Beauty and the Beast

Tonight we saw the new tour of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.   I saw the original production on tour in 1996.  The music and storyline remain the same (including the additional songs from the original production that were cut from the movie), but the staging and sets are quite different.  The original run featured greatly detailed sets, which were reminiscent of the 1991 animated feature film.  The new production is more impressionistic, like walking into a French painting.  The colors are vivid and the set structures are more fanciful.

One thing that I found interesting was how they maneuvered the castle set pieces around.  Men dressed up as gargoyles would push the scenes onto the stage and they would essentially disappear.  Actually, the guys would sit really still and fade into the background.  It was really easy to forget that they were there until things started moving again.  They were definitely more than stagehands though.  They danced along with the rest of the company during "Human Again."

I'm really glad that they kept the beer stein clanking part during "Gaston."  It was one of the most memorable parts of the original production for me.   You should definitely watch out for it and enjoy it.  Overall, the production is fun and sweet.  It's got something for everyone, from kids to Broadway veterans.