Beauty and the Beast at HCT

My sister Kristine loves the musical Beauty and the Beast so I exchanged my original ticket to HCT's current production for one to a show that both of us could attend together. The only performance with tickets available was a matinee that was added to the initial run (they keep adding matinees because it is so popular). We saw it yesterday and to say that it is spectacular would be an understatement. The set is absolutely amazing! I loved the attention to detail with the cobblestone streets and houses in Belle's village and the antlers in Gaston's tavern but that was nothing compared to the Beast's castle which is multi-level with a curved staircase around the perimeter upon which the characters walk as it rotates! Various rooms within the castle come up from the pit and down from the rafters and I especially loved Belle's room, the terrace, the West wing (the stairs going up to the rose are very dramatic), and the tower (I was, however, underwhelmed by the library). I also loved all of the Gothic arches, particularly the ones in front of the LED screens around the theater (the projections on these screens are fantastic and I did love the ones used in the library). It is certainly a technical achievement to coordinate everything so seamlessly because the set is always moving and the actors need to know where they are and what they are doing at all times (there was a small mishap right in front of us and, even though it was handled very well, it made me think of the potential for accidents!). The costumes are stunning because they are instantly recognizable from the 1991 animated movie but they also feature some fun embellishments to make them interesting. Belle's iconic yellow ball gown is so beautiful (I loved all of the yellow and pink roses attached to the skirts) and the enchanted objects are a lot of fun. The character design for the Beast is very well done, especially during the transformation, but I was also impressed with the wolves, who come to the stage from the aisles, because their glowing yellow eyes gave me a bit of a fright (there were lots of children in the audience and one started to cry when the wolves appeared). The choreography is lively and dynamic and I definitely loved "Belle," "Gaston" (especially when Gaston and Le Fou climb onto the antler chandelier), "Human Again," and "The Mob Song." However, "Be Our Guest" is just unbelievable and features a pas de deux between the salt and pepper shakers, a tango between Lumiere and Babette, a can-can with the napkins, an aerial act with the china, and a finale with a giant layer cake complete with fizzing (literally) champagne bottles and confetti (although the confetti guns held by the ensemble look like pipes and felt a little out of place). My sister's favorite song in the show is "If I Can't Love Her" by the Beast and at intermission she told me that Darick Pead's rendition more than exceeded her high expectations (I liked it, too!). I also really enjoyed Shae Robins, who has a beautiful voice, as Belle, Angel Martinez, who delivers a hilarious physical performance, as Le Fou, and Scott Hendrickson, whose facial expressions are so much fun to watch, as Lumiere. I had been told by a friend that Gaston was the highlight of the show (I laughed out loud at all of his antics in "Me" and "Gaston") but I was surprised to learn at intermission that the understudy Zack Wilson was performing the role because he was also the highlight for me (my sister didn't believe he was the understudy until I showed her in the program because he was so good). This is an absolutely magical production and all of the children in the audience were spellbound so this is the perfect show to see over the Christmas holiday. Tickets are hard to come by (go here) but, as I mentioned, a few matinees have been added and they have the best availability.

Note:  My sister and I were sitting on the first row and there were a few times when it was difficult to see some of the actors on the top level of the stage so, if you have the option, it would be better to sit higher up (although being able to see facial expressions close up was definitely compensation).