Beauty and the Beast as presented by New Ross Musical Society

New Ross Musical Society 

Beauty and the Beast 

Tuesday 4th March 2025 

The much-loved Disney tale, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ has been a very popular choice for societies this season. With plenty for both adults and children to enjoy, it is always a firm favourite and, most importantly, a fairly good ‘banker’ in terms of ticket sales. As if to prove this theory, New Ross Musical Society’s production in St. Michael’s Theatre was packed to the rafters with patrons of all ages. The society had overcome quite a significant setback with their set in the final few weeks of production. To have gotten the show up and running was quite the achievement and testament to the wonderful resilience and resourcefulness of their committee and production team. In true theatre tradition, the show went on and the New Ross audience couldn’t have been more appreciative. 

Front of house was buzzing as I arrived. The foyer was very busy but the team kept things moving in the friendliest, most welcoming way. It was lovely to chat with front of house personnel about the theatre and the rich history of the group. I was pleasantly surprised when the front of house announcements began right on the button of 7.30pm. This was a first in over thirty shows to date. Kudos to all for such punctuality! 

Director Derek Shannon ensured that the production ran very smoothly and that there was a great pace throughout. There was very good attention to the narrative detail, with the storytelling always front and centre. There was good work with principals and the importance of the ensemble was always evident. At times, crew could be seen carrying out changes in full light during scenes. More care needed to be taken with sight lines in general. In my opinion, much more needed to be done for the transformation of Beast to Prince. It is the dramatic high point of the show and requires a moment of Disney ‘magic.’ For me, what happened, in plain sight, was too obvious. Beast going off on stage right and Prince replacing him, felt like something had been missed. All of that said, Mr. Shannon presented a most entertaining show. 

MD Jimmy Brockie conducted an eleven-piece orchestra and what a great sound there was from this fine group of musicians who brought Alan Menken’s delightful score to life with such great flair. From the beginning of the prologue, it was evident that this was a very tight orchestra, excellently conducted by Mr. Brockie. However, I am sorry to say that, in general, they were let down by the sound department. One area in need of attention consistently throughout the show was underscoring. This was immediately apparent in ‘Belle’ where underscored dialogue was barely audible. Claire Wilson was chorus mistress and her work, when heard, sounded wonderful. Unfortunately, ensemble harmonies weren't always prominent enough and were often lost underneath the orchestra. Again, this was an unfortunate sound issue. 

Anne-Marie Cooney’s choreography was strong throughout, always suiting the abilities of her very large cast. The larger production numbers, for which the show is renowned, were generally well-rehearsed and used the available space well, including the upstage, raised level. ‘Be Our Guest’ worked well. It was a kaleidoscope of colour, movement, and extravagant costuming, building to a great can-can sequence and a wonderful final picture. ‘Human Again’ was another high point which was performed with great energy and joy by the large cast. ‘Gaston’ had great energy and fun and ‘The Mob Song’ was a highlight of the show; a great example of telling the story through choreography. 

Sarah Corcoran was a most likable Belle. She was a strong, thoughtful, and intelligent actress with a lovely, expressive voice. She had very nice chemistry with Maurice. ‘No Matter What’ was a beautifully poignant moment. ‘Home’ was a lovely dramatic interpretation full of heartfelt passion. I loved her joy at being introduced to the library. ‘A Change In Me’ was a thoughtful, clever interpretation, very controlled and with beautifully sustained notes showing her impressive range. 

Jonathan Kelly was a very aggressive and menacing Beast initially, but his humanity was always bubbling under the surface. I loved his very thoughtful delivery of his songs and his rich baritone in ‘If I Can’t Love Her’ gave us a very strong end to Act One. Timing went a bit awry in ‘Something There’ as he raced ahead but he recovered quickly. Mr. Kelly was clearly a strong actor and this was reflected in his considerable emotional range and his ability to switch from anger to more poignant moments in a very natural manner. 

Conor Lyons gave a very strong, cartoonish portrayal of the self-obsessed Gaston. He was the perfect villain that we love to hate, full of unapologetic narcissism. His ‘Me’ was brilliantly performed. He was exceptionally strong in the mob song, demonstrating his ability to blend the more sinister elements of his character with the fun side. A wonderful portrayal of the misogynistic, muscle-bound cad. 

Andrew Lane was a very good Lefou, Gaston’s punchbag and inept sidekick. His village idiot was a very funny character and his manic, very physical performance was most impressive. Comic timing was very strong throughout. It is fair to say that the vocal demands of the role are not overly taxing. However, it was clear that Mr. Lane was an excellent singer as he was particularly strong in ‘Gaston.’ 

Julie Kinsella was full of maternal warmth as Mrs. Potts, everyone’s favourite teapot. She had a delightfully upper crust accent and took no nonsense from anyone. She had a lovely connection with Chip. Her light soprano voice suited the title number very well but I felt that she needed to think about her demeanour more during her solo. Had she softened and smiled more, it would have helped to project more warmth. 

Con Kickham was a very talented Chip. He had great expression, excellent diction, and a lovely singing voice. He will certainly have learned a lot from the experience of working with so many talented people and I have no doubt that we'll be hearing his name again for many years to come. 

Timmy Moloney brought great energy to the role of Lumiere, the French candelabra with a roving eye. Mr. Moloney had great facial expressions and his exotic accent was very consistent throughout. There was great fun with Babette and the flirtatious banter between them both was a comic highlight of the show. Chemistry with Cogsworth was strong as they bounced off one another very naturally. His ‘Be Our Guest’ was well delivered, with all of the necessary flamboyance and flair that one expects. 

Declan Taylor was an equally strong Cogsworth, the over-the-top cantankerous old clock. His upper crust delivery was perfectly condescending and his quick-witted pomposity was the source of much hilarity. He sang well in ‘Human Again’ and his superb rapport with Mr. Moloney was always evident. 

Keith Flanagan played Maurice with great charm. His ‘No Matter What’ was a lovely rendition and his paternal instincts were very well played with Belle. 

Babette was played with great energy, character, and a wonderful accent by Amy Haughton. This was a characterisation that was full of fun and great comedic timing. 

Philip Erskine had quite the malevolent presence as Monsieur D'Arque. The new version of the show doesn't allow for the same amount of character development as the previous version, but Mr. Erskine still managed to make a great impact. He was particularly strong in ‘The Mob Song.’ 

Aisling Doyle was fabulously over the top as Madame De La Grande Bouche. She was wonderfully still with her back to us as we waited for her to be introduced and she deserves every praise for managing her rather cumbersome costume so well. Her characterisation was fun and larger than life and her soprano voice was a joy. 

The three silly girls or, as they are often called, Les Filles de Villes were played by Emma Walsh, Alix Braches and Sadhbh McDonnell. The three of them did well, enjoying every moment of their over the top idolisation of Gaston. 

Anthony Finn was a fine prince. Splitting the role of Prince and Beast meant that there wasn’t ample opportunity for much character development but Mr. Finn did well with what was asked of him. 

There was good support from Leah Butler St Ledger as the enchantress and from Ella Barry who looked wonderful as the gargoyle.

The ensemble was strong and focused. They sang well, even if, through no fault of their own, harmonies weren't always audible. I liked their very disciplined freezes, which were very effective. Background business was always meaningful and had purpose. There was wonderful life in the tavern number, with great laughing, cheering and life. 

Stage manager Mark Hayden did a very good job. There was very efficient movement of sets and furnishings by both crew and cast. Low fog was used to great effect, although I did think that there was too much in ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ during which it was almost a distraction from Belle and Beast’s lovely dance. Fly cues for the trees were well timed with lighting and good use was made of the limited space side stage for storing set pieces. 

The society ran into problems with their original set option in the lead up to the show. To have any sort of set on the stage was a blessing, so kudos to everyone who made that work. The stage left apron with bookcase and castle parapet looked very well. On stage right, we had another castle parapet and the plinth with the rose in the case. The village houses worked very well sliding on and off and I loved the four ‘transparent’ trees that flew in. They were most effective. The large portrait of Gaston was quite a feature in the tavern. The upper level provided some good staging opportunities for Mr. Shannon and Ms. Cooney also utilised this space very well, particularly in ‘Be Our Guest.’ The star cloth transformed the set when used, adding great depth to the stage.

There was a lack of attention to detail in the lighting plot overall. The transformation of the prince to the beast at the top of the show was almost in darkness. The final transformation was crying out for more ‘magic’ from the lighting department. One of the biggest issues were the visible jets of haze which were pumped onstage to the point of distraction all through the show. The positioning of the haze machine was the main problem. The golden rule with haze is that the source shouldn’t be obvious.

The hazer should be placed as far away from the stage as possible, so that by the time the haze reaches the stage, its movement is largely imperceptible. There was also an absence of adequate key light at times, meaning that faces weren't always lit. A number of times throughout the show, moving lights swept across the stage before reaching their final positions. Three performances into the run, such glitches should really have been addressed.

There were some nice touches too though. Maurice's dungeon was nicely lit from within. The star cloth worked very well, transforming the stage, when used. During ‘Be Our Guest,’the ensemble freeze was nicely lit. The red wash for Belle and Lumiere's tango was also very effective and atmospheric. 

Sound design and operation were not up to scratch for a show of this scale. There was a constant problem with crackling mics. EQ levels on certain performers were not set properly for dialogue, sounding very thin and lacking warmth. In particular, Gaston's EQ settings did not do him any favours. In general, cueing was poor on the night that I attended.

The props department did very well. It's quite a busy show props-wise and they rose to the task. ‘Belle’ was awash with baskets, flowers, baguettes, and other items which helped to bring the village to life. I loved Belle's fabulous book cart. Maurice's invention was a wonderful creation, with real smoke. Maurice's wrench was also very visually pleasing. The tankards in the tavern scene looked authentic and I loved the ‘Castle Tours’ and ‘Follow Me’ signs which added much to the visual humour. Various tools added much to ‘The Mob Song.’Great work overall. 

Hair and makeup were generally well looked after. Wigs looked well in general, although I did think that Maurice's wig was rather odd-looking, even by his standards. Beast looked fabulous with great attention to detail. The fact that Beast wasn't playing Prince meant that his makeup could be more intricate. Lumiere's tall wig was fabulous. The Silly Girls' wigs were in need of attention as we could see their own hair quite clearly underneath. There were great looks for all of the enchanted characters. 

The costume plot was bright and colourful, reflecting the animated roots of the show. There is a very specific Disney template in place for a show like this and woe betide anyone who messes with the expectations of children (or adults!). Gaston and Lefou looked wonderful. I loved the wolves' costumes which were very effective. Cogsworth and Lumiere looked amazing. And I loved the great attention to detail with Lumiere's gold shoes. Full credit too to the wardrobe department,(pardon the pun!) who created a fabulous costume, from scratch, for Madame de la Grande Bouche when there were last minute logistical issues with their hired choice. Belle's signature yellow dress was perfect but the front needed fixing as her underskirt was visible. I did, however, have reservations about the headpiece, which I felt was a little bit too much. 

New Ross Musical Society’s “tale as old as time” was their 56th production since the late 1960s. Their longevity is testament to a wonderful community spirit which was palpable on the evening that I attended. It was a show packed with talent, both on stage and off. Tightening up on technical elements will, no doubt, raise the high standards of this wonderful group even further for future productions. Here’s to the next half century! 

Pat McElwain 

Gilbert Adjudicator 2024/2025

Photos by Darragh C Photography