It is a tale as old as time, but the performance of Beauty and the Beast at the Overture Center reinvents the classic tale, bringing attendees back to their childhoods and making them feel the magic of the story all over again.
The enchantment is created in the very first scene where the handsome, but selfish, prince is turned into the terrifying beast. The flashing lights, haunting music and transformation of the old hag into a beautiful lady create a fairytale on stage.
The set is beautiful and straight out of the pages of a book. Twisted iron staircases in the castle create a feeling of beauty and mystery, while the village houses portray the charming provinciality that Belle so desires to escape.
"The theme of Beauty [and the Beast] is about seeing past the exterior into the heart of someone, and this is reflected in the design for the show, which is about transparency and layers, seeing past one thing and into another," director Rob Roth stated in the press release.
The entire original design team reunited to work on the production of Beauty and the Beast. They had the opportunity to revisit their work fifteen years later, re-explore and re-invent it.
The show has the feeling of an old classic being remade, and is still very similar to the Disney movie, yet manages to contain suspense even for life-long fans.
Meyer, the scenic designer, explained the former staging of the 1994 Broadway version was, essentially, the movie made live. The new production takes a fresh approach.
"The new version is an illuminated manuscript come to life," Meyer said.
Life is certainly not lacking in the production. "Gaston" and "Be Our Guest" are full of high-powered energy. The cast seems to really use one another to demonstrate their passion. These two group scenes are the best of the entire show. The mug-clanging in the tavern and the burlesque dancing in the castle are so animated and vivacious they could make the other scenes seem dull.
But dullness does not exist in "Beauty and the Beast." Where excitement and action are lacking, there exists a depth of feeling displayed by the actors.
Belle, played by Emily Behny, may seem less than dynamic at first, but she opens up after arriving at the castle. The scene in which she pleads for her father's life displays her ability to connect the audience to her passion. Behny's true high point of the show was not her declaration of captivity, however, but her affirmation of how her time spent with the beast altered her in "A Change In Me."
With this superb cast led by Behny, the classic story comes to life. The fairytale unfolds before theater-goers' eyes, with the set that creates the feeling of being inside the book. The production offers everything a classic "Beauty and the Beast" fan desires, while still managing to throw something new at the audience.
"Beauty and the Beast" is playing at the Overture Center through December 11. Tickets are available at the box office or at overturecenter.com
