and synchronised dances. The recorded music by Silvio Amato, based on traditional folk music, is sublime and fitted perfectly with the action. It includes, at the scene changes, snatches of commentary detailing the plot, which was hardly necessary given the clarity of the action and the well-known nature of the story.
The performances are terrific, Olga Pershankova as Belle is tall, lithe and elegant and seems to enjoy a remarkable trust and understanding with her partners, particularly Mikhail Stifounine as her father. In the first Act they skated a number of tender and technically flawless duets together and gave us easily the best of this type of action. Andrey Chuvilyaev as the Beast is tall and commanding, almost skeletal in appearance, and gives the Beast that edge of vulnerability that overcomes the sinister aspect of his character. In the final reveal however, when the Beast transforms back into a Prince, he is portrayed by another skater, Valdis Mintals.
The last scene of the first act provided one of the highlights of the show, as Belle is surrounded by the Beast's retinue in a whirling hurly-burly of circus-like acts. But even better was the second half Waltz of the Roses, with five elegantly pink attired couples skating in harmony through all manner of lifts and jumps.
In all, this is a production full of theatricality, crowned with superb skating action and daring acrobatics.
An enchanting story illustrated through creative and dazzling action to form an unforgettable experience.