The brand-new Christmas production of Beauty And The Beast at the Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham is the latest successful incarnation between the theatre and the Birmingham Ormiston Academy which has delivered some of the city`s finest festive shows.   

  When this reviewer went to the Old Rep on Saturday 3rd December it was a sold out show.  

    It`s a Beast of a production and it`s just as the public demanded.  Audiences were asked to vote on a shortlist in 2019 of 5 different titles, asking the public which one should be staged next.  The overwhelming favourite was Beauty And The Beast.  

    "The team and I are thrilled to be back" said Director of Beauty And The Beast Alec Fellows-Bennett "bringing the good people of Birmingham and surrounding areas yet another specially commissioned production to this magic theatre.  As many of you will know, as well as the last 7 Christmas productions, my association with the theatre goes way back over 25 years.  Whilst we all feared for the security of theatres in general over the Covid pandemic, my concern was that this version of Beauty and the Beast planned for 2020 would never make it to the stage".  

  Despite Covid and lockdowns, the new musical version of the play that`s been hitting the stage at the Old Rep was just what the audiences demanded. 

 "It was an incredibly popular choice" explained Alec Fellows-Bennett.  "I don`t think any of the other options came anywhere close.  I think Beauty is so popular because it`s a story that`s become a fairytale that`s become a parable that`s become a metaphor and so everyone knows it.  It`s a very simple story, or simple metaphor, which has been told in a lot of different styles, but it`s fundamentally the same story".  

"I also think the story is inextricably linked with Christmas.  That`s partly because of the Disney version, but it`s also a very popular panto.  So, for whatever reason, it`s become one of those Christmas stories".  

  Created by a team of professionals with Alec as director, Steve Allan Jones as composer and Toby Hulse as writer the production is a new, vibrant and unique take on a family favourite.  The show features nearly 100 Birmingham Ormiston Academy students on stage in 4 separate casts across the month-long run between 18th November - 16th December with many others working behind the scenes.  Previous collaborations between the theatre and Academy include Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island, Pinocchio and The Wind In The Willows.   

  "This fantasy story that we all know and love" explained Alec Fellows-Bennett "questions the moral decisions we might make and the snap judgements we have about people based on their outward looks and behaviour.  This is something that in 2022 is forefront in everyone`s mind, both young and old, as society changed and preconceptions are challenged.  This is not a question that this version shies away from".  

  The 2022 production is a bigger spectacle than it has been in the past at the Old Rep Theatre.  Every single week it`s a complete new cast, so we 23 students in each group, that is 92 students in total.  It`s a massive undertaking and the students have worked extremely hard.  It`s been made so that every show is the same as the last one although individuals bring their flair to certain roles.

  "The show is made for the people, of Birmingham" explained Alec Fellows-Bennett.  "It`s for people who love theatre.  I`d say that if you`ve not seen our productions before, come and discover Beauty And The Beast and the Old Rep Theatre.  It`s the most magical little space with a really magical show".    

Add to the mix not only the students but also the staff of Birmingham Ormiston Academy`s Creative, Digital & Performing Arts Department and the Stage & Screen Production Department and any audience could not fail but be impressed with this seasonal delight.  The Old Rep Theatre have succeeded in delivering a triumph.  

  "Coming together as a community, whoever we are, has become much more precious post-pandemic as we realise that Zoom and FaceTime is not quite the same as real interaction" said Alec Fellows-Bennett.  "In an age of IPads, smartphones and computer gaming it`s so important to come together as a collective and partake in a shared experience.  I fell in love with theatre in this building and I hope that this will be the start of many children`s relationship with live entertainment".