Timon
01-07-2004, 07:14 PM
Last night, thanks to Santa Claus' generosity to my DS, I had the opportunity to see Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway, in New York City. Our seats were in the Orchestra section, Row G, Seats 2, 4, and 6. If you're thinking these sound like great seats, you couldn't be more correct. DW, DS and I were 7 rows from the stage on the aisle.
I am a veteran attendee of Broadway shows having seen somewhere in the area of 50 different ones. My favorite had been Phantom of the Opera. Notice that I said, "had been" because I now have a new favorite. Disney's Beauty and the Beast has now supplanted Phantom as my favorite. I love this show. It was a feast for both the eyes and the ears. I’m having trouble putting into words how much I enjoyed this show. Not only did I enjoy it but DS sat through it with a look on his face that was a combination amazement, wonder and happiness. Throughout the show I would glance over at his face to see his reactions and let me tell you Santa really knew what he was doing when he got the tickets.
I'm not even going to mention the story or the music. As Disneyphiles I'm sure you're familiar with it. So I'll start with the staging. It is fabulous. The story flows from one scene to the next seamlessly. When the scene was the town, you knew it was the town. When it was the woods you knew it was the woods. The same was true for Belle's house and the Beast's castle. You didn't have to use your imagination at all. The scenery told you exactly where the action was taking place.
Secondly the costuming. Each costume for every character was magnificent. From Lumiere's candles lighting on command to steam coming from Mrs. Potts spout to the magic of how Chip was portrayed, everything about the costuming was outstanding.
Next there are the special effects. From the transformation of the prince into the Beast and back again to the rose losing its petals every detail was magical.
Finally there was the cast. With one exception, the casting was perfect. Steve Blanchard played the Beast to perfection. David de Vries became Lumiere and gave him the perfect blend of campiness and savoir-faire. Cass Morgan played Mrs. Potts flawlessly, and Jeff Brooks brought Cogsworth to life. Gaston could not have been played better. Chris Hoch’s portrayal of this self important, self-loving character was magnificent. The one minor flaw in the casting IMHO was that of Megan McGinnis as Belle. My complaint has nothing to do with her acting or singing, both of which were outstanding. My complaint is strictly on her appearance. Don't get me wrong, Megan McGinnis is an attractive woman. It's just that an integral part of the story is Gaston insists that he have the most beautiful girl in the village, Belle. This tells me that Belle should have been the most attractive woman on the stage. Unfortulately this wasn't the case. However, this one flaw was easily over-looked as the singing and acting of Megan were a true treat.
If you've ever seen the BATB show at Disney-MGM Studios and were impressed with that, then I urge you to see the Broadway production. If you ever have the opportunity to see either a national touring show, or make it to New York to see it on Broadway, do not let it pass.
I am a veteran attendee of Broadway shows having seen somewhere in the area of 50 different ones. My favorite had been Phantom of the Opera. Notice that I said, "had been" because I now have a new favorite. Disney's Beauty and the Beast has now supplanted Phantom as my favorite. I love this show. It was a feast for both the eyes and the ears. I’m having trouble putting into words how much I enjoyed this show. Not only did I enjoy it but DS sat through it with a look on his face that was a combination amazement, wonder and happiness. Throughout the show I would glance over at his face to see his reactions and let me tell you Santa really knew what he was doing when he got the tickets.
I'm not even going to mention the story or the music. As Disneyphiles I'm sure you're familiar with it. So I'll start with the staging. It is fabulous. The story flows from one scene to the next seamlessly. When the scene was the town, you knew it was the town. When it was the woods you knew it was the woods. The same was true for Belle's house and the Beast's castle. You didn't have to use your imagination at all. The scenery told you exactly where the action was taking place.
Secondly the costuming. Each costume for every character was magnificent. From Lumiere's candles lighting on command to steam coming from Mrs. Potts spout to the magic of how Chip was portrayed, everything about the costuming was outstanding.
Next there are the special effects. From the transformation of the prince into the Beast and back again to the rose losing its petals every detail was magical.
Finally there was the cast. With one exception, the casting was perfect. Steve Blanchard played the Beast to perfection. David de Vries became Lumiere and gave him the perfect blend of campiness and savoir-faire. Cass Morgan played Mrs. Potts flawlessly, and Jeff Brooks brought Cogsworth to life. Gaston could not have been played better. Chris Hoch’s portrayal of this self important, self-loving character was magnificent. The one minor flaw in the casting IMHO was that of Megan McGinnis as Belle. My complaint has nothing to do with her acting or singing, both of which were outstanding. My complaint is strictly on her appearance. Don't get me wrong, Megan McGinnis is an attractive woman. It's just that an integral part of the story is Gaston insists that he have the most beautiful girl in the village, Belle. This tells me that Belle should have been the most attractive woman on the stage. Unfortulately this wasn't the case. However, this one flaw was easily over-looked as the singing and acting of Megan were a true treat.
If you've ever seen the BATB show at Disney-MGM Studios and were impressed with that, then I urge you to see the Broadway production. If you ever have the opportunity to see either a national touring show, or make it to New York to see it on Broadway, do not let it pass.