4. Beauty and the Beast
Opened April 14, 1994 – closed July 27, 2007
Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme…Beauty and the Beast. If, by some miracle of disconnection from society, you’ve never seen the animated Disney movie with the adorable singing teapots and candlesticks, everyone at least knows the old fairytale. A snobby prince whose attitude earned him a transformation into a hideous beast, and the young beauty who had the heart to see past his appearance and fall in love with him. It a story that appeals to something deep down in everyone. And nothing feels more like pure, Disney magic than watching the whole story come to life on a stage.
Beauty and the Beast was Disney’s first Broadway musical, with the lavish sets and costumes that have come to be expected from any Disney production. And while some may argue that the effects and such have only gotten better with time, I still maintain that Beauty and the Beast has the best special effects and production values I’ve ever seen onstage. For anyone who doesn’t know the story already, at the end, Belle’s love for the horrible beast turns him back into the handsome prince he once was, but with a new heart. The onstage transformation of Beast to Prince is an absolutely astonishing thing, and gave me chills all over when I first saw the show on Broadway at age 5. Hell, even my dad, who is a great appreciator of theater and very critical of Disney, thinks it was the best effect he’s seen to date.
All this over-the-top production (for God’s sake, the ensemble is all dressed up as various household items – a closet, spoons, even an eggbeater!) is balanced out by the simple, classic story and even more classic music. The music for the original Disney film was composed by the wonderful duo, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, but Ashman passed away shortly before the movie came out. That being the case, Menken chose to collaborate with Tim Rice for the new songs that were added for the Broadway musical (including some particularly stirring numbers, such as “Home” and “Human Again”). Those songs combined with the unforgettable “Be Our Guest,” and, of course, “Beauty and the Beast,” and other songs from the movie gives just enough new stuff to appease fans, and just enough old stuff to provide familiarity.
I find it really a tragedy that Beauty and the Beast had to end its run in this decade. It was one of those shows that can intrigue a child who’s never seen a musical into a lifetime of theater appreciation, and at the same time, can satisfy adult critics with its charming story and songs. But its time had really come. The run would, in fact, not have even gone on as long as it did, if Disney executives hadn’t cut certain parts of the production (even on Broadway), such as various ensemble and chorus members. My feelings on that particular matter are rather divided, since the show’s closing broke my heart, but I also feel that anyone who saw the show after those cuts were made weren’t seeing the true show.
I’m sorry if anyone never got the chance to see this musical. Although it’s in a different category of “classic,” I consider it as integral a part of the musical theater experience as Les Miserables or Phantom of the Opera. While I can’t recommend to you the onstage production (except for any regional productions, which, to be frank, never quite come close to the Disney-produced version, no matter how wonderful), I do suggest that you get a DVD of the animated film, sit back, and let the magic of Beauty and the Beast enchant the young child in you.
Images taken from amazon.com.
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