Tickets available for HMSG and Monmouth School production of Beauty and the Beast: 9-12 March

February 9, 2016
Beauty and the Beast

Production poster

Tickets cannot be bought without a completed Booking Form returned to Reception at either HMSG or Monmouth School.

Ticket Booking Form Beauty and the Beast (PDF – 70Kb)

Payment can only be made by cheque, cash or charge to a pupil’s bill. If this causes any inconvenience please contact boxoffice@hmsg.co.uk (This form must be used for the purchase of all tickets)

 

For more information please contact:

HMSG reception:
T: 01600 711100
HMSG, Hereford Road, Monmouth NP25 5XT

Monmouth School Reception:
T: 01600 713143
Monmouth School, Almshouse Street, Monmouth NP25 3XP


Beast of a musical promises magic and surprises

Dancing cutlery, sassy feather dusters, a beautiful songbird and a formidable beast are inviting people to be their guest at an enchanted high school musical.

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Disney magic has taken over at Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls and its sibling Monmouth School, where rehearsals for Beauty and the Beast the musical are well underway.

Pupils from both schools are set to perform their contemporary take on the traditional fairy tale, complete with live music, between March 9 and March 12 at HMSG.

Audiences can expect to hear all of their favourite songs from the film, but the creative cast also has some magical surprises up its sleeve.

Rhyan Parry, Head of Dance at HMSG and Creative Director of the production, said: “Everybody loves and needs a bit of magic in their lives.

“Beauty and the Beast will appeal to a wide audience, ranging from little children to grandparents.

“We have a huge, all-inclusive cast of more than 60 boys and girls between Year 7 and Year 13. There’s also a stage crew of about 10.

“It’s a full-scale production – this is an enormous thing to take on. We’ve got a set, costume and props team established and lots of support from parents.

“Ex pupils have been coming back and helping too. Working on the show has brought about a real sense of community, it’s a huge team effort.

“There’s a very talented cast this year, very creative, vibrant and enthusiastic.”

The beast of a show, which features dancing plates and napkins, tap dancing cutlery, tangoing salt and pepper shakers and an opinionated clock, has united pupils and helped them make new friends in different year groups.

Two girls, Connie and Carys, will share the lead role of Belle, and Rory and Tom will take it in turns to perform as Beast and the Prince.

“Pupils involved learn how to work with people they’ve never come across before,” Ms Parry added.

“It gets them to integrate and brings the schools together.

“Everybody’s contribution is vital – everyone learns that if you take their little nut or bolt out of the system nothing works as efficiently.

“It’s multi-disciplinary. It teaches the pupils music, movement, dance and drama as well as life skills.

“Being involved in something like this develops pupils’ confidence and presentation skills. They learn about themselves and their personal development is massive.

“They’re getting the opportunity to do something they’ve never done before and might never do again.”

Ms Parry, who has taught dance at HMSG for 20 years, has countless successful shows under her belt.

And last summer, she led a dance troupe to victory at a national competition to win an energy makeover worth £100,000 for the School.

“We have a specialist dance department here, so the quality and standard we produce is always high,” she said.

“What we do is out of the box. The audience can expect Disney magic, a traditional heart-warming story with some fun and contemporary twists. There will be lots of surprises and new interpretations.”

Ms Parry has been running rehearsals after school alongside her usual lessons.

“Sometimes you wonder how you’re going to get through it,” she added.

“But it’s so worth doing because what people learn from it is unquantifiable. Seeing the final product is the reward in itself. Being involved in a show like this stays with you for the rest of your life.”

Mario Conway, Director of Music at HMSG, cannot wait to see all of the pupils’ hard work and practice pay off on opening night.

He said: “Beauty and the Beast has been an exciting and challenging project, and as the performance dates loom ever nearer, the excitement amongst us is palpable.

“In the true spirit of a Disney musical, it will be absolutely magical and spellbinding.

“Since last September we have been rehearsing the cast with the piano, and now that we are almost ready to go into production, the cast will get their opportunity to sing whilst being accompanied by a live orchestra.

“The production orchestra will be a mix of pupils and music staff and this, after all the other challenges have been met, will be the final piece of the puzzle and the icing on the cake.

“The theme of this musical is transformation, and moving from piano to orchestra will transform this fabulous music score and make it explode into life.”

Performances take place at 5pm on Wednesday, March 9, and 7pm on Thursday, March 10, Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12.

Tickets, available from HMSG, are £8 for adults and £4 for children and concessions.

Beauty and the Beast