Review: Kaunotar ja Hirviö

DISNEY MUSICAL SILENCES THE VIEWER

The old German fairy tale about a beauty and a selfish prince turned into a monster are one of those archmyths that have not been afraid of globalization throughout human history. The same ideas can be found in Indian, Chinese, African and Persian story traditions.
The Disney company has always been meticulous about the stories it chooses. Unfortunately, it has sometimes happened that a person who is familiar with the original text has not really been able to recognize the familiar story under the smoothed version.
Fortunately, this is not happening now. The theme of the fairy tale, the breakdown of selfishness in the way of the ability to love, comes out strongly, albeit embedded in a cream crust.

The fairy tale has the setting of a fairy tale, and this principle has not been forgotten in the Helsinki City Theatre either: the audience is pampered with magnificent crowd scenes, which are not lacking in fancy costumes and snappy, fast-paced dance scenes.
The choir parts also go smoothly, and since we are dealing with a Broadway musical, many of the melodic and rhythmically catchy notes of the performance resonate in the mind of those who go home.
When the moving cupboards, bowls, pans, onions, bells and bowls have been executed in a colourful and humorous way, the enjoyment of the musical is fulfilled.

Marika Westerling is the charming, brightly singing Bella in the performance, and Kari Arffman , who plays the role of the Monster in the premiere, is her masculine counterpart. Mikko Vihma builds Gaston into a rival suitor who is just as obnoxious as it should be, and Pertti Koivula’s (LeFou) jester charm bites with his charm. Risto Kaskilahti deservedly gathers the audience’s laughter as the French-cracking candelabra Lumiere.

However, special thanks go to the entire ensemble. At many moments, the big stage seems to be in a whole movement, where you don’t know whether you’re looking at a live picture, a cartoon or carnal people. This feature seems to be the trademark of Disney musicals, no matter where they are in the world.
As faithfully American as the new spectacle musical at the Helsinki City Theatre is, the viewer is forced to admit that the splendor and expertise of the stage are astonishing.