Tiffin School Orchestra were joined by a cast of soloists and chorus on Monday and Tuesday, 15th and 16th January, to give a concert performance of music from Beauty And The Beast, a retelling by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken of the classic French fairytale. The piece tells the story of a selfish prince who, on refusing to show kindness to a stranger (an enchantress) looking for shelter, is placed under a spell along with his castle and its inhabitants, turning the prince into a frightening Beast (Toby 12PS, Nad 11SP). Only by showing and receiving kindness can the Beast break the spell. Belle (Olivia 12LMO, Emi 13SJC) and her father Maurice (Harvey 12PS) through misfortune find themselves imprisoned by the Beast in his castle. Through Belle’s presence, and through the gentle persuasion of castle residents Mrs Potts (Rosa 12KO, Leela 12MT), Lumiere (Yasmine 12MB, Sania 12KO) and Cogsworth (Manish 9SE), the friendship between Belle and the Beast grows. Belle, however, is forced to leave the castle when she learns that Gaston (Kangmin 10GA, Calan 9SE) her unwelcome suitor, Lefou (Josie 12JXE) his henchman, and D’Arque (Oscar 7HES, Tanmay 9CH) have placed her father in danger. They go further, assembling a mob to storm the castle and kill the Beast. In their fight, the Beast is mortally wounded, but the resulting kindness between him and Belle is enough to break the spell, setting the castle residents free and returning the Beast to his former but kinder self. Highlights of the performances included the chorus numbers ‘Little Town / Belle’, introducing us to the residents of Belle’s town, ‘Be Our Guest’, an invitation to a castle banquet, and the ‘Transformation’ in which the chorus together sing the familiar lines ‘Tale as old as time…’. Thanks to all those who prepared and performed so impressively in this concert.
