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"Do I still have to sleep in a cupboard?"
Everything Disney. Pretty Disney music with a slightly Gallic flair. Charming Disney costumes full of color and hard to wear. Aging Disney story telling; Paging Disney! It’s not jelling!
On stage at the Mac-Haydn there is a very pretty production of the cartoon classic, officially known as "Disney’s Beauty and the Beast." There must be something about the license agreement that insists that Disney’s name in the Disney cartoon font must be used on the program. It’s as though someone must be afraid that there’s a person over the age of two who won’t know this is a Disney product. Frankly, the logo is unnecessary. This show reeks of Disney.
That isn’t actually a bad thing. I should make that very clear. While there may be little of Disney that appeals to middle-aged adults, they are probably the only group not affected in some way by the fluff that Disney produces. There’s a tug at the heartstrings, for sure. Sentimentality rears its pure blonde head. There’s the quirky humor evinced in character names and costume choices: Lumiere with his candle shaped head; Mrs. Potts with her crooked arm-handle; Madame de la Grande Bouche’s wardrobe with makeup mirror.
The songs are clever, tuneful, singable and danceable. The book uses language suitable for four year olds and funny enough for their grandparents to still enjoy. Belle, the beauty, is a bookworm but gorgeous. Gaston, the bully, is built and blustery, full of himself and his muscles. The beast is ugly, mean-spirited, with a gruff voice and a canned roar but underneath is shy and frightened and as ready for a bit of love and affection as any man-child would be at any age. All the ingredients are there for a successful show. Director Doug Hodge mixes these ingredients together nicely, adding a hint of reality here and there to make this fairy tale into something accessible.
The Mac-Haydn cast is really quite up to the peculiarities of such a property. In particular Laura Hartle who plays Belle, the Beauty, manages to replicate the walk, look and dance techniques of the screen Belle, the cartoon. She is fascinating to watch and lovely to listen to when she sings. Luckly for the audience she sings quite often in this show. This dark haired beauty from New York City takes instant command of the stage in Chatham, New York and never gives it up for a second. Hers is not the facile performance of the very young and new but rather a refined, studied presentation that would make any professional proud.
Her equal in these techniques is Monica M. Wemitt as the teapot housekeeper, Mrs. Potts. With everything easily set in her vocal range she is romantically suited to the role, intoning the title song beautifully and moving her audience most effectively. She is also charming with the boy, George Franklin, who plays her son, Chip.
Jeffrey Funaro is wonderful as Lumiere, the French butler turned candlestick. There is also Quinto Ott who lends credibility to Cogsworth the English butler turned mantle clock. At the performance I attended Karla Shook as the wardrobe could not be heard at all. I had no idea her voice was so small and contained before this. Her sister, Kelly Shook, does double duty in this show, playing Babette the very French Maid and choreographing the dances. She performs both functions admirably.
Jon Reinhold plays Gaston in such a way as to make him not only not likeable but to make him despicable. His sidekick Lefou is played with acrobatic smarts by Seth Eliser. Belle’s father Maurice is handled by Charlie Robertson in a slightly unconvincing manner.
Ben Jacoby’s Beast is nicely played. He must appear to be frightening and loveable at the same time and that isn’t easy, especially with a masked costume that presents a monster appearance. Jacoby does well acting the altering levels of understanding and commitment. His singing is fine, especially in the first act closer "If I Can’t Love Her."
Dale DiBernardo has done a wonderful job with the costumes. Each one, so close to the Disney originals, still has a unique appeal and they move wonderfully in the complex set changes and onstage dances and movement sequences. The set design, a joint venture between lighting designer Andrew Gmoser and Kevin Gleason, is clever and functional and impressive in the many moods created by the same arches.
Josh Zecher-Ross creates a nice sound from the synthesizer-based music box.
This is a good family outing show, but don’t make the mistake one pair of parents did at the show I attended and bring an infant. The Beast is scary; the wolves are scary; the men are scary. And two and a half hours is a long time to listen to a baby screaming. This is one Disney tale aimed at the middle-aged kid, not the five and under crowd. Tale as old as time! (Well, not really that old, but probably from the late middle ages.)
◊07/11/09◊
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