A handful of home-grown stars are stealing the show in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast the Musical, during it’s Brisbane run.
The classic love story has been re-imagined in this stage spectacular with all new dance numbers and incredible sets.
Shubshri Kandiah plays the lead character Belle and has called Brisbane home since she moved to Queensland to study at the Queensland Conservatorium at Griffith University.
After playing a handful of princesses on stage, including a stint as Jasmine in Disney’s Alladin, Shubshri is quickly becoming the river city’s queen of the theatre.
Fellow Griffth grad Jackson Head plays the villain Gaston. He was born and bred in Logan and is delighted to be performing such an iconic role back on home turf, after growing up watching almost every musical that came to Brisbane in the stalls of the Lyric theatre.
The Gold Coast’s own Jayde Westaby is enjoying doing school drop off before transforming into the nurturing Mrs Potts in the evenings. Her left arm is given a workout each performance while holding up her spout in her sparkling and steaming tea pot costume.
It’s the hard work behind the scenes, along with a sprinkling of magical Disney dust, that will leave you enchanted.
The 300 costumes are intricately hand sewn and a whirlwind of colour. Belle’s yellow ball gown has been created with hundreds of glistening beads and thousands of crystals. The design is based on Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation dress.
The 119 wigs have been custom made for each performer and each hair has been individually hand knotted.
Many of the sets have dazzling LED backgrounds and the props are painstakingly designed. The cups Gaston and the ensemble use during the tavern scene are chinked 821 times! Cheers to that.
Restaurants in nearby Fish Lane are encouraging you to be their guest before and after the show with themed meals and drinks.
Maeve Wine Bar is offering a pre-show Provincial Platter with oysters, scallops and salmon crudo.
Or try Southside Restaurant’s plant based Red Rose Wontons.
Chu the Phat is shaking up an Enchanting Sunset Bliss cocktail and a Provincial Lychee Limeade mocktail.
While Midtown has your dessert sorted with a Raspberry Rose Petal Dream Cookie and three inspired cocktails.
Don’t wait until the last petal drops to fall in love with Beauty and the Beast, the Musical. It’s playing until the 9th of June at the Lyric Theatre at QPAC.
