Over the past few weeks, the cast has been hard at work in rehearsals, under the stewardship of the Disney creative team led by director Julie Dunnley-Wendt. They have been liaising closely with the South African team, including director Alan Swerdlow. 

Last week, they moved into the Teatro at Montecasino to set in motion the conjuring of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale, as actors start transforming into clocks and teapots and the fantasy world begins taking shape.

The lavish, large-scale South African production of this Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, based on the Oscar-winning Disney film, opens at the Teatro on 2 October before moving to Artscape in Cape Town in February 2009 and then being whisked off on an overseas tour. This will be a double opening as Beauty and Beast will open in Moscow on the very same night.  

In preparation for its imminent grand opening, the production is springing to life under the fingertips of the cast and the creative and technical teams, with the finishing touches being put in place.

Dunnley-Wendt says that the show is truly a “magical experience … a story that has something in it for everyone”. 

"Working here in South Africa, and especially with the cast members of Beauty and the Beast, has been a very special experience for me,” she said this week. “Not only to bring this show to the continent of Africa for the first time, but to also work with a fantastic international team and a very talented cast.”

Despite having being involved with several productions of Beauty and the Beast over the years, she pronounced herself bowled over by the South African cast, which includes top emerging and established industry names such as Anton Luitingh, Talia Kodesh, Angela Kilian, Jonathan Roxmouth, Anna Marie Clulow, Jonathan Taylor, Sibusiso Radebe and Neville Thomas.

They managed to learn the basics of the show in a mere two weeks – which is surely some sort of record, Dunnley-Wendt pointed out. “We are now in the very exciting part of rehearsals where we mount the production on stage, adding lights, costumes and wigs. It’s always such a special time now, as we see the final stages being put together and the fairytale coming alive.

“As our opening night approaches, one cannot help but get excited. I am so looking forward to seeing the cast on stage in full colours!” 

Beauty and the Beast, produced by Pieter Toerien and Hazel Feldman, promises to be an unmissable family outing that will dazzle the senses. Tickets are available at Computicket.

Beauty and the Beast is sponsored by Investec in association with British Airways, Jacaranda 94.2, M-Net and Southern Sun.