Stockholm syndrome is a psychological happening wherein a hostage begins to form a “bond” with his/her captors, and develops positive feelings for them. The hostage can feel sympathy, empathy and compassion towards their captor, and might even defend them against criticism. Frightening, isn’t it?
It’s impossible to watch Beauty and the Beast — as an adult, without the whimsical, rosy-eyed glasses of childhood perched on one’s nose — without feeling hints of discomfort at this phenomenon making itself known.
Stripped of its enchanting Disney-ness, the story boiled down to this: Belle was a woman ostracised by society for being “different”, and for believing she was meant for greater things than marriage to the insufferable but glorified townsman, Gaston.
She found herself taken hostage in the Beast’s castle, or in other words, locked up in an angry man’s home. There, she was cut off from her family (the Beast would not allow her to see her sick father), refused dinner if she would not have it with the Beast himself, and repeatedly yelled at for being “difficult”. At one point, the beast even grabbed her by the jaw to reprimand her.
Despite all this, Belle fell in love with him, and defended him fiercely when her father and the townspeople questioned her about him.
All of these elements were undoubtedly present in the musical, which arrived in Abu Dhabi’s du Forum on Thursday night, and we would be amiss to ignore them.
At the same time, we would be amiss to ignore the more magical aspects of the production. It was a visually extravagant affair with its flowery backdrops and glimmering stage props. Its cast was a contagiously gleeful one with a host of stunning voices. There was enough mature humour tucked into the storytelling to keep the adults in the crowd happy, too.
Though the Beast’s anger issues were far more dangerous than the story accounted for, it was difficult not to be charmed by his exaggerated attempts to be polite, or the moments he displayed childlike excitement.
The audience was delighted throughout, clapping and whistling between scenes. The side characters, including Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth and Chip, came starkly to life, each with their own set of humorous ticks.
The musical truly shone in its group numbers, such as the amusing Gaston and the confetti-worthy Be Our Guest. A chorus of actors danced and sung in tandem to fill up the venue from corner-to-corner with bursts of vibrant colours and sound. A lack of technological gimmicks and the presence of an 11-person live orchestra transported the audience to simpler times.
This nostalgia could be owed in part to the fact that the present international tour of Beauty and the Beast was put together by the original Broadway crew. The show, which debuted in 1994 on Broadway and ended in 2007, became the theatre’s eighth longest-running production in history.
The thunderous climax of the musical saw the stage go pitch black as white lights were flashed dramatically on the audience. The Beast, having received a declaration of love from Belle after being attacked by Gaston, was able to complete his transformation into a human again. He could finally embrace Belle without the fur, claws and fluffy tail hanging between his legs.
Not a moment later, the enchanted objects, from Lumiere the chandelier to Cogsworth the clock, appeared on stage in their human form. This including none other than little boy Chip, who received a chorus of awww’s from the audience as he ran into his mother’s open arms, providing a final sense of closure. All in all, a happy resolution to an otherwise twisted tale.
Tickets for Beauty and the Beast at du Forum, found through ticketmaster.ae, are available for 7.30pm showings on October 31 and November 6, 7 and 8. There is a matinee 1pm showing on October 31. Tickets range between Dh150 and Dh750.
