I’m a giant Disney fan and whenever I make this claim, I will never fail to mention being a fan of the Disney broadway productions as well, especially knowing just how Disney will be able to bring the magic to a live stage too.
Since its debut more than 13 years ago on the Broadway stage, Beauty and the Beast has become one of the top 10 longest-running shows in Broadway history, with tours extending to 37 countries worldwide.
Now, the brand new production of Beauty and the Beast has made its only stop in Asia, here in Singapore, with reimagined new sets, costume designs, and state-of-the-art technology to bring the timeless tale to life on stage featuring nostalgic and spellbinding songs of Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice.
Though I have seen a previous production of Beauty and the Beast when I was younger, I was watching this musical with fresh new eyes as I had no recollection of what I saw as a child.
Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t able to enjoy the musical a 100% due to the seats I had gotten, which not only had me sitting at an odd angle the entire show, but also gave a rather restrictive view that had me missing out on quite a few key moments such as the entire first scene with the enchantress, some parts to Be Our Guest, and of course, Belle’s iconic dress reveal.
While this was definitely disappointing, the uncomfortable experience was partially salvaged by the performance that took me out of the reality I was in, and into the timeless classic that is Beauty and the Beast.
From the start of the musical, Shubshri Kandiah (who plays Belle) had me sucked in with her mannerisms, voice and vocals which sounded similar to Paige O’Hara’s Belle in the animated film. She was also able to capture Belle’s mannerisms, adding nuances to the character and making her more dynamic in scenes where the focus wasn’t on her. I particularly enjoyed her moment with the sofa where she was trying to figure out if it was alive or not.
Jackson Head as Gaston was another standout for me because he was able to elicit that same amount of dislike I have for the character from the get-go. From the way he walked to the way he spoke and sang, it almost felt like Jackson had embodied the animated character and brought him to life on stage.
Similarly to Jackson, Gareth Jacobs, who plays Cogsworth, deserves a special mention too because he was able to translate the animated clock’s neurotic tendencies so brilliantly onstage that he became an endearing character that I couldn’t quite get enough of.
Even though Brendan Xavier (who plays Beast) was great, I did find that there were moments where I wished he had a deeper voice, especially given that most of the Beast portrayals had this sort of vocal range. However, I did think that Brendan’s clear, young-sounding vocals gave a different perceptive of the Beast, which showed his adolescent side that served to remind that he was still a young person despite his beastly appearance.
When it came down to the songs, two in particular stood out for me, which were “Gaston” and “Be Our Guest”.
For “Gaston”, I really loved how they used the beer steins as part of their choreography which made for a more livelier and enjoyable performance of the song that had me wishing I had my own beer stein to join in! In a sense, it was really a very showboat-y way of singing about Gaston, which I appreciated, because that basically encapsulates the narcissistic man into a song.
The only note I have is that I would have enjoyed more fawning from LeFou (like what Josh Gad did in the live-action film) which would add to this over idolising of Gaston.
And, just when I think “Be Our Guest” couldn’t be more grand, the musical knocks it out of the park with a well choreographed performance that paid homage to the story’s French origin with can-can and its Broadway roots with an entire tap dance sequence.
While it is never easy to replicate that dancing dining room concept in live-action without the use of CGI or huge sets, I think this production did it brilliantly by incorporating the fundamental elements of dance to reimagine the scene.
In a way, I really liked that they did away with larger sets and relied on their ensemble instead because it helps to remind audiences that they were watching a live musical, made up of all these brilliant actors who brought the production to life, and that THIS was the true magic of theatre.
