Impressions From a Play Beauty and The Beast

Play Review: Beauty and the Beast

I saw Beauty and the Beast at Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida in December of 2014. The show is about a girl named Belle, who learns to fall in love with a beast.

The show depicts the idea not to judge by ones cover, which can be compared to Belle’s love of books and how she does not judge these books by their covers.

The play is about a girl named Belle, who takes her father’s place and lives in a castle with a beast. The beast is at heart a gentle character but has a hard time showing it. He is hunted, by Gaston and the townsfolk, because of his appearance. Gaston, who is the town “womanizer”, has an infatuation for Belle. He wants her and when he realizes that she loves the beast he decides to kill him to prove to her what he truly is. Fortunately, when Gaston tries to kill the beast he is transformed into his former self and the beast turns into a handsome prince.

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Gaston on the other hand loses his footing and falls to his death. The main characters in the story are Belle, The Beast, and Gaston. Notable other characters are Lumiere, Chip, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, and the Villagers.

All of the actors and actresses in the play did a great job. Some, however, were better actors than others. The man who played Gaston was a particularly good actor. The audience could tell he definitely was in the mindset of Gaston.

He stayed in character throughout the entire play. Out of all of the actors his articulation and volume was the best. His intonation really helped to understand what he was saying. He was really clear with his diction. The way he used his body really helped to portray the character. The whole cast was very interesting to watch. They kept the audience’s attention. At times the young woman who played Belle’s diction took away from what she was trying to say, but it was okay. This was most present when she was singing. She wasn’t fully clear with her diction and blended some words together at times. Blocking made sense for this production. The cast used the full space and was creative in doing so. If Belle was at center stage with the beast, during the reading scene and they knew Ms. Potts and Lumiere were going to be as well, they placed Ms. Potts and Lumiere over to the left side of the stage to help frame the picture. Movement choices were definitely appropriate to the roles. Belle was as gentle as Belle would be. She moved when she felt necessary and made sure it was what the character would do. This goes for all of the actors. They really got into the mindset of their characters and lived it before they walked out on the stage.

The set was very appropriate. They used colorful painted backdrops as well as a staircase with bookcases. In the background they used painted gargoyle statues to help set the scene and at the top of the staircase was the rose covered by a cover. This all worked together to help set the scene and create the image of the story. Several painted backdrops were used: The opening village scene, the Mob Scene, and the interior of the beast’s castle. These backdrops were beautifully done. Lights were used to help change the mood of a scene. In the opening lights were bright to portray morning. During the mob scene lights were lower, giving a darker feeling. During the song “Beauty and the Beast” the lights were somewhere in the middle giving a warm, cozy feeling that should be present during this scene. The costumes were appropriate to the story. Belle was wearing the traditional blue dress with white apron and the beast was in his purple cape. The sound effects helped to contribute to the mood of the play. One major example is the log sounds during the mob scene. Also during the scene where Belle is reading to the Beast. The show was a musical, however most of the music was played through tracks. Only Belle, Gaston, and the Beast sung their parts. The rest lip synced.

Overall, the audience was attentive, except for a few younger children. My opinion of this performance as a whole is that it was put together quite nicely. The actors did a great job making it seem like the audience was a part of the story. The set was very authentic and costumes, lighting and makeup/props really added to the realness of the story. This show made me realize that sometimes the crew make the show. Without a fantastic crew this show would not have been what it was. The actors did a wonderful job but without the costumes, lighting, sound, makeup and props, the show would not have been what it was.