With an array of such spellbinding songs and a timeless story, any stage musical adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast" is nearly assured of success. But the brain trust behind the national touring production isn't satisfied with mere success. The goal is to shatter expectations and make an old story look and feel new again, while maintaining the integrity of the source material's many sacred touchstones.
Well, consider that goal not only scored, but achieved in sweeping, Lionel Messi hat trick style fashion. That awkward analogy is on my mind because I foresook Messi's masterpiece in the World Cup against Australia to witness the "Beauty and the Beast" stage show. And, like my four-year-old daughter who wore her Belle dress to the show, I don't regret it a bit.
Having originated as a Broadway production in 1994, the musical has evolved in considerable ways, incorporating a stunning kaleidoscope of projections integrated with impeccable practice stagecraft to reproduce and enhance scenes from the film.
The result is a whirling tapestry of sights and sounds that transports the audience into realms and emotions that the animated film and its live-action remake could only hint at. Countless aspects of the story's lore are broadened and excavated for more detail, graced with flourishes that smooth out the story's rough edges and fill in plot holes.
In usual Disney stage musical fashion, the costumes and backgrounds perfectly replicate the original images etched in your inner child's mind. The cast manages the awkward task of sounding just like the original voice actors while injecting pizzazz that shakes the cobwebs off the icons.
Kyra Belle Johnson, who given her middle name, was ordained to take on the lead role, commands the pathos of the production with eclectic flair. Unfurling new talents in each set piece, which demands a booming voice, tap dancing, ballet and can can, Johnson delivers in captivating fashion.
Fergie L. Philippe, as the Beast, lets his personlaity shine through the colossal costume and makeup for a powerful and sensitive rendition of a tyrant on a gradual path of redemptive self awareness. Stephen Mark Lukas is a double-meat ham sandwich delight as the pompous Gaston, and Danny Gardner unfurls a sassy Lumiere, complete with wicks that light up in flames to emphasize every double entendre.
The ensemble is obscenely talented and coordinated, delivering show-stopping numbers that demand uproarious applause in numbers that channel Busby Berkeley, the Rockettes and Moulin Rouge at equal turns.
The 150-minute musical flies by with hardly a pause for breath, and leaves you with an aching appreciation for the craftsmanship and feverish effort put forth by cast and crew. You're left with a whispering urge to fire up the movie again and grab a friend or family member who just needs to see this by the arm to see it again before it goes away. And, if time allows, to catch the Messi highlights.
"Beauty and the Beast" plays through Sunday at Centennial Hall. Buy tickets here.
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