Rossall perform a tale as old as time

In February, Rossall students took to the stage to perform the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast.

Since the show was cast in September, expectations have been high and the excitement came to a head for the first performance.

Audiences were not left disappointed, as the strong cast, lead by leading-lady, Year 9  student, Georgia Oldham as Belle, invited them to be their guests, with an all singing, all dancing extravaganza – complete with live orchestra.

Georgia who has starred in many Rossall School productions was absolutely thrilled to be cast as Belle. She said, “I didn’t believe it at first. The cast list gets posted on the school noticeboard and I was reluctant to go and see if I had been given a part. It wasn’t until people kept coming to me to congratulate me that I believed it. I absolutely loved playing the part of Belle, it was a dream come true!”

Year 11 student, Aryan Tamakula, shined in his first ever role in a school production, playing Beast, despite only taking over the role in January after his fellow peer had to drop out due to other commitments.

He said: “When I was first approached to take over the role, I said absolutely not. Beast is a huge part and I didn’t think I would be able to do it justice. But then I thought, well, what do I have to lose?”

It was a tense couple of months for Aryan who threw himself into rehearsing for the part and had extra singing and acting lessons to catch up to the rest of the cast.

“After the show ended, all I wanted to do was get back on stage – it was an amazing experience and one that I won’t ever forget.”

Other notable performances included Year 9 student, Myles Davies, who had the audience in stitches with his portrayal of Gaston’s hopeless sidekick, LeFou; Year 11 students, Jaylen Roberts and Natalina Dell’Armi, who fit their roles of Cogsworth and Babette perfectly.

Siblings Felix and Oscar Mistry bounced off one another, playing the cheeky teacups Chip and Chippie, much to the delight of spectators.

It was a bittersweet week for Upper Sixth students, Noni Purnell, Billy Hoggmascall, Kirsty Swarbrick and Téo Beaumé, who will be leaving their Rossall acting careers behind when they leave the school in summer. However, they went out on a high, performing as Mrs Potts, Lumiere, Wardrobe and Maurice respectively, gaining a standing ovation from Thursday night’s audience.

Head of Rossall, Ms Purves said “It was a fantastic production. The cast and crew should be immensely proud of themselves. From the costumes to the set design, lighting to makeup, every aspect of the show was outstanding. A huge thank you must go to co-directors Miss Bendelow and Miss Young for all their hard work and allowing us to be their guests.”

Thank you to Mel Jones for the photographs. If you would like to purchase any of the photos, please visit: www.meljones.info