For this last day in 2017 I treated myself to a People’s Theatre (YPT) Production of Beauty and the Beast: The Broadway Musical. Watching this well-known tale among the chattering of teenagers (otherwise known as children) did give me a fresh perspective on this “tale as old as time”–which is exactly what YPT’s production aimed to do.
This creation cut Disney Theatrical’s Beauty and the Beast right down to 85 minutes and moved it to a much smaller stage. I usually do not read any scheduled program notes until after I visit a show, but in this case I am glad I read Artistic Director Allen MacInnis’s preface to the “chamber size” production.
It allowed me to concentrate on the story underneath all the spectacle: love and true acceptance between two outcasts, Beauty and the Beast. I have been thinking of the live staging of Beauty and the Beast since I used to be four years old. 12 months And before, I have watched both the cartoon 90’s version and live action 2017 movie many times–so switching that off to focus on a smaller retelling of the story didn’t come naturally.
Then again, it didn’t for the other young audience associates either. I counted three different little girls wearing tiaras and the yellow Belle ballgown from the Disney movies. In the post show Q&A, the ensemble was quick to remind the children–and me–that they made Belle’s dress red rather than yellow deliberately.
Without quite as much spectacle, MacInnis’s creation asked the audience to instead go through the characters and how they decided to change. When I stopped comparing the look, scenes, and tunes to the films and viewed Beauty and the Beast through my young companions’ eyes, I found much to motivate.
As much as I really like focusing on Belle–an independent girl who adores reading and bravely battles for herself and her adored ones–I experienced the Beast’s development in this production. Lumiere (Damien Atkins), Cogsworth (Andrew Prashad), and Mrs. Potts (Susan Henley) simply tell him to be always a true gentleman to Belle and also to hold his temper in balance before “Be Our Guest” in every production.
Here we noticed the Beast try to apologize for his poor behavior by bringing dinner to Belle’s room. He never made an appearance scary or particularly gross, but instead such as a lost creature ashamed and uncertain of how to atone for his mistakes. Belle grows by testing the strength she knew she had always, but the Beast grows even more when he confronts all his fears and vulnerabilities to protect and love her. Though the rest of the cast were not always center stage, everyone on stage (and off) brought the world of the play alive.
Their wolves (Dale R. Miller and Joel Schaefer) sent a chill down my spine–and so did the singing tone of voice of Madame de la Grande Bouche (Zorana Sadiq) as she presented different dresses to Belle. And lastly, the magic of watching and then talking about live theater with teenagers should not be under-rated.
- 3 cups of water
- When possible, allow area get some air-preferably dry, cool air
- Presenter Guide
- Gold Glitter Eyes
I knew how all the on-stage magic occurred, from the battle choreography to the light changes, because I have already been making theater for over 10 years. But as hands went up around me to ask about how exactly the set pieces moved around and if the Beast really got hurt by the end, I noticed that their perspectives are essential. To them, both the reveal and the explanations are magic. Hearing them learn reminded me to appreciate this kind of magic, too. I purchased my solution at full price. Row E seat 4 in the orchestra/main stage.
So I required her advice and fundamentally duplicate and pasted it as a position and that was it. After that happened I think I almost got a panic attack. I was so worried about people not coming to me anymore because I was too expensive and all this. But what it showed me was that many people just used me while I was cheap. I don’t think my skills had improved much in this time around frame so when my ‘regulars’ bar Debbie, stopped arriving I simply really experienced harm.