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If you want to laugh, have your senses drowned in spectacular color and sound and most all, if you want to feel good, go and see American Musical Theatre of San Jose's production of "Beauty and the Beast" with - or without - the kids. This show is more than another stock telling of the old fairy tale - it is an artistic triumph that challenges the imagination.
You might be thinking, "been there done that, but I'll take the kids anyway and they will enjoy the old story with the happy ending." Wrong!
This show is enjoyable for both adults and children. But it's more than the DVD you have played for your kids more times than you would like to remember. This presentation is more than a delight - it is an artistic spectacular that only Disney can produce.
They have taken the delightful animated characters and transferred them from the screen to the stage with startling exactness, including the live talking head of Chip the boy teacup (I still haven't figured out how they do that); Lumiere, the lovable Maurice Chevalier-type candelabra with lighted candles for his hands; and Madame de le Grande Bouche, an opera diva who has been turned into a wardrobe.
There are more special effects in this production than in "Star Wars." The show-stopping "Be Our Guest" is a glorified update of the old Busby Berkeley extravaganzas that leaves the audience breathless and wondering why they don't make musicals like this anymore.
"Gaston," set in a pub, features John MacInnis' precision choreography with beer mugs. It was a delightful, refreshing hoot, and the transformation of the Beast into a prince is a stunning piece of stagecraft.
Glenn Casale's direction is the key. Everything is done tongue in cheek and no one in the cast takes themselves too seriously. Audiences will see a fresh spin on an old story and find themselves having a grand time with already familiar characters.
The casting is perfect. Edward Staudenmayer plays egotistic Gaston to the hilt. The enchanted characters are exact and flawless with Ron Wisniski as Lumiere stealing all his scenes. Brad Little is the Beast, who wears an amazing, hideous makeup that seems to soften and become almost handsome by the end of the show because of his deft handling of the role.
Nikki Renee Daniels, making her AMTSJ debut, is the perfect, spunky Belle, who eventually falls in love with the Beast, freeing him from a terrible spell that cursed him and his staff, turning them into inanimate household objects.
With seven new songs added to the Academy Award-winning score by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, and six more by Tony and Academy Award-winner Tim Rice, a freshness comes through the score that will delight the ear.
Musical Director Craig Barna brings out the best in the delightful orchestrations offered. The colorful costume design by Tila Torchia and Shawn Adrian DeCou, and the sound design by Hage van Dijk and lighting by Pamela Gray complete this enchanting production.
I saw the original stage production of "Beauty and the Beast" on Broadway and found it an exceptional presentation. This presentation holds its own with that prestigious show.
Camille Bounds Camille Bounds is the Theatre and Arts Editor for Sunrise Publications.
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