Beauty and the Beast opens at Chester Storyhouse in two weeks – first look!

Look behind the scenes of the magical Christmas production with exclusive shots from the rehearsal room.

The countdown to Christmas in Chester is on with just two weeks to go before Beauty and the Beast dances on to the Storyhouse stage.

The spellbinding new version of the much-loved fairytale promises to sweep family audiences off their feet and into the world of Belle and ‘the Beast’ when it opens its doors on Friday 5 December for the start of a month-long festive adventure.

But for those who can’t wait, today there is also the change to take a sneak peek behind the scenes with exclusive photographs from the rehearsal room where director John Young and the production’s talented cast are creating the magic which will captivate theatregoers of all ages.

The hilarious and heartwarming Beauty and the Beast is brimming with laugh-out-loud scenes, dancing clocks and candelabras, audience interaction and a soundtrack of fantastic musical favourites including A.P.T, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, I Put a Spell on You, Breakaway and K-Pop hit Golden, making this a Christmas show the whole family can share together.

Beauty and the Beast runs from Friday 5 December to Sunday 4 January. Ticket prices start from £15 for Storyhouse members.

Each performance will also be captioned, with additional audio-described, British Sign Language-interpreted and relaxed performances offered throughout the run to ensure all audiences can enjoy the magic.

The witty adaptation is written by acclaimed playwright Anne Odeke (Shakespeare’s Globe, Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre), who is making her festive debut following her adaptation of Little Women which delighted Chester audiences in 2022.

Meanwhile dynamic director John Young is well known in the city for his acclaimed productions at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, including Romeo and Juliet and The Gangs of New York, as well as the 2023 Chester Mystery Plays.

Katarina Zofia plays Belle and Daniel Bowskill appears as ‘the Beast’ Henri, while back by popular demand are Tom Richardson (Marcel/Pascal) and Caitlin Drake (Amélie),

They will be joined on stage by Poppy Afolabi (René/onstage understudy), Tom Lloyd (Grégoire/the Judge), Miriam O’Brien (Nightshade), Tom Pigram (Faby/onstage understudy), Emmy Stonelake (Lavender), Panav Viswanathan as Pierre and House of Dance as ensemble.

Beauty and the Beast’s musical director is Rebecca Applin while choreography comes from Christopher Tendai. Chloe Vickers is assistant choreographer, and Kaitlin Howard is fight and intimacy director. The designer is Amy Jane-Cook, with lighting design by Aaron Dootson and sound design by Kieran Lucas.

Storyhouse creative director Suzie Henderson said today: “Christmas is always such a special time of year for us here at Storyhouse, and I’m really excited we’re following last season’s Sleeping Beauty with another fabulous production for our family audiences.

“Anne Odeke has captured all the many wonderful elements that make Beauty and the Beast such a fairytale favourite and combined them in a story which is familiar but also uniquely Storyhouse; full of joy, imagination, warmth and community. I’m also delighted to welcome John Young back to direct. John is an alchemist, and he and the cast have been hard at work – and play – creating theatrical magic in the rehearsal room.

“I can’t wait now for the show to open and to see audiences enjoying what I know is going to be an enchanting and memorable shared experience.”

Director John Young added: “Our extraordinary company are working tirelessly to create a magical and joyful production that is the perfect for the entire family. With something for everyone we hope to give Chester the story of Beauty and the Beast told through magical music, hilarious characters and wonderful choreography.”

For more details on Beauty and the Beast visit www.storyhouse.com.