IT IS the part that any young fan of Disney's Beauty and the Beast would want.

Chip, the boy who is transformed into a magical tea cup, steals the show in the spectacular musical, which comes to Southampton this summer.

Bosses came to the city to put four talented youngsters through their paces.

UK Productions, the company behind the show, was looking for two boys to share the role.

All the boys chosen to audition at The Mayflower attend either Shirley Holland or Virginia Wilkinson theatrical schools in Hampshire and have been carefully selected because of the strict height requirements.

Show director Andrew Margerison was confident that at least two of the cheeky chappies who auditioned would get the part.

He said: "Basically we will be looking for a cheeky, cute person to play the role of Chip, someone who is really bright with lots of personality, but they can only be four foot tall or slightly over.

"The cheekier and cuter they are, the better chance they will have of clinching the role.

"This is a quite featured role, and whoever plays the part of Chip will be in a special tea trolley with only their head showing as the tea cup.

"They don't have to worry about where to stand or sit, as they get wheeled around during the entire show.

"It will be a brilliant experience for them."

The boys who are eventually chosen will be given the task of learning their lines word perfectly at home, and will not start rehearsing on stage until the opening day of the musical.

Callum Banes, 11, from Fareham, was the oldest to audition for the part.

He said: "I hope I get chosen. I am a massive Disney fan and I've watched all the films."

Elliott Swan, 7, also from Fareham, was the smallest of the auditionees and thinks it will be funny to see himself as a tea cup.

He said: "I can remember all my words and I have seen the film lots of times, so I hope I get it."

Nathan Cunningham, 9, of Stubbington, watched the Disney animation over and over to make sure he gets the part right.

He said: "I am just looking forward to saying 'mama' all the time because I think it's funny."

Beauty and the Beast will run at The Mayflower, Southampton, for three weeks from August 15, with Nick Greenshields playing the Beast and Katie Rowley-Jones as Belle.