It might be “a tale as old as time”, but this new musical update of Disney’s classic 1991 film Beauty and the Beast looks and feels cutting edge. And very, very expensive.

As one might expect when Disney itself is the producer, nothing as lavish as this has been seen on a Sydney stage since the Moulin Rouge musical a year ago. Apparently, it took 23 trucks to transport the set to the Capitol for Thursday’s Australian premiere, including 30 tonnes of flying scenery, 50 tonnes of automation and staging, an eye-popping 300 costumes and 119 custom wigs.