When a young boy can't sleep through the anxiety of moving house the next day, his two older siblings decide a bedtime story might be just the tonic. And so they start to make up a tale based around the rose bush in their bedroom, a beautiful young girl called Bella and her adventure to try and save her poisoned father with the help of the mysterious Beast.
Pre-Covid, the Rose, and its Youth Theatre, was on a winning run with its annual festive offerings. Wisely, new(ish) Rose artistic director Christopher Haydon hasn’t changed things for the sake of it, with regular writer Ciaran McConville returning once again. And the hot streak continues here with probably the best Christmas show so far. Lucy Morrell's direction encourages performances that almost burst off the stage ably led by professionals Daniel Goode and Paula James, but it's Eamonn O'Dwyer's music that steals this show – almost Lionel Bart-esque – with the cast all thumbs in waistcoats and elbows high on a couple of numbers.
It's confident, raucous, imaginative and perfectly paced – they have, quite simply, nailed a great Christmas show. Go.