Finally saw Beauty & the Beast

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 12:15pm

Ok I avoided seeing this forever, I never even saw the cartoon except for the beginning and promptly turned it off.

The show is pretty cute, I must admit. The set and costumes are lovely. Everyone on stage is more than competent. Its silly and enjoyable, certainly not a great message that will change anyone's life.

I'm waiting for day when children learn cartoons about "Studly and the Plain Jane". that might change my life.

[cathywellerstein]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 1:39pm

beauty and the beast isn't meant to change your life. it's just a simple yet elegantly beautiful love story that's also entertaining.
anyway, how was the talent? i hear that the current belle is very good.

[broadwayfan24]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 1:46pm

I saw it with the new Belle. She's really good. I haven't seen the show since I was 9 so I forgot a lot of it(now 16). The only problem with this show is that a lot of children go there and first time broadway goers so the audience has hardly any theatre etiquitte. That's what I had to suffer through but it was good.

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 4:02pm

yes Belle is good. she also appears to be an accomplished dancer. Respiratory infection is running thru the cast at the moment, so the Beast was beginning to succumb. Speaking voice was strong, and great physicality to the character, but he was holding back on the singing and looked like he was gonna collapse at the curtain call.

saw the u/s LeFou and he was fantastic. A good friend of mine is Gaston and I've also worked w/ the Beast/Gaston cover. they are both pretty powerful onstage. (gaston cover was on all last week due to above mentioned infection).

everyone down to the last spoon has pretty impressive Bwy credits in their bio. funny how you can go from starring in a national tour to being a dancing salt shaker.

[ButtonstheClown]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 4:03pm

We're doing BatB at our high school this year.

I'm Cogworth, the clock .

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 4:15pm

BatB is one show I'll never do. I'm too old for the feather duster and too tall for the teapot.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 4:20pm

Actors have names. Current Belle = Brooke Tansley.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 4:29pm

I've never seen it, but I have the OBCR, and love the music

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 5:19pm

sorry - I don't keep playbills so i only remember the names of the people i knew in the cast.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 5:19pm

It's alright. Figured you might be interested to know who you saw, whatever the case may be.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 5:41pm

I'd love to see it. But I'm waiting for it to come on tour where I live.

[bwaybaby891]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 11:30pm

I've seen it on tour twice. It was amazing. I saw the 1st tour and then one about 2 years ago. Really fun show and I'm addicted to the OBCR just because the music is so nice to listen to.

[suzycat]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 12:02am

BATB & The Producers are the only 2 long running musicals that I haven't seen yet. I'm hoping to see them this summer - I'm glad to hear that BATB is still going strong.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 3:40pm

Buttons if that pic is U, U will be the cutest cogsworth ever!
wear those glasses

[ButtonstheClown]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 3:49pm

I am wearing them in the show...

[mikewood]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 4:30pm

I've somehow seen Beauty and the Beast four times.

The first time I saw it was on Broadway, and I saw it with Toni Braxton and she was awful.

I can't remember who I saw the next time; it wasn't stunt casting though. Whoever replaced Braxton.

The third time I saw it with Andrea MacArdle. The Best one I saw.

Then I saw it Boston in December 2002.

[KelRel]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 4:37pm

How is the tour cast?

[loganp37]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 5:13pm

Currently BATB is not on a National Tour. Possibly Disney will see how the show is still doing pretty well on Broadway (MONEY WISE) and then maybe send the show back out on the road.

[Starburst]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 5:14pm

The tour from a couple years ago was my first professional show I saw. It was amazing. Gaston was played by the same guy who did his voice in the movie (whose name is escaping me) and was oh-so-wonderful.

But to somewhat defend its message, it *was* orignally meant for young Parisan girls who were married off to old men as a comfort.

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 5:29pm

so the "beast" image was the fact that the men were older? But is it always important for a female to be beautiful? Wasn't adding Belle's "bookish" nature part of the Disney corps. attempt at political correctness?

and yet she is still admired for her beauty, not her brains. Would the beast love her if she was as monstrous as he?

[Starburst]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 4:28am

I believe it was more of a "Look! The most beautiful woman in the world was married off to a hideous beast and the two fell in love, and he was actually an enchanted prince! You too can find love with your old, ugly husband, because while four-times your age, he can be a prince" morale.

Then again, originally the girl was named Beauty (translated, I guess) and she ended up being stuck with the beast when her father stole a rose from the beast's magic garden, where it was winter on one side and spring on the other.

Disney has a specific way of adapting books. Step one, throw the original book out the window.