Review- Beauty and the Beast – by 'Southport Spotlights' , The Little Theatre, Hoghton Street, 2nd–5th July 2025 by Claire Kelly

Southport Spotlights brought the magic of Disney to life at The Little Theatre last night with their opening night - with an outstanding production of Beauty and the Beast!

It's no wonder it received a standing ovation, on its opening night, from the very appreciative audience, which I was part of..

I don't usually mention the costumes - but I have to say that the costumes were absolutely amazing ! From the comical huge teacup and saucer to the grandiose clock and wardrobe costumes. There were colourful and flamboyant throughout and all of this detail contributed greatly to bring us the fairytale-like atmosphere.

The Beast's castle on stage was also impressive, with clever use of levels; particularly the steps leading up to the castle, which gave depth to the stage.

At the heart of the show was Molly Wilkinson as Belle – who gave a truly beautiful performance. Her singing was effortless and pure, it felt to me like we were hearing the real Disney soundtrack live on stage!

Alongside Belle, Michael Fay gave an outstanding performance as The Beast. He was gruff, brooding and full of character, he embodied the role with powerful stage presence and faultless vocals. Well done to both these leads!

I equally loved Lewis Williams' performance as Gaston . He was brilliantly funny, commanding the stage with charisma and comic timing.

Cogsworth (Stephen Hughes-Alty), Mrs Potts (Jacqui Lewis), and Lumiere (Matthew Higginson) worked together well with just the right mix of humour and heart.

Jacqui Lewis’ rendition of Tale As Old As Time was a touching and memorable performance - with Jacqui's warm and rich voice , which was also full of tenderness.

Other standouts included Zoe Findlay as Babette. She was cheeky, flirty and full of charm, with an excellent French accent!

James Snape as the adorable Chip, who stole hearts (even while stuck inside a teapot!).

A special mention must go to John Delahunty as Monsieur D’Arque who gave a perfectly sinister performance, with some great dancing skills thrown in!

The chorus worked incredibly hard throughout, particularly in the spectacular Be Our Guest number, which was a stand out for me - with so much energy, colour and tight choreography (from the talented Pippa Morris.) It was truly a highlight of the show.

To see such a polished performance under the direction of a first-time director is seriously impressive - Chloe Merone, you should be very proud. This was a big production to manage but you definitely pulled this off, Chloe- well done!

The orchestra, under the expert musical direction of Adam Dutch, played beautifully throughout, supporting the cast. Well done to all of the musicians involved.

BRAVO to all who played a part in making this show what it is- as we all know what a team- effort it is to produce a show of this calibre. I thoroughly enjoyed it !