Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the National Theatre – Review

Before I say another word, you need to know something about me.  I was that kid who lived for attending over-the-top Broadway musicals, purchasing the expensive show book with the glossy photos, wearing the show t-shirt to school the Monday after… My plan by the time I reached junior high was to someday play the piano on Broadway so I accompanied every vocalist, every musical performance, and every show at my high school.  Even though I changed my mind by the time I graduated, I somehow ended up continuing to accompany vocalists in college and then fell into directing the school shows during my time teaching English.

All of this is to say that I love a good musical.  ANY good musical.

Beauty and the Beast did not disappoint.

For those of you who have never seen Disney’s Beauty and the Beast  on stage, you may not realize that rather than simply transfer the story and the songs from the movie into the theater, Disney in fact transformed the story adding new songs to the ones we all know and love (and sing loudly no matter how often our children ask us to stop).  As we walked from the theater to the parking garage, my daughter and I actually found ourselves humming “If I Can’t Love Her” rather than our previous favorite B&B song to hum, “Gaston.”  The new and the old worked together perfectly keeping me captivated and my children plugged in.

A word about children at the theater….there were many.  Even though we attended a weeknight performance that did not begin until 7:30, the audience was filled with little princes and princesses, some of them in their best Belle yellow gown.  My children, who are six and eight, felt absolutely welcomed and even enjoyed fun snacks while they watched the performance.

The performance itself was incredible.  While the Beast was just very good rather than amazing, Lumiere absolutely stole the show and became my favorite character along with his supporting cast of enchanted objects.  Gaston was also amazing, just obnoxious enough to dislike him, but funny enough to not hate him entirely.  The moments that might otherwise scare the children in the audience – the wolf chase, the fight scene in the finale – were choreographed and lit in such a way that kept even the youngest guests from being frightened.  See for yourself!

Would you like to take your family to see Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the National Theatre?  Tickets for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast begin at $39 (plus applicable service charges) and are currently on sale now through Telecharge only at (800) 447-7400 or online at Telecharge.com.  For group tickets of 15 or more, call (866) 276-2947.  For more information, please visit NationalTheatre.org or BeautyAndTheBeastOnTour.com.

Tickets were provided. Photo credit: Joan Marcus.  All opinions are my own.

 

 

 

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