Review: BEAUTY & THE BEAST National Tour at Durham Performing Arts Center

Based on Disney's 1991 Academy Award-winning animated film musical of the same name as well as Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s classic French fairy tale. Beauty & the Beast follows Belle, a bright, beautiful young woman who doesn't seem to fit in with her village. She later finds herself trapped in the enchanted castle of a cold-hearted prince who was magically transformed into a hideous beast as punishment for his selfish ways. To revert back into his true human form, the Beast must first earn Belle’s love before it's too late.

Fun fact about me, my very first trip to New York was Martin Luther King Day weekend in 2007. The first show I ever saw on Broadway was Beauty & the Beast. Aside from a couple clips here and there, I actually hadn’t seen the original animated film at that point. Yet at almost 13 years old, I was blown away by all the stagecraft on display. Since then, I’ve seen subsequent productions at a community theatre, high school, a non-equity tour, and previously at North Carolina Theatre in 2017. This new national tour previously premiered in the U.K. in 2021, and has now made its way to the other side of the pond.

A majority of the creative behind the original Broadway production reunited for this tour. Matt West, who was the choreographer, is in the director’s chair this time. He provides such clever staging all around when it comes to both the musical numbers (a few of which have some nicely added dance breaks) and the non-musical scenes. Visually, rather than go back to what they’ve done before, West and his team started from scratch completely. With the help of Natasha Katz’s lighting, Stanley A. Meyer’s sets, and Ann Hould-Ward’s costumes, everything looks so dazzling. The latter in particular must also be nice for the actors as the costumes don’t look as heavy to wear. Although the projections and video work designed by Darrel Maloney is also very impressive.

Linda Woolverton, who wrote both the original animated film and the book for the Broadway version, also returned to work on this. She made several edits to the script that ended up being nice touches. Some lines have been altered while some scenes have been beefed up a bit. Those who are more intimately familiar with the show will be able to notice these subtle differences. About three of the additional songs Alan Menken wrote for the stage with Tim Rice (following the death of the original lyricist, Howard Ashman) have been cut. Which are ‘No Matter What’ (even though it is still optional for local theatres and high schools if they’d like to use it), ‘How Long Must This Go On?’, and ‘Maison des Lunes.’ Yet neither of them felt missing at all. Although I do feel a couple sequences in Act II, the wolf chase and the final battle, would’ve benefited from being an extra minute or two longer, but those are only minor qualms.

Kyra Belle Johnson, who’s been starring as Belle in the tour, was out the night I went. So her understudy, Grace Marie Rusnica, went on instead. No matter who I saw, I’d still consider it a treat to see someone taking on the lead role in their first big equity tour. Especially given how I’ve personally always viewed Belle in Beauty & the Beast as a star-making part. There were a couple iterations in the past where the creative team went for more star power, yet a number of people questioned if they even had the range for the material, specifically from a singing standpoint. Not the case with Rusnica as she delivers quite a strong performance overall. Her standout moments are especially her two big solo numbers written specifically for the stage, ‘Home’ and ‘A Change in Me.’ She’s also well-matched by Fergie L. Philippe, who’s very good as The Beast. He absolutely nails his character arc of this cold hearted prince who wants to change his ways, but constantly struggles doing so. Not to mention that with the aforementioned removal of ‘How Long Must This Go On?,’ it becomes more effective for The Beast to not sing until the Act I finale, ‘If I Can’t Love Her,’ which ends up being such a soaring moment.

Of the supporting cast, there are three big standouts to me. Stephen Mark Lukas makes for such a fun scenery-chewing villain as Gaston, the rude, narcissistic hunter who will stop at nothing to marry Belle. He even gets to lead quite a show-stopping rendition of his big number, ‘Gaston.’ Danny Gardner is a burst of energy as Lumière, the French valet turning into a candelabra. He also leads such a show-stopping rendition of ‘Be Our Guest,’ which includes some excellent tap dancing. Kathy Voytko is wonderful as Mrs. Potts, the sweet, kind-hearted head of the kitchen staff who’s turning into a teapot. She also delivers a stunning rendition of the Oscar-winning title song in Act II. Comedic highlights include Javier Ignacio as Cogsworth, the head steward of the castle who’s turning into a mantle clock, Kevin Ligon as Belle’s eccentric father, Maurice, Harry Francis as Gaston’s bumbling sidekick, Lefou, and Cameron Monroe Thomas as Babette, the flirtatious maid turning into a feather duster. Although I’d also like to give a shoutout to Holly Ann Butler, who plays a reworked version of the character turning into a wardrobe. She’s no longer an opera singer named Madame De La Grande Bouche, but a servant named Madame d’Lamour.

Beauty & the Beast may be “a tale as old as time,” but a timeless one at that. No matter how many times I’ve seen the original animated film or the stage version, it’s still hard for me to not get wrapped up in the story. With memorable characters, amazing songs, and an important message, it’s impossible to not have a good time with this show. Thomas Schumacher, who’s the head of Disney Theatrical (and recently announced that he’ll be leaving after decades with the Mouse House), has said that their shows not only make for a great night out for families, but also a great date night for couples who grew up with the original films. Easy to see why as Beauty & the Beast especially has something for everyone.