Review: Kaunotar ja Hirviö
DISNEY MAGIC TO THE STOMACH
Helsinki City Theatre’s Beauty and the Beast is a captivating spectacle
Just a year ago, hardly anyone would have thought of comparing any
theatre monster mask on Lordi. Now the analogy cannot be avoided.
This time, however, it is not Tomi Putaansuu who is behind the mask, but
actor Kari Arffman. And this is not Hard Rock Hallelujah but Beauty
and the Monster, Finland’s first Disney musical, which was released on Thursday
premiere on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre.
No matter what you think of the entertainment giant Disney, now it is
There is such a spectacle that the chatter is gone. Beauty and the Beast is
wonderfully executed theatre of great emotions that takes the audience away
with them.
A fairy tale takes you away
The Helsinki City Theatre’s production is largely with foreign forces
assembled. Director Hans Berndtsson and choreographer Gunilla Olsson Karlsson are
Swedish, musical expert Nick Davies comes from England.
The work itself and the format?- which in these projects is known to be largely
dictates the implementation – are American.
Americans have been accused of many things in the field of art, but it must be admitted
I guess it’s that thinking big is mastered. On Broadway
We know how to make a simple romantic story
entertainment so captivating that you won’t miss it
even though the performance lasts almost three hours.
An age-old tale about an innocent but wise country girl, the
of a chattering father, nasty villagers and a man who lives in his castle
misunderstood monster has been executed so spectacularly and
heartily that it must be quite a cynic to whom this performance
leave cold.
Successful Finnish translation
As international a format as Beauty and the Beast is, the creators
have also been able to put so much on the stage of the Helsinki City Theatre
local spices, so that the whole thing doesn’t seem plastic for a moment.
Especially the local colour can be seen in Liisa Ryömä’s successful Finnish translation.
Ryömä has boldly set out to translate the meanings and feelings of the text, not
verses word for word. For example, the song Beauty and the Beast
The chorus is not a clumsy “girl and him” like in the movie, but stylish
“The light wins”.
Verbal fireworks are also offered to the castle’s servants
in the twists and turns of written dialogue. The comically speeding servants
a necessary lightener for a romantic story, which might otherwise become
too scary or weird.
Captivating Kaskilahti
The humorist in the play is once again Risto Kaskilahti,
this time a giant candle Lumiérena. Kaskilahti is absolutely
captivating as a temperamental person challenging broken “French”
as a servant who tries to make his human-shy master fall in love with the castle
to make the magic wear off.
Not much is left behind by the rest of the servants, neurotically nitpicking.
Cogsworth (Eero Saarinen), the caring mother type Mrs. Nokkava (Ursula
Salo), diva-like Madame de la Grande Bouche (Jaana Mäntynen) and carefree
Babette (Elina Silander).
Marika Westerling, who plays Bella, is at the same time naïve,
noble, stubborn, unyielding and cheerful -?so quite typical
American heroic figure. Westerling also performs well
songs, even though the interpretation only reaches its best glow after the performance
towards the end of the year.
The monstrosity of Kari Arffman’s monster is hidden alongside an impressive mask
above all, the strange way of trying and the computer-aided
grunts. In terms of voice, Arffman is more of a smoothed prince than a
a powerful monster.
The thankless role of Gaston, the haughty prankster in the story, is played by Gaston
Mikko Vihma in an unpretentious manner.
Get the most out of it
From the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre, directed by Berndtsson
manages to take everything possible and a little more out of it. Implementation
contains downright magical tricks that make you wonder
even for adults.
Sari Salmela’s costumes are also unparalleled in their brilliance.
A kind of climax to the visual blast is grandly executed
A cabaret-like dinner scene that stays nicely in its shape, even though
the stage is crowded almost like on market days at the Lahti market square.
Composed by Alan Menken , it paints flowing emotions and large arcs
The music is probably already familiar to at least most families with children
from the film version of the story.
Even though the performance is not composed throughout, musical numbers are used
also quite successfully to make the atmosphere more intense and to
background. Conductor Henrik Wikström has his hands full
work, but the band of about twenty people hidden under the stage will stay
comfortably on top of the situation.
The cherry on the cake is a delicate ballet number that depicts the new beginning of the finale,
which is danced in the middle of the fountain.