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We have a debut blog from Louis this week...

When people think of the Beast, more often than not, their first thought is of the rich voiced, well-spoken Beast we all know and love from Disney. Which is pretty far removed from the interpretation of the RSC’s script has provided us with, which comes with roaring, growling and threats of cannibalism, all of which I’ve been getting to sink my teeth into (pun intended) for our performance of Beauty and the Beast.
It has been an interesting task to say the least, balancing humility and tenderness, whilst attempting to maintain a presence of animalistic power and ferocity. A feat made especially difficult due to the complexities of the script, in one scene my throat being shredded in a tirade of furious roars and growling, only to be brought down to earth by Beauty and having to change the tone of my delivery without losing the character. To add to that, as if the frequency of the Beasts outburst of roars wasn’t enough, the stilted inarticulate nature of his speech can make it incredibly difficult to convey the emotion behind his words. Which I suppose in a way is also a positive, as it is an issue the Beast has to deal with himself.
Despite a few hiccups along the way, learning to waltz comes to mind, the Beast is an incredibly satisfying role to play. Getting to exercise his villainous and fearsome abilities in his encounter with Jean-Louis (Beauty’s father), to his shame and nervousness with his first dinner with Beauty and for it then to change into warmth, tenderness and loyalty in the latter portions of the play has been a really challenging but rewarding process. The role has been made even more enjoyable to play by the fact that the rest of the cast are incredibly talented and a pleasure to work with. The fact that I only joined Yew Tree in January and to be able put on a production with them is a testament to how welcoming and kind they have been. Especially with a play like this one, where ridiculousness, humour and sometimes having to step outside your comfort zone are all par for the course.

With the performance only a week away I think that when all is said and done, this play will be one that I remember for a long time. Hopefully it will also be such a roaring success that everyone who comes and sees it will remember it for a long time too! Frankly, I can’t wait!

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