Belle is not brave. She’s afraid of spiders, even little ones. Her sister, Cassandra, thinks that Belle is afraid of life itself. She may well be right: this Belle is a bit of a drip. But when the sisters’ merchant father, Godwin, loses his ships and his fortune at sea, and Cassandra loses her fiancé and becomes curdled by disappointment and hard work, it is Belle who has to learn to be brave. She must look the beast in the face, even if that means confronting her darkest fears, defying those who love her and ignoring ill-given advice and trusting her own instincts.
Charles Way’s version of the story is neatly done, and offers some interesting variations on other retellings, particularly in its beady observations on the relationship between the sisters, in which both love and jealousy play a part. Just as Belle discovers that appearances can be deceptive, so Cassandra learns that a love she thought was worthless is strong and true. The Devon setting with the Beast haunting the moor, like a particularly shaggy Hound of the Baskervilles, is a nice touch.
The production is sturdily old-fashioned rather than inspired, and is lacking in humour, although a comic fight between the sisters is done entertainingly. In some scenes there are unexpected pauses to rival Pinter and the whole thing needs as much of a gee up as Godwin’s horse. The attempt to give physical manifestation to Belle’s inner dreaminess and wildness is poorly choreographed and executed.
It’s a patchy couple of hours, in places utterly gripping and at others oddly lacklustre. Laura McEwen’s design catches the eye, and when it’s good, it’s very good. The shadow puppetry, including sinking ships on a storm-tossed sea, is just lovely, and Emma Cater’s Housekeeper has a real Mrs Danvers chill about her as she attempts to deceive Belle and ensure that the spell remains broken.
• At Polka theatre, London, until 7 February. Box office: 020-8543 4888
