Review by Doug Iden
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast comes to life at the Covedale Theater as part of the holiday schedule. FYI, Beauty is the only animated movie nominated for an Oscar. CLP’s Beauty and the Beast shows why it is a well-crafted and beloved fairy tale.
Plot and Characters
A young selfish and arrogant lord is transformed into a hideous beast (Cian Steele) by an enchantress when he refuses refuge to an apparent old hag. The spell can only be broken if he falls in love and is loved in return. But there is a ticking clock represented by a rose which sheds its petals.
Ten years later, Belle (Hope Pauly) a beautiful but headstrong woman is trying to further her education while simultaneously fending off a narcissistic suitor Gaston (Royce Louden). Belle’s inventor father Maurice (John Dorney) gets lost in the woods and is beset by wolves. He survives by going to the Beast’s castle but is imprisoned. Belle discovers her father’s fate and goes to the castle to rescue him while rebuffing Gaston’s marriage proposal. The enraged beast decides to let Maurice go if Belle stays forever. Other denizens of the castle who had also been transformed into appropriate characters try to support Belle and realize that she may be the catalyst for breaking the spell.
Will the hideous Beast and the “odd” woman find true love? The primary castle servants include Lumiere (a maître d’ turned into a candelabra played by Christopher Wells), Cogsworth (Jerrod Gruber) the chief servant now appearing as a clock, and kitchen head Mrs. Potts (Annie Schneider) transformed into a teapot. Gaston’s entourage is led by LeFou (Colin Waters).
Themes of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
It might be easy to dismiss this as a mere fairy tale, children’s story or a Disney “cartoon” but there are some serious themes including chauvinism (Gaston), forgiveness, acceptance, transformation, sacrifice, self-image, inability to make difficult decisions, friendship and love in various forms (romantic, parental and family).
Musical Numbers
Alan Menken and Howard Ashman wrote the original songs for the animated version which were honored by Oscars for the Best Score and Best Song. To augment the theatrical version, Menken wrote some additional songs with lyricist Tim Rice after Ashman died. The show opens with a Prologue which describes the “curse” and sets the dramatic tone. “Belle” opens the musical numbers with her self-description countered by the townspeople (chorus) disputing her interpretation. The highlight, according to a large opening night crowd, is the high energy production number “Be Our Guest” when the castle staff tries to welcome Belle while also attempting to orchestrate the potential romance. The winning number (sung by Schneider’s Mrs. Potts and the chorus) is “Beauty and the Beast,” the Oscar winner.
Other original songs include “Gaston” in which Louden extols his virtues, “Something There” when Belle realizes her romantic epiphany and “The Mob Song” when the townspeople led by Gaston decide to invade the castle. The new songs are “Home” when Belle anguishes about loss of her father, and “If I Can’t Love Her” when the Beast tries to rationalize his tormented feelings for Belle. All the singing is strong, led by Pauly (Belle), Steele (the Beast), Schneider (Mrs. Potts) and Louden as Gaston. Music Director Greg Dastilling conducts a flawless pre-recorded score.
Comedy in CLP’s Beauty and the Beast
There is a lot of character-driven comedy emanating from dialogue and many comedic songs. Chief comedic actors include Wells (Lumiere), Gruber (Cogsworth), Chloe Hedrick (Babette), Madeline Stern (Madame de la Grande Bouche) and Waters (LeFou).
Production Design and Leadership
The delightful costumes designed by June Hill and Jesselee Whitson steal the show. The costumes are many and varied including medieval-like townspeople, several elegant gowns, wolves, French maid outfits, etc. But the real creativity comes from the castle staff with Lumiere’s hands representing huge candles (which light up periodically), Cogsworth’s clock, Mrs. Potts’ teapot hands and the Bureau of Bouche. The highlight is the “Be Our Guest” number with the chorus “wearing” silverware and dinner plates. The Beast has a mask with horns and hairy paws.
Lighting by Technical Director Denny Reed adds considerably to the ambiance with flickering candelabras, a Christmas tree, Lumiere’s candle hands and video images of the rose and other mood-inducing visuals. Cassidy Steele’s choreography includes a large variety of excellent dances in large production numbers with “Belle”, “Gaston”, “Be Our Guest”, “The Mob Song” and the title song. The set design by Brett Bowling features a background which is the internal castle structure and the foreground in front of a curtain representing the town scenes with a variety of props. Director Tim Perrino blends all the elements into a solid show.
Overall
This is an excellent and faithful production with good singing, acting, dancing and a lot of humor. So, ignore the wolves and invade the castle where Disney’s Beauty and the Beast appears at the Covedale running through December 29.
TICKETS to Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
- ONLINE: CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE
- PHONE: 513-241-6550 – Monday – Friday, 11am – 5pm
- IN PERSON: At the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, 4990 Glenway Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45238
- RUN TIME: About 2+ hours with one intermission
