Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”

Posted by Gail M. Burns - December 2009

Let’s get something straight from the outset – Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is children’s theatre. Big budget children’s theatre, which is a rarity. Not that the size of the budget is any indication or guarantee of excellence. But since this is C-R Productions at the Cohoes Music Hall, the level of excellence is considerably higher than the budget. Nonetheless this is a handsome looking production, and what it may lack in pricey effects it more than makes up for in a cast that are perfectly suited to their roles and appear to be having real fun* on stage.

Just this past week I was having an e-mail conversation with a theatrical friend about how, since even “professional” children’s theatre is generally not open to review, there are really no standards for what we present to children, and yet they are the most important audience of all. Say what you want about Disney, they do have standards. Beauty and the Beast is tuneful, colorful, well-paced, and gentle. The last attribute, though vitally important for small children, does tend to make the piece a tad bland for an adult audience,

If you are five, there are lots of thrills and surprises in this show. If you are eleven, it is probably a pile of lame kid stuff. If you are an adult, the fun is all in the spectacle and the joy this show will bring to the children in your life. I strongly recommend seeing this with a child if you have one handy.

When I reviewed the Mac-Haydn’s production of this show in July, I noted how frightening live theatre can be for small children simply because it IS live. It is one thing to watch a cartoon Beast on DVD, safely encased in the family television set. It is another thing to have a real live six-foot-something one roaring on a stage mere feet away from you. A small girl seated near me prudently burst into tears every time a new character walked on stage, just in case they were scary, and from the second row all those loud grown-ups in heavy make-up were pretty alarming at first. (Frankly I think a wardrobe who sings Wagner is down-right terrifying!)

The production is directed and choreographed by Kevin P. Hill in his Cohoes debut. He has kept the frightening and violent scenes light and played up the lighthearted fun. Aided by Matt Fick’s supple set pieces and the energy of Musical Director Joshua Zecher-Ross and the Cohoes Musical Hall Orchestra in the pit, the show zips along.

Hill makes good use of every member of the talented ensemble he has assembled. This is not a show were the chorus members are mere window-dressing – they get to play townspeople and wolves and tableware. The animated film of Beauty and the Beast was the first picture ever to receive three Academy Award nominations for Best Song. The title song won (I’m sure it didn’t hurt that it was sung by Angela Lansbury!) and it is a better song than Belle, but on stage the third nominee – Be Our Guest – is the clear winner. Here you get to see not only the full company’s talent and versatility, but an appreciation for the backstage magicians who make those lightning fast costume changes possible.

Jon Reinhold, who had played Gaston at the Mac, her tackle thed title role of the Beast (although I have to say, when he was finally unmasked, that a certain amount of male pulchritude pertained as well!) Reinhold is better at being the romantic, sympathetic Beast of Act II than he is at being the angry, wounded one in Act I, but the show doesn’t end at intermission, and your final impression is one of deep satisfaction.

Janie Wallace’s Belle is remarkably pretty and in excellent voice. I understand that Belle is a very popular “Disney Princess.” On the plus side she is a loyal and loving daughter, an intelligent and courageous woman, and a voracious reader, but her lack of fear when fear would be an appropriate response makes her a worrisome role model. In general, it is better not to engage a pack of wolves in combat, and striking a potentially abusive suitor is a very foolish move.

Strangely, I did not feel any less delighted whether Belle was dancing with the Beast or with the Prince. They make a handsome couple either way, and their initial turn, serenaded by the Mrs. Potts (Monica M. Wemitt) singing the title song, is truly charming.

I am still not clear why the enchantress includes the Beast’s entire household in her curse, but it certainly adds to his distress. I understand the anguish of feeling unlovely and unloved, but it is possible to live a long and happy life if your looks do not qualify you to be a Handsome Princes or Beautiful Princesses. But to have your body slowly morph from animate to inanimate object, encasing your soul in an immortal prison, that’s pretty darned horrible. The Beast must secure Belle’s love not to save himself, but his friends.

And we care about all this singing, dancing furniture. They are genuinely nice folks played by talented and experienced performers. Mrs. Potts is warm and caring. Cogsworth (Kevin Gardner) keeps the household ticking, Lumiere (Jim Charles) brings a light touch to the proceedings. Babette’s (Jennifer Elise Davis) brains are a little on the fluffy side. And Madame de la Grand Bouche (Elisa Verb) is well meaning, though preoccupied with her wardrobe.

I saw young Jack Mastrianni as Chip, Mrs. Potts’ son who has the misfortune to be turning into a teacup, and I was VERY impressed with his talent and professionalism. (I am sure that Connor Meehan, with whom he shares the role, is also an excellent and adorable performer!) Two of the hardest things for young performers to master are making eye contact with the audience and speaking slowly and loudly. Because Mastrianni was expert at both, he was more than just a cute accessory, he was a bona fide member of the company. And he did all this with only his face visible. More than any of the adults cursed with morphing into objects, I was excited to see Chip become a real boy again.

Shawn M. Morgan is an impressively hunky Gaston, with a big voice to match his tall, muscular physique. Unfortunately, it is impossible to hear his sidekick LeFou (Michael Miller) when he sings, although he has developed a strong comic persona and is an agile dancer.

As Maurice, Belle’s eccentric inventor father, John Noble also struggles to be heard, but the character solos only once, and Noble’s warm and humorous personality shines through.

I know some of the costumes are rented because they are the exact same ones I saw at the Mac-Haydn this summer (I was glad to see my friend the singing champagne glass again), but others are custom built by Kara D. Midlam. Her gift is in blending the combined collections into a seamless, colorful whole that move well with the actors.

While Midlam’s costumes appear to impede the actors as little as possible, Kimberly Stone’s wigs, especially those for the title characters, were constantly getting in the way.

Fick has designed several set pieces that move on and off, up and down with ease to allow for rapid scene changes from forest to tavern to various rooms in the Beast’s castle.

If you have a small child anywhere on your family tree, or if you are a big Disney fan (which I confess I am not), you will just love this show. It is a real holiday treat for the whole family. I’m sure you are all tired of my schpiel about the priceless memories that come with a gift of theatre tickets, but its true and this is the kind of show that can give a child the gift of a life-long love of the theatre.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast runs through December 20 at the Cohoes Music Hall, 58 Remsen Street in Cohoes, NY. The show runs two and a half hours with one intermission and is suitable for the whole family. Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. anc Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets range from $25-$35. Call the box office 518.237.5858 for reservations and information.

* I suspect that performing in some of those cumbersome costumes is anything but fun!

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