Musicals come in many forms and can be singular experiences in different world cultures. We have had our own great traditions of musical theatre and many of our classical and folk theatrical forms are rooted in music and singing. After a fashion, it may be said that our films are well-crafted musicals. Yet the idea of razzmatazz...the grand spectacle in musical theatre is a peculiar Broadway/West End property that has proved to be incredibly successful. Its allure and extraordinariness are bankrolled and bundled in an 'experience' that must be had, that must be consumed. This 'big' show is a great melange of virtuosity and venture. The Disney Theatrical Group (DTG), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios, augmented by the worldwide brand status of its parent company, is steeped in the culture of this heady mix. After its original Broadway run, the group has been transplanting or rather recreating its dolled-up versions of popular fairy tales on stages around the world. It's found a well-timed place in aspirational India with its famous production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, first performed on Broadway in 1994, and based in its turn on Walt Disney's 1991 animated film.
The production retains the script by Linda Woolverton, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. But the team is essentially Indian, sourced from local talent - so what you see is presumably an 'Indian' production with formulalised content, prescribed by the original Broadway show. It's the equivalent of a foreign product attempting to create resonance in a local culture, for reasons of economics or otherwise. The result is quite frankly neither here nor there, but what you have is one hell of a 'made to order' show.
The brand equity promised, director Vikranth Pawar, who is also the creative head for Disney India, delivers a predictable, yet resounding spectacle, complete with spectacular sets (Varsha Jain), orchestrated lighting (Becket Tundatil), aerial choreography (Rajesh Mudki) and the works. There may have not been a better choice given Pawar's former experience. He was one of the key creative people to take charge of Kingdom of Dreams at Gurgaon, known for its tantalising Bollywood inspired musicals. He is also skilled in dramatic effects; in this instance, particularly highlighted in the opening and closing scenes of the Prince-Beast-Prince transformations.
The production is also distinguished by its cast. The main cast is solid (although there are two sets of cast, and I saw only one set, but the 'heroine' and the 'hero' are unchanged). They are competent singers as well as actors, thus doing justice to the nature of a musical. The star of the show is clearly Meher Mistry who plays Belle, the Beauty, but Edwin Joseph, who plays the Beast, is fairly good too. While Meher Mistry seems almost perfect in her role, it appears sometimes if her counterpart may be a little restrained. Yet there was a moment when he was angry and raving, but gives your heart a turn when he inquires from his palace aides about Belle's whereabouts - ''Where is she?'' The question is beautifully timed and exquisite.
Bugs Bhargava Krishna stands out for his portrayal of Cogsworth. He is one of the most articulate actors I have known and can deliver his lines with humour, irony or sarcasm as the case may be. The rest of the team, including Brian Tellis, who plays Lumiere, Pooja Pant who plays Mrs Potts, Varun Narayan who plays Gaston, Sanjiv Desai who plays Maurice - were all in their element. Quite remarkably, their accents and speech modulations don't jar. For an 'Indian English' show that can be a challenge. The flip side though is that this is clearly an attempt, albeit a sincere one, to recreate the 'Broadway type' show. Comparisons in any case would be unfair. But could this Indian version have been more challenging and persuasive? Perhaps.
Terence Lewis' choreographed dances, made up of many dancers and little acrobat acts look stupendous but beyond a point, altogether familiar. Lesle Lewis would have worked within the parameters of the predetermined music score by Alan Menken. Becket Tundatil's light design is grand but stagey, sometimes coming across as unimaginative and unnecessarily stylised. Yet the pink and red hues suffusing the fairy-tale houses and establishments in Belle's village are pleasing.
I had almost forgotten this classic fairy-tale with its origins in France. When early in the show, Belle gets exuberant about books and adventure, and being the 'odd' one in her village, I sat up. Aah, here's a thinking heroine I thought. That's something. Of course, she plies the familiar route eventually, but not before she has the guts to love a 'beast' and reveals that beauty need not be external. It's a perfectly acceptable moral by a spirited heroine for children to take home. Watch this production with your little ones, the bigger ones, or otherwise, and you are in for a captivating theatrical experience with the very capable and charming Meher Mistry leading the show.
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