Adapted from Disney’s immensely popular 1991 film, this latest Australian production calls back to the original Broadway style-roots of the animated classic. The film made the transition to musical theatre with its debut on Broadway in 1994, and this production brings all the elements of that famous thirteen-year run to Adelaide’s Festival Theatre, with the odd modern upgrade where technology enhances the storytelling.

According to the famous lyrics it’s a “tale as old as time”, but the French fairytale on which Linda Woolverton’s Disney screenplay is based, La Belle et La Bete, was originally published back in 1757. This production is faithful to the Disney version of events in sound and style, the initial Angela Lansbury voiceover signalling to fans that this account of the classic tale is harking back to its animated roots. Anyone hoping for the post Anglo-French war storyline expansion and eye-popping powdered wig extravagance of the live-action version in 2017 will be out of luck.

Regardless, it’s still an historical era rich in fairytale flair and a costumer’s and set designer’s heaven. Rococo and baroque flourishes embellish everything from the provincial village to the enchanted castle.

Angela Lansbury’s voice sets the scene with the backstory of the arrogant prince who turns away an old woman from his door, disgusted by her appearance. Of course, the old woman was an enchantress in disguise, cursing the prince and his household. The prince is transformed into the beast, the staff into a variety of household objects. If the prince cannot find someone to love him in his new beastly form before the enchanted rose loses its last petal, the curse becomes permanent.

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Belle is one of the first Disney princesses with a bit of chutzpah. She may still be a damsel in distress, but she is determined to do the lion’s share of the work when it comes to saving herself. A bookish girl with a wild-haired inventor for a father, she’s an outsider dreaming of a life beyond the claustrophobic confines of her tiny provincial village. When her father unwittingly stumbles into the Beast’s castle and is taken captive, Belle rushes to his rescue and offers herself in his place.

An ensemble cast of anthropomorphic household objects brings humour and wisdom. Photo: Daniel Boud / Supplied

Shubshri Kandiah is a delight as Belle, delivering a flawless performance with her stunning vocal range. Rohan Browne’s Lumiere and Gareth Jacob’s Cogsworth bounce off each other to make a wonderful comic duo, while Jayde Westaby as Mrs Potts lends a kind and elderly wisdom to the ensemble of household objects. In this performance young actor Jared Bickerton played a charming Chip, was difficult to focus on while trying to work out the magic behind his seemingly disembodied head rolling across the stage on a tea trolley. Of all the household staff, Hayley Martin had by far the most challenging role as Babette; audience members who haven’t seen the film might need it spelled it that this delightful character sweeping about the stage in a luxuriantly plumed dress is supposed to embody a feather duster.

Jackson Head’s Gaston, the narcissistic hunter set on marrying Belle was hilariously over the top, his version of the village’s alpha male an unnerving hybrid of Luke Evans and Jim Carrey.

It may be a telling insight into this reviewer’s psyche to admit that in all previous versions of Beauty and the Beast, the character of the Beast has been somewhat of a disappointment when the enchantment lifts and he is revealed in human form. Brendan Xavier’s Beast bucks that trend. Perhaps it is because we can always perceive the man within the beast in Xavier’s version? Whatever the reason, it makes the final musical numbers more satisfying and the conclusion more romantically convincing.

Shubshri Kandiah is a ‘delightful’ Belle, while Brendan Xavier brings humanity to the Beast. Photo: Daniel Boud / Supplied

Which brings us to the real heroes of this production, the musical numbers and the lavish sets and costumes that bring them to life. The songs embedded throughout this story are simply spectacular – a feast for ears and eyes. The original tunes composed by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, were augmented for Broadway by Alan Menken and Tim Rice and performed on the night by a live orchestra conducted by Luke Hunter. In conjunction with the brilliant set design by Stanley A. Meyer, lavish costumes by Ann Hould-Ward all under the direction and choreography of Matt West, the delivery of the songs fans know and love was jaw-dropping. It’s difficult to give special mentions when there are so many breathtaking musical moments. Belle lamenting her provincial life, La Fou’s flattery of Gaston, and Mrs Potts’ ‘Beauty and the Beast’ spring instantly to mind, while the energetic performance of ‘Be Our Guest’ was worthy of the Moulin Rouge.

For the most part, the technological advancements of the last thirty years worked to enhance the storytelling. Use of screen projections to convey the wolf-infested forest heightened the drama and atmosphere while keeping the action child-friendly. However, the substitution of Phillipe the horse with a bedazzled electric wheelchair seemed a questionable choice, both historically and aesthetically.

Beauty and the Beast is more than a taste of Broadway, it’s a feast. While it’s a stage show made for those who loved the animated classic, this production is also perfectly timed for those original fans to introduce their children and grandchildren to this enduring masterpiece – a story that always seemed to have Broadway in its bones.

Beauty and the Beast continues the Festival Theatre until July 6