WIRRAL: 'Beauty & The Beast - Broadway Musical' at Gladstone

West Kirby Musical Theatre Company in rehearsal for its production of 'Disney’s Beauty and the Beast - The Broadway Musical' which is at Gladstone Theatre in Port Sunlight from November 6 to 9 (Image: Craig Manning / Newsquest) The group's production of Beauty & The Beast - The Broadway Musical is at the venue on Greendale Road in the village from next Wednesday to Saturday (November 6-9).

Featuring music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and dialogue by Linda Woolverton, it is the stage musical adaptation of Walt Disney’s 1991 animated film of the same name.

It was based on an 18th century French fairytale La Belle et la Bête by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, written by Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve. It is believed these stories were influenced by even older tales from classical antiquity.

Members of West Kirby Musical Theatre Company in rehearsal for its production of 'Disney’s Beauty and the Beast - The Broadway Musical' which is at Gladstone Theatre in Port Sunlight from November 6 to 9 (Image: Craig Manning / Newsquest) The story is described in the programme notes as 'a tale as old as time: an arrogant and self-centred prince refuses to allow an old lady to shelter in his castle, only to find out that she is actually an enchantress in disguise. She curses him for his cruelty by turning him into a monstrous beast and transforms his servants into castle objects.

'To break the curse, he must fall in love with someone, and that person must fall in love with him before the last petal falls from an enchanted rose . . . Enter Belle, a beautiful girl from the local village'.

The show includes 'wonderful, charming' characters like Lumiere and Mrs Potts and some 'more feisty and villainous village folk' like Gaston and Monsieur D’Arque.

West Kirby Musical Theatre Company in rehearsal for its production of 'Disney’s Beauty and the Beast - The Broadway Musical' which is at Gladstone Theatre in Port Sunlight from November 6 to 9 (Image: Craig Manning / Newsquest) The show is directed by Sharon Henderson, who told the Globe: "I've thoroughly enjoyed working on this show, it's a beautiful story and bringing Disney to the stage has been an absolute pleasure.

"As always, I have a bit of a vision that some people may or may not understand but I think it works. I've changed the opening, it's not quite as menacing as it used to be and it does actually make sense at the end when we have the transformation scene. 

"The only changes I've made are artistic because, obviously, you can't mess around with the songs or the dialogue, but I've just put my own little throw on it.

"The cast are really up for it and this final week is when it all comes together."

Summing up the show's main elements, Sharon continued: "It's magical, Disney on stage and funny, hilariously funny. It's a comedy and we've got little touches; for example, I've developed Cogsworth's character, so he's got a lovely little movement motif which, hopefully, will make the audience laugh."

 Victoria Wells is the rehearsal musical director and Matthew Mellor will be musical director during show week. Choreography is by Deborah Clarke

Tickets from wkmtc.co.uk/tickets