THE Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company will present the timeless tale of Belle, a young woman in a small provincial town, and the Beast, a prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress, at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, from tomorrow to Saturday.
If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self, but time is running out. Should the Beast not learn his lesson soon, however, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.
“This ‘tale as old as time’ is filled with the classic songs that you know and love, so please ‘be our guest’ and join us for this family favourite,” says director Kathryn Lay, who is joined in the production team by musical director Martin Lay and choreographer Lorna Newby.
The cast comprises Jennifer Jones as Belle; Adam Gill as the Beast; Tom Menarry, Lumiere; Jen Payne, Mrs Potts; Anthony Gardner, Cogsworth; Heather Stead, Babette; Helen Barugh, Madame de la Grande Bouche; Jim Paterson, Gaston; Kit Stroud, Lefou; Paul Blenkiron, Maurice; Alex Schofield, Monsieur D’Arque, and Stan Richardson and Paige Sidebottom as Chip.
“Belle is everything I wished I could be when I was growing up,” says Jennifer Jones. “She’s confident in who she is and willing to stand up for herself, but also kind and incredibly loyal. There are actually quite a lot of similarities between Belle’s past and my own experiences (up until the ‘being imprisoned by a cursed beast’ part), so getting to channel that into the performance is a real privilege.”
What is Jennifer most looking forward to in the show? “I’m a sucker for a big ball gown. But honestly, my favourite part of any show is listening to the overture backstage with the whole company as we wait to go on. There’s absolutely nothing like it!”
Naming her favourite scene, she says: “Be Our Guest is such a delight! It’s the big song from Beauty And The Beast and it’s been so exciting to see it coming together and everyone giving it so much energy. I’m lucky that my character gets to watch it all, and the grin on my face is 100 per cent genuine.”
Looking forward to playing the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, Jennifer says: “To have a full theatre so easily available to you as an amateur performer is really special. I’ve performed in nearly every theatre in York, but the Joseph Rowntree Theatre feels like home.
“It’s really an amazing community asset, and it provides so many opportunities for literally anybody to get involved, even if they’ve never stepped foot in a theatre before.”
She loves the experience of rehearsing and performing. “For me, it’s all about the people you do shows with. Of course, it’s very nice to sing for an audience that is more appreciative than my cats are, but getting to spend several nights a week having fun in rehearsals with an excellent group of people with a shared sense of purpose and belonging is the most important thing for me.”
Adam Gill shares his first name of Adam with the Beast: ”Of course that 100 per cent proves that I was made to play this part!” he says. “He’s one of the most iconic Disney characters, easily the best Disney prince, and I love the way that he changes and grows throughout the show: it’s a story that has always resonated with me.”
Adam, who picks the musical number Gaston as his highlight, “even though I’m not in it!”, has fond memories aplenty of performing at the JoRo. “I love the warm, intimate atmosphere that surrounds it,” he says.
“I love the escapism taking part in shows provides, watching brilliant people build confidence and grow into characters and trying to be the best performer I can.”
Jim Paterson has one reason above all others to look forward to playing Gaston. “This is the first show I’ve done that my eight-year-old daughter can actually come and see – and it’s special as we used to play with her Disney dolls a lot and I would often be Gaston getting into various scrapes trying to marry Belle!” he says.
Beauty And The Beast contains Jim’s favourite set of Disney songs. “I can’t wait for us to share the energy of the big chorus numbers like Belle, Be Our Guest and, of course, Gaston,” he says.
What does he enjoy most about performing at the JoRo? “It’s always a delight to step on the stage and see that beautiful auditorium, but what makes it special is the sense of camaraderie among the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company team, with everyone pitching in and supporting each other,” he says.
Summing up why he loves to perform, Jim says: “Someone once asked a writer why they wrote plays rather than novels and they replied, ‘because I like it when they applaud’. There’s something about spending weeks creating something as a team in rehearsal, then finally putting it in front of an audience and suddenly it’s an entirely different performance because of how their presence and reaction changes how it feels. It’s why live theatre is so special.”
Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company in Beauty And The Beast, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, February 4 to 8, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company: the back story
FOUNDED in 2017, the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company is the JoRo theatre’s official in-house production company, established to help raise funds for the maintenance and development of the Haxby Road theatre, while entertaining audiences with innovative productions of both classic and contemporary musicals.
So far the company has raised more than £23,000 from such shows as The Producers (2018), Kiss Me Kate (2019), Hello, Dolly! (2023) and Curtains (2024).