Beauty and the Beast
Composed 1987
Duration 2 hours approx
Instrumentation Piano, Bassoon, Flute, Double Bass, Drums.
Comments This is a cross between a traditional Xmas entertainment and a West End musical. It has all the ingredients of panto ugly sisters, good & wicked fairies, Idle Jack, winsome heroine and princely Principal Boy, a redeemed villain and even a pantomime cow.
But as in all the best musicals, it also has original songs fully integrated into the action and the score bursts with catchy tunes. The script naturally has a local slant which could be adapted for a different place.
Performances Fortrose Academy, 10th, 11th, 12th December 1987.
Reviews "...to describe the show as a pantomime does not do justice to its outstanding musical qualities...scene followed scene with effortless ease...superb sets, splendid costumes, light and sound effects both subtle and startling...an imaginative musical score.
The delightful songs formed an integral part of the story and provided extra insight into a play which was as much Musical as Pantomime with more than a hint of the age-old conflict between Good & Evil." Ross-shire Journal.
Recordings VHS.