https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Zooey-Deschanel-Taye-Diggs-Rebel-Wilson-and-More-to-Star-in-BEAUTY-AND-THE-BEAST-at-the-Hollywood-Bowl-20180312
Zooey Deschanel is Belle, Taye Diggs is Gaston and Rebel Wilson is Lefou
Me when I read that casting:
Jane Krakowski as Mrs. Potts...?
Rebel Wilson as LaFou is very interesting. It would be icky to see a woman sing that song unless she's playing a dude singing it?
As for rest of the casting - Taye Diggs and Jane Krakowski are brill.
Woah.
Can someone cast poor Laura Osnes as Belle for once please? But the cast in general: Sign me the hell up. Spot-on Casting!!!
I literally just got done playing LeFou for five months. That side plot doesn't work if LeFou is a girl. Oregon Shakespeare Festival did it with a female LeFou and it was dreadful - the only dreadful part about that production, actually. I hate hate hate hate LeFou as a girl. The rest is fine, whatever. Excited to hear Jane and Zooey. But my gosh, why Rebel? I quite enjoy her usually, but....this role? Does she have a residency contract to appear in every Hollywood Bowl musical now? There are plenty of fat male actors in the area who would have been perfect. And I get the point is to star cast every role for these things, but come on, just cast someone, I don't know, actually right for the role? It's going to get real icky real fast. I'm mad.
Also, please keep in mind this is a CONCERT not a fully-staged production like they did with MAMMA MIA!, THE PRODUCERS and HAIRSPRAY. This is like the recent one they did with Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID. Actors sang the songs with the live full orchestra.
Sara Bareilles as Ariel and Rebel Wilson as Ursula in the recent Hollywood Bowl concert staging of Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID:
Kelsey Grammer as Lumière? He seems more like a Cogsworth to me.
It also sounds as if they will only be performing songs from the film, not the stage show, which eliminates most of the more difficult numbers.
Has anyone come across any presale codes?
Leading Actor Joined: 1/9/18
What about a female LeFou is icky?
The sideplot is that Gaston is plotting to marry Belle and his brainless, somewhat obsessive, sycophantic sidekick helps him to do so.
I don’t care for the casting of Rebel Wilson but I don’t see how her being a woman makes it ‘icky’?
Stand-by Joined: 7/17/13
As a person who saw the show, I can tell you that was not the only dreadful part of that production. It was dreadful all around!
CindersGolightly said: "I literally just got done playing LeFou for five months. That side plot doesn't work if LeFou is a girl. Oregon Shakespeare Festival did it with a female LeFou and it was dreadful - the only dreadful part about that production, actually.I hate hate hate hate LeFou as a girl. The rest is fine, whatever. Excited to hear Jane and Zooey. But my gosh, why Rebel? I quite enjoy her usually, but....this role? Does she have a residency contract to appear in every Hollywood Bowl musical now? There are plenty of fat male actors in the areawho would have been perfect. And I get the point is to star cast every role for these things, but come on, just cast someone, I don't know, actually right for the role? It's going to get real icky real fast. I'm mad."
I think that when people consider going to these Disney concerts at the Bowl they should take into account the amount of children that will be there. HELL!!!
Wow is all I can say. This concert was very amateurish in my eyes. There are so many weird spots and everything just felt very discombobulated. Taye Diggs must have never even seen the original film as he didn't embody the character of Gaston in the slightest. Zooey Deschanel sang the part of Belle worse than Emma Watson- which I didn't think was possible. Jane Krakowski did a good mrs. Potts and Kelsey Grammer did a good Lumiere. Anthony Evans was the highlight of the night for me. I really wouldn't have minded missing this production. Lol
I will retract my statement about Deschanel singing, since she is singing live and Watson singing was heavily auto-tuned.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/2/14
LOL I just watched some of the videos and YIKES. Zoey baby NO. My mouth dropped out when they messed up the Belle reprise.
It all came off as very Community Theater quality.
Someone on YouTube said it best: "This is a school play for celebrities". I concur. it's a shame because the other Disney at the Bowl concerts have been great.
Videos