What's Wrong With Beauty and the Beast?- Page 2

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 11/22/05 at 2:29pm

Ashley Brown brings a new energy to the production...but she is about it.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/22/05 at 4:00pm

Well, Wickedfreak, they did bring in a new set when it moved from the Palace. I believe the brought in one of the tour sets, which may be why it looks like a "bus & truck" tour. I kind of agree with Phantom05. Disney should just shut down the show for a couple days, maybe not even that, and just bring in some new stuff and spruce it up a bit. I mean, it has already made back plenty of money, so now most of it is just profit. I think that would be good since they're expecting the show to run for another year or two.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 11/22/05 at 4:08pm

The original cast (Egan, Mann, Beach, Fowler, et al) was wonderful, and truly magical. Since then, though, it's really gone downhill. The proliferation of awful stunt casting replacements (Braxton, Carlson Romano, DiScala, etc) is at least partially to blame. It hasn't been the same since it moved house.

[wickedfreak]

Posted: 11/22/05 at 4:08pm

oh, I see. I think if they did that and maybe did a whole revitalisation(sp?) of the show and made new again....it could run for more than just a year or two more. I know that Phantom got a new chandelier...Have they replaced the sets ever after 18 years?

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 11/22/05 at 4:23pm

I saw the show in early 2002 and it was great. Vibrant and colorful and entertaining.

For what I've heard and feel, they had their run, lets get something new! I mean i can't stand their being 4 disney on bway shows at once. Waste of good theatres. And im a fan of Aida, Lion King, and B/B.

[FabalaYero85]

Posted: 11/22/05 at 4:28pm

I remember one night swearing to myself that I would never see BatB again because it lost its magic from when Susan et al was in the production. I saw it when I was young back in 1994 in its first month. It definetly changed alot when the tour stuff was brought the the Lunt Fontane and of course the major Belle stunt casting. The fact that its a Disney show should be enough, they didnt need to bring some half wit performer to the mix.

[loganp37]

Posted: 11/22/05 at 4:39pm

I saw the first national tour when I was younger and revisited the show on Broadway this past spring. I was in love with show after I first saw it and could not wait to see it again, some 7 years later. The show on Broadway when I saw it was not bad, just stale like someone already mentioned.

I do agree Disney needs to revamp the show, with the original costume and set designs. They also need to add the chorus roles that were cut when the show moved theatres.

[Billboard Girl]

Posted: 11/22/05 at 5:24pm

I saw it not long after it opened, and then saw it for the second time about a month ago. I did get the feeling that some of the cast members were just going through the motions, but I could still see bits and pieces of what captivated me when I saw it for the first time. Because of the audience it caters to (little girls who just want to see their favorite Disney movie brought to life), I'm not sure what improvements would make sense.

[jv92]

Posted: 11/22/05 at 5:42pm

Beauty and the Beast is a great example of what an animated musical should be.
However, the stage adaptation will not go down in history books as a sharply written and performed show. Most of the songs, with the exception of the ones written by Menken and Ashman are not very good and the book is a rehash of the film onstage with no new plot ideas or concepts.
Disney's latest musicals, Mary Poppins and The Lion King expand on their films with new plot and concepts.

[mikeyb16]

Posted: 4/29/06 at 3:33pm

the only problem i have is some of the current cast. i mean ashley brown is probably the only one who's giving the audience what she has, but some of the people like steve blanchard and Grant Norman sound just bored and tired. but overall, great show

[AJ1985]

Posted: 4/29/06 at 4:10pm

While there is nothing terribly wrong with the show, there is nothing terribly right about it either.

My comments are based on seeing the original shiortly after it opened in 1994, before it was downsized.

The story felt padded and some of the added songs are far less interesting than the original songs from the movie. The story is still effective, the sets and costumes were great, and even though it felt overlong it was nevera bore. It was also a great show to encourage families to take younger people to the theatre - get them started early.

The theatre community backlash against Disney was huge even then, though all they did was create a stage adaptation of their hit movie and bring a hit show to Broadway. (One Tony voter said that even though he didn't like PASSION he was voting it for Best Musical because he did NOT want to see Disney get it. Now PASSION is a far superior show, but that kind of twisted thinking bothered me.)

[AshleyBrownFan123]

Posted: 4/29/06 at 8:12pm

Get the sets back and I will be happy.

Posted: 4/29/06 at 10:55pm

I just have to say that Andrea McArdle was an amazing Belle.
I did a show years ago and she remembered me and was incredibly kind to bring my step children back for a full tour of the backstage and her glorious dressing room at the Palace.
I have not seen the show since the move so I have no other comments. BUT..I just had to give Andrea her props!

[faithanytwo]

Posted: 4/29/06 at 11:17pm

I saw the tour in 2002 and I just felt popping in the video would've been better. I don't know, it just didn't do anything for me, no real reason why.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/29/06 at 11:27pm

Actually the Numbers have been way up in the last few months.
The Costumes are the ones that won the TONY, and the "downsizing" is not that drastic.
One song won the Acadamy Awar and another was nominated.
It may not be the Best Show Ever, but it is running because it is a "Crowd pleaser".
and I ain't no shill, just a truthteller.

[karatekid1]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 1:12am

i saw the original LA production at the Shubert as a kid and LOVED IT!! I dont remember who was in that cast other than Egan and Bosley?

[misto625]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 2:43am

Andrew-One of the main reasons I first saw the show was to see Andrea McArdle, she was an amazing Belle, and I haven't seen the show on Broadway since, but I thought Steve Blanchard was pretty good as the Beast back then, which would be August 2000.

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 4:27am

does anyone else feel cheated that they never saw the not downsized version of BatB? I'm mean, if 'Be Our Guest' is supposed to be bigger, then I want to see it how it's supposed to be.

[morningglory]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 6:50am

I, too, saw BATB with Andrea M and Steve B. - which was pre-downsizing and move. It was also just when Steve B took over the role - and yes, he was great then.

This was my first B'Way show in years and the first time I saw it was with Chuck Wagner and Kerri Butler - also, Gary Beach as Lumiere and Marc Kudisch as Gaston. I can't remember who played Lefou - but, he was the most comedic and acrobatic I've seen. The cast was phenomenal and the energy was contagious. I went back a number of times during Chuck's run and sometimes it was'tired'. I remember seeing it two months in a row and the intenseness the second month was so much more than the previous month. I mentioned this to Chuck after the show and he said that was because the director had come around. I guess these long running shows don't necessarily keep a director in-house - - thus the actors begin to get tired and lag after a while - - then when the director comes in - he corrects what's wrong - - beefs it up and it sparkles once again. Perhaps BATB needs to have their director show up sometime soon!

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 9:18am

I saw it four and a half years ago at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and thought it was womderful. The trouble is this: the cast is the same, save Belle, and they're all bored. Steve Blanchard was AMAZING when I saw him, he was all people were talking about at intermission, now apparently he talks through all of his songs and sucks. They need to "Les Mis-massacre" the show!

[WiiCKED x3]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 9:25am

i saw it 3 times, once when i was 7, then when i was 8, and then i saw it last year with my cousins.

i love the show, its definatly a favorite of mine.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 3:15pm

Actually three songs were nominated from the movie: the opening number, the title song and "Be Our Guest"

Has anyone ever heard the rumor that Barbara Cook was offered the part of Mrs. Potts, originally?

[AvEnUeQx]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 3:39pm

I liked beauty and the beast. I saw it three times.
A lot of people hate it now because they have a bad cast, but when i saw it there were good people in it.
I also hate that disney is taking over broadway.