Beauty and the Beast.....Anyone seen it recently?

[NYC_or_Bust]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 7:29pm

I was wondering if anyone has seen the show lately. When I take my trip in May it will be almost a year since I've seen it last. I was in depression after I found out David De Vries left the show during the summer. HE MADE THE SHOW! I was wondering if the "transformation" was still the same (I'd heard rumors that they changed how it it performed). Has anyone seen Tansley as BELLE? I saw Christy Carlson Romano, she was a very pretty Belle, but definitley didn't have the voice for the role. But overall I really did like her.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 8:33pm

The transformation is the same. Brooke is the best Belle I've seen, and I've seen it with 6 different Belles. She sings it beautifully, and a very convincing performance.
I saw it a few weeks ago with a Gaston understudy. He was pitiful. Couldn't act the part, and the songs were way out of his range. Overall, it seemed like the supporting characters were just going throught the motions, not really putting anything into the performance.
The only thing "different" I noticed was Gaston did not fall off the castle center stage in "slow motion." He fell off the castle stage right (obviously onto a mat). Perhaps this is just because it was an understudy.

[ponine24601]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 8:37pm

i saw it with Brooke after seeing Christy as Belle. Let me say this. Brooke is 100,000,000,000,000 times better! She's the total package. Steve Blanchard is one of the greatest Beasts I have seen, after seeing the show on tour 3 times. The new Lumiere is hilarious and very talented. You won't be disappointed.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 8:45pm

OH! There were also a lot of tech problems in the first act- mainly lighting cues. There was always one "moving light" off by a cue. It was very distracting (for example, foliage breakthroughs panning through the orchestra pit while everything else on stage was stationary). At one point, the light was supposed to shift and illuminate the Beast's face. Well, it either completely missed, or Steve was off his spike, which is less likely. A spotlight operator had to throw some light on im instead. The problems seemed to be fixed during intermission.
Everyoen I talked to seemed to have no idea of the problems, but I'm a tech guy, so I pay close attention.

[the.hard.part]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 10:13pm

I saw it and thought the whole cast was great, but Blanchard and Tansley are only contracted through I believe May 1st.

[Feathah]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 11:38pm

Who's playing Lumiere?

Posted: 3/9/05 at 12:28am

I saw it a couple of months ago for the first time and loved it. Brooke is really great in this role, but its true, as of right now, shes signed till May 1. Im not sure if Steve Blanchard has the same contract, but usually when one contract ends, its likely that others will too. I hope she gets extended.

Posted: 3/9/05 at 12:52am

somone I know took their 2 year old daughter who has been very exposed to theatre to see Beauty and the Beast back when Christy was Belle and when she asked her daughter what she thought of Belle she put her thumb down....doesn't take a genius to see talent

[PennyLou]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 1:21am

I have seen Brooke in it a few times since she started and I think she is wonderful in the role, I really enjoy her perfromance and whoever gets or has gotten to see her in it is very lucky. But as of now the above post are corect They are leaving the start of may .. I don't see why they don't Keep Brook on the show did super well over the holidays with her.. they didn't need a stunt cast in place so the "If it aint broke, don't fix it"..

[LightMyCandle125]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 2:10am

steve was awesome! his "if i can't love her" rocks.

brooke was waaaaaaaaaaaaay out of tune in all of her songs when i saw it and i was not at all pleased by that. but it sounds like she had an off day or something. at least i hope so. i mean, belle is not a hard role to cast and if she's out of tune all the time, disney needs to do a better job of finding people.

[the.hard.part]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 3:55pm

to answer Feathah when i saw it in late February the 23rd I think...Peter Flynn was Lumiere and he was awesome and hysterical I loved him

[mirramar]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 4:39pm

I saw it last week, it was ok, very cheesy.
Be prepared to hear little kids talking throughout the entire show.
Actually, I really need to vent about that. I had two women sitting behind me that had a little 3 or 4 year old w/ them. The little girl kept asking questions (which didn't bother me so much), it annoyed me that the mother and her friend answered all the little girl's questions in a regular "outdoor" voice. And the mother and friend kept talking throughout the show! I was really mad, especially b/c it was the most I'd paid for a show in a long time. Thank goodness I was able to move away from those terrible people during intermission.

[NYC_or_Bust]

Posted: 3/9/05 at 7:24pm

Like someone said before Belle is not a hard role to cast. But I'm really hoping that Blanchard will extend his contract once more (I know he's one of the longest playing BEASTS they've had). I know Sutton Foster extended hers twice, and I'm not sure how long he's been playing. But I saw the show last may and now that i'm taking my friend to see it i really want her to see him in the role. I think he was excellent and I'm very excited to see Peter Flynn, I'll give him a chance haha Although i was De Vries was still there! CURSES!!!!

Anyway, does anyone know how to find out about their contracts and if they'll extend?

Plus if Blanchard leaves..who are they going to get to fill his shoes? David Elder..no way!

[NYC_or_Bust]

Posted: 3/10/05 at 6:22pm

By the way, did anyone see it with David Elder?

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/15/05 at 11:24pm

New Rumour: Brooke extends till Sept>

[WildhornFanatic]

Posted: 3/16/05 at 12:13am

Is "A Change In Me" currently in the B'way production?

[JoshuaEads]

Posted: 3/16/05 at 4:06am

Yes, it is.

[dano]

Posted: 3/16/05 at 9:52am

Yes, I saw it about a month ago in a community theatre production. They did a nice job with it.

Oh, you mean the production currently on Broadway?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/16/05 at 12:44pm

I saw the original tryout in Houston and at that performance, the transformation did not work. I never saw the show again until I saw the tour a few years ago in Chicago. For the transformation, he just spun around with a blanket over him on some sort of vertical rotating thing and looked as if a magician should be throwing knives at him. Is that what they do on Broadway as well or was it originally more interesting and spectacular?

[sassypanz]

Posted: 3/16/05 at 3:40pm

Nope

[JetBlueDave]

Posted: 3/16/05 at 5:08pm

Brooke Tansley was the worst Belle I have ever seen!!!!!! She played it like Gwen Verdon... she has the same voice and everything. I would have left after the first song if it weren't for Steve Blanchard!

[mikeyb16]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 1:24pm

last time i saw b&b was july 2001. i can't remember the name of the actress who played belle at that time. but such a gr8 show! gotta go bak 2 new york agen soon

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 1:40pm

I saw the Actor's Fund performance a few weeks ago - the show is in fine shape, cast is (was) fantastic and energetic - all except Ashley Brown, who was completely out of place. Lovely Disney Princess-y voice, but the stage presence of a paper plate.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 1:45pm

This is the worst production on Broadway, you guys have got to be kidding.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 1:51pm

Not kidding at all.