Last night, I revisited Beauty and the Beast to see Ashley's take on the role. It was my second time seeing this production (I first saw it with Andrea McArdle on March 25, 2000).
For those of you who are fans of this show, Ashley's performance is not to be missed. Her portrayal of Belle is excellent. Solid acting, wonderful stage presence and what a voice! The opening number "Belle," was good as always, as was "Home" but her best song by far was "A Change in Me." When she got to the part in the song that goes "and I, I never thought I'd leave behind, my childhood dreams, but I don't mind..." I was getting chills. She brought the house down with that song. The audience went crazy (all tourists probably, I'm sure my brother and I were the only native New Yorkers there!) and Ashley totally deserved the lengthy applause and cheers. Incredible.
Other standout performances were Mary Stout as the Dresser and Mark Price as Lefou, both were absolutely hilarious. Actually, I enjoyed the entire cast, and the ensemble had tons of energy. Now I had heard that this show was tired, but from what I experienced last night, that was certainly not the case.
I sat in Row U of the orchestra and from what I could tell, it was completely sold out. After 12 years, people are still flocking to see this...and it is still a great show.
If you are a fan of Beauty and the Beast, please do not miss Ashley Brown as Belle. Does anyone know how long she will be in the show? I will probably see her again before she leaves. If theater is what she wants to do long-term, I wish her a long and healthy career on Broadway. She deserves it!
Updated On: 1/4/06 at 11:52 AM
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