FLASH FRIDAY: Human Again! BEAUTY & THE BEAST Blasts Back To The Big Screen With A Starry Cast

By: Mar. 06, 2015
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Today we are turning our attention to Disney's hotly anticipated new live action movie musical adaptation of BEAUTY & THE BEAST.

Be Our Guest

These days on Broadway, rarer than musicals based on movies are properties actually not sourced by celluloid material, yet the fascinating artistic trajectory of Disney's BEAUTY & THE BEAST both onscreen and onstage is truly enthralling to analyze. Of course, the 1991 animated movie musical smash arriving at the height of the Disney renaissance was based on the hallowed French fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont, featuring a rapturous and rollicking score by the famed Disney composing dream team of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. The worldwide success of BEAUTY & THE BEAST as both a commercial property and a critical triumph was further buoyed by the film being nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award at that year's ceremony - a truly shocking and anomalous event for the time - and took home two, including Best Original Score and Best Song. While the film leapt forth from the screen with theatricality, wit, verve, color, enchantment and excitement, the notion of adapting an animated property to the stage and utilizing real actors in place of artistically crafted figures was highly unusual at the time and the prospect of translating BEAUTY & THE BEAST to Broadway seemed ludicrous to some prognosticators at the time, although all were willing to admit that the material certainly sang - and sang brilliantly - onscreen as realized by Don Hahn and the creators of the feature film. But, how to somehow capture that intangible magic again?

Enter theatre critic sui generis Frank Rich, who proclaimed the animated musical not only a triumph of the art form, but also the best musical he had seen recently - including those actually appearing on the Great White Way - with the New York Times cheif theatre critic then going so far as to name it the best musical of 1991, period. Accordingly, Disney executives took note and eventually granted a forward-thinking young director, Frank Young at Texas theatrical hotspot Theatre Under The Stars, the permission to explore the material in a stage production to see if the dicey prospect could pay off. Subsequently, soon after the agreement had been struck with Young, Disney Theatricals involved director Robert Jess Roth and choreographer Matt West to helm the fresh stage version of BEAUTY & THE BEAST at Theatre Under The Stars, coming shortly after a successful Disneyland theme park extravaganza based on the film, with the new show eventually opening in late 1993 and proving the gamble was more than merely worth the risk.

Less than six months later, BEAUTY & THE BEAST ceremoniously arrived on Broadway and opened at the Palace Theatre, where it eventually played for more than five years before moving to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre to complete its run, which ended in 2007 after more than 5000 regular performances. At the time of its opening, critics and theatre enthusiasts questioned the presence of the House of Mouse on Broadway and their various motivations for doing so, but given their ongoing presence ever since the issues raised at the time seem a mere moot point to consider now - Disney came to Broadway in a big way and has been a major presence here ever since, but it all really began with BEAUTY & THE BEAST.

Now, with news of DREAMGIRLS director and CHICAGO screenwriter Bill Condon bringing a fresh live-action movie musical version of BEAUTY & THE BEAST to the screen reportedly starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens and Luke Evans - with no less than Emma Thompson and Timothy Spall strongly rumored to be participating, as well (Mrs. Potts and Maurice, respectively) - once again the tale of a bookish and bright young woman and her unusual friendship and eventual romance with a mysterious prince punished with a magical curse that transformed him into a fearsome and furry creature with the heart and soul of a man is poised to be introduced to an entire new generation in a whole new way. Although Watson and company are not predominately known for their vocal abilities, surely a passionate theatre fan such as Condon will deliver a truly exceptional movie musical experience like his past successes have been, but could the final finished product possibly come anywhere near eclipsing the magic, joy and wonderment of the original animated film and the stalwartly solid stage adaptation? Time will tell, but there is no question that it is time to crack open the china closet again as Disney asks us to be their guest once more.

A Change In Me

So, now, let's take a look back at some of the best BEAUTY & THE BEAST moments since its debut.

First up, check out the first trailer for BEAUTY & THE BEAST.

Next, check out the memorable music video for the hit title song featuring Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.

Sample one of the most iconic showstoppers from the film, "Be Our Guest".

Now, witness BEAUTY & THE BEAST on Broadway at the 1994 Tony Awards.

Also, Toni Braxton introduced a brand new song to the musical score, "A Change In Me" (lyrics by Tim Rice).

Get a glimpse of the BEAUTY & THE BEAST Hollywood Studios theme park show.

Check out the trailer for the recent 3D re-release of the film.

Don't miss the bonus song added to the extended 2002 edition of BEAUTY & THE BEAST.

Plus, check out a young Darren Criss paying tribute to the score with the earworm "Belle".

Lastly, NASHVILLE stars Sam Palladio and Claire Bowen give their 2014 take on the eponymous anthem.

As a special bonus, view Dame Angela Lansbury reprising the title song live as only she can do.

What is your absolute favorite iteration of BEAUTY & THE BEAST to date - the original fairy tale, the animated film or the stage musical? Furthermore, what do you think of the tricky proposition of bringing such a fantastical tale with many magical elements to the big screen, complete with singing? With a director this dedicated to the theatre and Alan Menken reportedly being actively involved, surely the new BEAUTY & THE BEAST will prove to be an equally worthwhile tale as old as time to be told once again, to a whole new generation of Chips and Belles.

Photo Credits: Disney



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