Review: Beauty and the Beast by touring company
by Brian Paul Scipione
Beauty and the Beast is a beloved Disney fan favorite that despite the addition of a few new songs does not stray very far from the original animated film. Like many Disney properties, the words “beloved” and “fan favorite” do not go nearly far enough. Just saying the title of this piece will get you the question, which one? Based on a 1740 fairy tale written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (later revised and published by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont), the story gives Salomé a run for the money in terms of adaptations. There are eighteen well known literary (and hundreds of minor and fanfic) interpretations. As far as the screen (including live action and animated) is concerned, there are fourteen film versions and twenty television versions. And if you want to loosely interpret the theme everything from Cyrano de Bergerac to King Kong also fit the bill. But which is the best?
Before the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was installed as its own category in 2002, the 1991 version of Beauty and the Beast broke ground as the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture. However, with proceeds over $1.26 billion, the 2017 live-action remake is by far the highest-grossing adaptation. Of course, there is no universally agreed upon metric of best, but I still wouldn’t start the discussion while in line for the Haunted Mansion.
It should be no surprise that the Broadway version has been viewed by more than thirty-five million people and is the ninth-longest-running musical in Broadway history. The production has been performed in over forty countries and grossed more than $1.7 billion. It features the original Academy-Award-winning score with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, with additional songs composed by Menken and lyrics by Disney favorite Tim Rice. The current touring production, Disney’s first North American production in more than twenty-five years, was directed and choreographed by Matt West. The performance I saw starred Kyra Belle Johnson as Belle and Caleb McArthur as the Beast. Both sang beautifully and wove a convincing romance born of reluctance and necessity.
The production begins with a very video heavy opening and (at least for me) flashbacks to Murder She Wrote as Angela Lansbury’s mellifluous voice provides the narration into the familiar story. The videos take care of the snowy setting, the imagery of the wolves, and the magical flourishes as the audience is taken in medias res into the Beast’s predicament. And as designed, it is hard not tocommiserate with any of the characters with the tenuous exception of strong guy Gaston. Tenuous because he has some of the best lines and is consistently hilarious. Stephen Mark Lukas delivers a textbook gleeful performance, hamming it up at every opportunity. At his side in nearly every scene is a transcendent Harry Francis as Lefou who seems to have transformed himself, fittingly, into a living cartoon. The combined effect of their absurd bravado and comedic relief is by far the highlight of the play.
The costumes, wig work, choreography, and stage design are very nearly eclipsed by the excellent special effects. Every aspect of the production is designed as fan-service, and I’m sure none of them disappoints. Many shows try to straddle the line between being kid-friendly while also entertaining the adults, but this production does not bother with that. It knows its adoring audience and is geared directly towards them. It’s not trying to tell the story anew or add any twists. Since the story is an age-old conflict, it has little dramatic conflict. It's as comforting as fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.
Beauty and the Beast
by Walt Disney Studios
touring company