The Beauty and the Beast review

We are currently doing the show Beauty and the Beast. You know, the Disney movie and Broadway hit. The show for kids. Or as we say, ‘kids of all ages’.
So far two reviewers have been to it, and written their opinions. One pretty much liked the show and was complimentary. The other, well, very honestly, I (and numerous others) couldn’t figure out quite what she was saying. Now, don’t get me wrong, over the years that she’s been coming to review shows, I’ve gotten to be somewhat friendly with this woman; we share some interests such as writing and animals and I commiserated when she lost a beloved cat a few weeks ago. But sometimes I can’t quite figure out what she’s trying to say in her reviews, and naturally we don’t always share the same opinion of the show she’s seen, but I give her the right to not think as highly of each production as we do.
For this one, though, what she basically said, near as I can figure, is that if she was 6 she would have enjoyed the show but since she’s 50+ she didn’t. She took issue with the script, the way the Disney edited the original version of the story, and so on.
Now, Disney is no dope. If they edited a story in a particular way, it was for pretty much one reason – they went with the version that would sell the most tickets. Yep, Disney is in it to make money and they’ve been pretty successful at that. They went with what made the best story for what they were doing, making a movie – and video - and show -that kids would want to see again and again, and that wouldn’t drive the parents nuts seeing/hearing it again and again.
It worked for Disney, big time. I wish I could say it was working for us as big, at least in the audience numbers department, but so far it isn’t – although sales are growing. The kids and adults are loving it. It is good (if I do say so myself). It is very good. We’ve got rolling arches that light up and change colors, the signature rose in a bell jar that flies (gets lowered from the ceiling) in and magically drops its petals, an Enchantress who rises into the air as she casts her spell, costumes that rival the originals, and some damn fine singers and actors making it sound fabulous. We’ve got 30 plus people in the cast, and over half of them singing and dancing on a 14x16’ stage at one time, while dressed as human sized kitchen equipment. And if that isn’t enough to appeal to any age, I don’t know what is.
Yes, the plot’s a little hokey and predictable. But it’s also sweet, touching, funny, and exciting. And it shouldn’t be written off because it’s what Disney did primarily as entertainment for kids. Think about a lot of musicals and they can relate to this one in story line, if not actual presentation.
When I have someone who has been coming to every show for more years than I can remember, someone who I will guess has sat through the movie or show or video with his own kids or grandkids, someone who is not easy to impress but who has appreciation for what he sees on this stage, tell me he thought it is the best show we’ve ever done – I’ll take his comment and think that we’ve done a real good job.
Nope, sorry, Ms. Reviewer – you’re not too old to just take this for what it is – a show meant to do nothing but entertain people all ages old - and I feel bad that you think you are.
You know what I think? I think that no one should ever be too old to enjoy a show like this. I think we all need to keep some of our childhood wonderment, our ability to laugh, to go ‘oooh’ at unexpected special effects, to boo the villain and cheer the hero and just sit back and have a good time with something that is meant to supply only that. Because if we loose those things, we’ve got a pretty dreary future ahead. And I personally don’t want that. Being an adult is tough, dammit, and we need to escape it sometimes.
To all my friends, and any stray people who might read this blog, if you’re close enough to Chatham, come and escape at Beauty and the Beast – if you’re not close enough to come, check the web page: www.machaydntheatre for photos and film clips. It’s awesome.