A familiar scene from the Beauty and the Beast show. PICTURE: Joey Aguilar.

The Beauty and the Beast show has proved to be appealing and interesting  to many audiences in Qatar, director Paul Hammond told Gulf Times.

The popular fairy tale was staged by performers from London at the Lagoona mall yesterday as part of the Eid al-Fitr festivities organised by the Qatar Tourism Authority.

“Children liked it. It is the same story but we made it shorter ,” said Hammond, also the producer of Hammond Feel the Magic which also brought Snow White to Qatar last year.

He noted that it was their first time to bring Beauty and the Beast to the Middle East but they had held various shows in other places like Dubai and Thailand.  

“It has lots of scenes in it but for the Qatar audience we have to just keep to the main story and make it quite short,” he noted.

The producer also observed that spectators were focused and “very much concentrated on what is happening” on stage.

Asked what makes Beauty and the Beast appealing to kids, Hammond said its story is simple. A three-hour show can be scaled down to 30 minutes without missing the most important scenes.

He believes the message of the fairy tale is “very much appropriate” for Eid. “If you have love in your heart it doesn’t matter what type of person you are.”

About the main lesson it teaches, he said: “We have to judge people by what they have inside them not by what they look like.”

“That is what Beauty and the Beast is all about. Whether you are from Arabia, from Europe, from the Far East, we are all the same if we have love in our hearts and I hope the children will realise that,” he stressed, hoping to bring more wholesome shows to Qatar in the future.

Spectators, especially the kids, had the chance to have photo opportunity with stage actors and actresses.

Beauty and the Beast will run until Sunday like other entertainment shows being held in six malls starting at 5pm.

Interactive media illusionist Tony Chapek is expected to perform in Hyatt Plaza today while Mix Juggler and Hedge People will be playing in Al Khor Mall.

Eid events in other venues have also continued attracting dozens of families. These included the Ukrainian circus and activities inside the entertainment tent at Souq Waqif.

 

 

 

 

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