Beauty And The Beast: A Love Story That’s No Fairy Tale – Adelaide Festival Review

Dunstan Playhouse, Wed Mar 11 This Beauty and the Beast is no children’s fairytale, but it is still a beautiful story about love, prejudice and accepting difference, just with a lot of nudity and explicit sexual scenes. Disability performer Mat Fraser and burlesque beauty queen Julie Atlas Muz intertwine their own real life love story with the basic Beauty and the Beast narrative. The two have performed before as part of the Adelaide Fringe in The Freak And The Showgirl, but for the 2015 Adelaide Festival they present a much more refined, technically advanced and more impassioned show. They are joined on stage by Jess Mabel Jones and Jonny Dixon as puppeteers and assistants in moving the story along nicely. All four are skilled, amusing performers. There were also some hilarious scenes that got tonight’s audience excited, especially the final climax. There were some lovely gentle touching moments in the fairy tale as well as the monologues about Mat and Julie’s real life relationship, especially in relation to society’s perception of disability and Mat’s Phocomelia. The set looks fantastic and its versatility has been expertly designed by Philip Eddolls. All of the production elements enhance the magical atmosphere. Overall it is a clever playful show with a great personal link to Mat and Julie’s real life. Bobby Goudie Beauty And The Beast performs at Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre, at various times until Sun Mar 15. Book at BASS on 131 241 or bass.net.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets.