Two Things About Beauty and the Beast...

[¿Macavity?]

Posted: 6/29/16 at 5:11pm

Okay guys, I have two questions and/or comments about Beauty and the Beast.

1. I've never seen the show in person... I'm a fan of the movie and of Menken, and the Non-Equity tour is coming to my city next spring. Is it worth seeing?

2. One of the things that is pushing me to see it is an old video on YouTube of it's Tony Awards performance. They did such a great job with that medley! Also, I'm curious...did they really do all of that on the Tony's stage, or did it stream live from Lunt, or half and half? I know it's a strange question but I'm just so impressed with their Tony set. Also, don't worry, I'm not expecting the NETworks production to be as impressive as the Broadway/Tony production.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/29/16 at 5:13pm

I once saw a Non-Eq production of the show and after having seen it on Broadway, I was amazed at how cheap they could make something look that needs to look so expensive.

 

 

[Kad]

Posted: 6/29/16 at 5:15pm

I have heard very little positive word about that NETworks tour, from its cast to its cheap production values. For what tickets can go for, you're not getting your money's worth.

Updated On: 6/29/16 at 05:15 PM

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 6/29/16 at 5:16pm

The non-equity tour that is out right now is indeed very cheap looking. I was largely disappointed. If it is coming your way, I'd skip it. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/29/16 at 5:17pm

Oh, I didn't even see it was a NETworks tour. Expect Halloween costumes and backdrops painted by Mrs. Smith's 4th grade art class.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/29/16 at 5:36pm

I've seen it twice and it's not that bad especially compared to the bare bones 3rd national tour that actually was still produced by Disney in the early 2000's. This production is "reimagined" by the same creative team as the original Broadway production which does essentially mean that everything is cheaper. Lumiere no longer has real flame candles and there are actually no more pyrotechnic effects in the show what so ever. The sets and costumes are entirely new designs and are far more colorful and cartoonish than the original with a pop-up story book quality that I actually found charming rather than cheap. They've also made some cuts to the libretto and score including the removal of "No Matter What," "Maison des Lunes" and the entire battle sequence with the enchanted objects. If you never saw the original I say give it a try, but I saw the 3rd national tour produced by Disney and aside from the lack of pyrotechnic effects the scale of this tour doesn't seem that much smaller or cheap looking in comparison. Don't pay Broadway prices for a non-equity tour, but if you can get a decent priced ticket go.

[Tag]

Posted: 6/29/16 at 5:48pm

Regarding the Tony performance, it looks like some parts were performed at the Tonys (at the Gershwin that year) and other parts were prerecorded at the Palace.  If you watch closely, notice how the floor changes - the downstage shape and diamond colour scheme.

[non-stop26]

Posted: 6/29/16 at 5:52pm

Having seen the tour in person I can say it was very very bad. 

[¿Macavity?]

Posted: 6/29/16 at 6:03pm

The floor was my first thought! I also forgot that BatB was at the Palace that that time, not the Lunt. So when you guys say no pyrotechnics...does that include the beautiful use of them in the Prologue? That was something that I was really looking forward to... How sad. I wish that I had seen it while it was on Broadway. Would Disney do a revival? It may be too soon, even if they were interested.

[non-stop26]

Posted: 6/29/16 at 6:07pm

¿Macavity? said: "How sad. I wish that I had seen it while it was on Broadway. Would Disney do a revival? It may be too soon, even if they were interested.

 

"

They might do what Les Mis did and feed off the hype after the movie with one.

[broadwayguy91]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 12:47am

Don't waste your money on it. the NETworks tour is a disgrace to the magnificent production values of the original Broaway show.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 12:57am

Go see go see it, you'll never see the Broadway production, so if this looks cheap you have nothing to compare it too but a Tony video...grab and ticket and make your mind up 

[¿Macavity?]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 3:15am

Oh, well, why not? It's part of a season package... Also, the venue's large and always has reasonably priced tickets. Plus the subscription package makes it 15% off. I probably won't pay more than $73 for A section, Mezz. 

 

Also, apologies!!! It's not listed on NETwork's tour schedule, neither are any of next year's stops... The tour has been here before so I just assumed that it was the tour, and not a Regional production... Many apologies if I'm wrong and it's really Regional.

[non-stop26]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 10:23am

¿Macavity? said: 
 
Also, apologies!!! It's not listed on NETwork's tour schedule, neither are any of next year's stops... The tour has been here before so I just assumed that it was the tour, and not a Regional production... Many apologies if I'm wrong and it's really Regional.

 

"

If it's a regional then go see it and have tons of fun. You'll love it!!

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 10:26am

The current tour of the show is absolute junk. Tacky and cheap costumes and sets. It's easily one of the ugliest productions I have ever seen. The set looks like an oversized coloring book, and the deck and portals are painted with what looks like rotten seaweed. Definitely skip it.

[Dave13]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 10:49am

The current tour is a disgrace. Sadly it still sells out because of its name. However, if I had the choice of sitting home or going to the show. I would probably go.  

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 12:03pm

I'd just watch the animated film again before wasting any money on this tour.  It'll be back on Broadway, eventually.  No point in ruining the show for yourself by seeing a terrible production.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 1:13pm

For your viewing pleasure, here is a full show video of the 1995 Los Angeles production which recreated the entire original Broadway production and features most of the original Broadway cast: Susan Egan, Gary Beach, etc. 

 

Yes, you get to see the full lavish production including all the special effects: real flames for Lumiere, the pyrotechnics in "Be Our Guest", etc. 

 

Enjoy!

 

https://youtu.be/S5wAc4P8kGg

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 3:55pm

Or watch this instead!

https://vimeo.com/172770829

[jpbran]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 4:02pm

The NETworks tour WAS quite cheap looking in many places... but didn't have much of an issue with the cast, plus the Gaston is hot AF. haha  We'd never seen the original production(s), so nothing to compare it to, and it was mainly for our 3.5 year old daughter's benefit. She adores the movie, and we'd hoped this would be a good & familiar intro to a full-length musical; she loved it and did great! It was also only $60 for 5th row Orch center seats. If our expectations had been higher OR we'd had a better production to compare it to OR we didn't have our toddler sitting with us in rapt attention OR we'd paid more, it might have been a bummer. 

[Tag]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 4:27pm

The prologue is just so perfect. 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 5:21pm

The prologue in the original with the pyrotechnics was pretty cool. It's not as good in this tour but the flying puppet isn't terrible and the lighting effects are pretty. I will say the Beast's transformation is relatively identical to the original in the Networks tour so there is at least that.

[Jakeevan942]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 5:44pm

I always think it's worth noting when the discussion of this particular tour comes up that this was designed so that Beauty and the Beast could play in one night and split week tour markets. It is a smaller physical production so it can be loaded in and out in the same day, and even then it is often presented with pieces of the set missing because they don't fit into the theaters Networks books the tour into.To cities that are used to 1-3 truck bus and truck tours, getting Beauty and the Beast, which, however tacky looking, is a decently large physical show, is a treat. When packaged in a season with a Book of Mormon or Wicked and at the same price, this seems terrible, but when compared to the Canadian Non-Equity tour of Godspell that ran a few years ago, the Networks Beauty tour seems like a decent show, especially in markets where top tickets are only in the $60 range.

[¿Macavity?]

Posted: 6/30/16 at 6:40pm

Thanks for those links Brody and Lizzie!