Disney's Beauty and the Beast - Still a Tale as Old as Time

Disney's Beauty and the Beast opened Tuesday Night at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. True to the lyrics of "Beauty and the Beast", this production offered up the classic "tale as old as time".

Beauty and the Beast is the timeless tale of Belle, a beautiful young woman trapped in a small town who wants more out of her life than the town can offer. The beast is actually a young prince, trapped in beastly form by a curse from an enchantress. If he can learn to love and be loved in return by the time an enchanted rose loses all of its pedals, he will be returned to his former self. When Belle finds her father held captive in the Beast's castle, she offers herself up in place of her father. As Belle makes her life in the enchanted castle, the "tale as old as time" begins.

The evening's production was fraught with some serious sound related issues, making it extremely difficult for much of the audience to hear the actors, both when singing and even more so during dialogue. It was almost as if only one speaker in the entire theatre (in the front and center of the stage) was functioning - at times sounding as if we were listening to the show through a guitar amplifier. Needless to say, this makes it somewhat challenging to present a well-rounded review. That said, there were certainly some elements of this performance that are worth a mention.

One of the great performers in this production is Tony d'Alelio as Lefou, Gaston's sidekick. This role necessitates a great deal of physical comedy, which d'Alelio pulled off without a hitch, much to the audience's pleasure. Ryan Everett Wood as the Beast took all of the various aspects of the Beast's personality traits and brought them to life. At times tortured, angry, love-struck, and excitable, Wood helped us feel for the Beast's predicament. His singing abilities were unparalleled in the production and he brought the house down with "If I Can't Love Her" at the end of the first act. In spite of the sound issues, he was understandable, both in dialogue and in song.

The set and costumes were beautiful and lavish. They both brought the entire show to life. When you walk into the theater, the enchanted rose sits, floating on the stage behind a beautiful backdrop. The costumes, especially those for the Beast's servants helped the audience suspend their belief and pulled us into the magic of the enchanted castle. Lumiere (played by a hilarious and well-cast Patrick Pevehouse), Cogsworth (portrayed by Samuel Shurtleff with great joy and humor), Mrs. Potts (played by Emily Jewell with a powerful voice and great soul) inhabit their costumes so well that we believe we are watching a candlestick, clock, and tea pots dance across the stage. This is especially true during the well-known and iconic song "Be Our Guest" where we watch the entire kitchen dance across the stage.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast plays through Sunday at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are on sale now at Marcus Center Box Office and are very limited throughout the run. Tickets can be purchased at the Marcus Center Box Office, by phone at (414) 273-7206, and online at http://www.marcuscenter.org/show/disneys-beauty-and-the-beast/ or at ticketmaster.com.

Photo Credit: Be Our Guest Jillian Butterfield and the cast of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Photo by Matthew Murphy