At least three different little girls had dressed up in Belle ball gowns to
The cast of "The Beauty and the Beast" look triumphant at the end of "Gaston." (Photo by Shannon Davis)
attend the Saturday matinee of “The Beauty and the Beast.”
Their gasps of awe were audible as Katie Geders, Belle, floated across the stage in her own flowing, golden gown; no doubt, each and every girl wanted to be her at that moment. Every girl, that is, except for the little girl in Row Q. She was absolutely fixated on the Beast.
“He’s going to be nice soon, right?” she said, loud enough for the entire audience to hear as the music quieted. People were turning to stare. Those of us near her had heard the play-by-play of her emotions since Matthias Austin’s character first growled and menacingly stalked a frightened, groveling Maurice across the stage.
The difference between every performance is what makes live theater thrilling. What we see one night may be very different from the next. Every actor knows what it’s like to have an “off” night. In recognition of this, I knew I’d have to give “The Beauty and the Beast”a second chance.
The Huntington Theatre Company’s “The Beauty and the Beast” ran for not one, but two weekends, and by the second weekend, any kink that had caused problems the week before had been ironed out. The result was a decidedly different performance featuring a beautifully-timed orchestra, graceful, effortless-looking flights, comfortable, energetic dancers and actors whose previously-mediocre performances now stood out in the crowd.
From Row P, seat 301, the “Be Our Guest” number was an absolute marvel. The lights and the colorful, inventive costumes together made the entire scene feel like a singing, dancing work of art, and every dancer magically seemed tireless. The audience was eating it up: the weeks of rehearsing such an enormous number paid off, because the audience not only cheered, whistled and clapped at the big finish, but cheered during the ensemble’s kick-line, too.
Lefou, played by Matt Craig, was getting as many laughs as some of those seasoned silliness veterans, like Phil Black (Gaston) and Glen Pearson (Lumieire). The role required an incredible amount of stunts, involving elaborate and possibly painful tumbling and receiving fake-punches, all of which actually looked believable. His hilariously cartoony voice had all the kids in stitches.
Finally, Katie Geder’s performance as Belle was now complemented by Matthias Austin’s strong performance as the Beast. From the moment he entered, the audience was enthralled. His voice, his growls, even his presence seemed to fill the stage, and the character’s transformation as he began to fall in love with Belle was made even sweeter by his initial terrifying entrance. From way back in Row P, his facial expressions managed to be visible despite his enormous costume. We even chuckled at his impeccable comedic timing once or twice. But the most noticeable moment of excellence was his solo “If I Can’t Love Her.” The emotion felt while he sang could probably not have been appreciated by the youngsters in the crowd, but those of us with longer attention spans were moved by both his powerful voice and heartfelt message he portrayed as he sang.
Whatever differences of opinions that have risen from the different performances of the HUTC’s “The Beauty and the Beast,” we can’t deny that it’s brought smiles to the faces of the children it entertained and brought families together for a few hours of theater magic.
For a look at the previous review of the HUTC‘s “The Beauty and the Beast,” click here.
Wow, what no comments now that the review has been “corrected”? Interesting. Ironic all the comments of anger about how it was reviewed the first time and now that she maybe agrees with what you thought, you have nothing to say? Crazy. I am glad that you revisited the musical and gave it a second chance but I would still say that the beast was not menacing by any means and was not the stand out character in the musical. That is all.
Shannon,
I would just like to say nice hustle for going back and watching it again. I was in this production when it was done at my high school and it was done a bit differently, but I must admit I was like that little girl, so excited to see the Beast be nice! Your job, as well as all of those who were in the show, is a tough one, and I give you props (no pun intended) for your honesty!
Um…actually Sarah I do have something to say. If you didn’t notice, not one person that was actually in the Beauty and the Beast cast commented on Shannon’s original article. We let it be. I appreciate Shannon, that you wrote your honest opinion on the first article, and I also appreciate your giving the show a second chance and coming to see it again on Saturday. You are entitled to any opinions you have about the show and that is the point of writing a critical review. You probably knew that writing an article of that nature would mean getting a lot of criticism from many students, but I applaud you for being honest and for also writing a second one that gave new insight on the show. Again, thanks for your honesty in both of the articles.
I went to see the show twice. The first performance was exactly as Shannon decribed. I was so excited to find that someone had seen Mathias as I had seen him, whiny and somewhat annoying. I respect Shannon for telling the truth about the performance. I also respect Mathias for taking the criticism seriously and making changes to his performance. I was in shock after I saw the show again, Mathias along with the entire cast did an excellent job of perfecting their roles. I was starstruck. I honestly can’t wait until next year’s musical because now I know the HU theatre department is capable of anything.
I really didn’t want to say anything, but I feel the need to respond to Jenneh. I did not make any changes based off of the review one way or the other. What one person sees one night will be different than what another person sees the next. That is the simple truth of live theatre. I don’t know, nor do I care, what was happening at any given performance that differed from a previous one. Fatigue, audience energy, caffeine before a show, even relatives in the audience are subconscious factors that cause an actor to perform “differently.” However, to assume that any discrepancies between performances are a result of one person’s opinion is ludicrous. Only the director, musical director, choreographer, and stage manager (in an extended run) are able to ask for changes. That’s how it works in the real world, and that is how we are trained to do it here. Every performance, the cast gave the best show they possibly could, and I am grateful to have worked with so many talented people on and off stage. Shannon, you wrote two fantastic articles that reflected your personal experiences with the show. That is your right, and your job as a reviewer, and I am glad you had the courage to honestly say what you thought. To anyone who thought I, or anyone else, could have been better: I agree. Everyone can always do better, and I know that I didn’t come anywhere near perfection. I can speak on behalf of the whole cast when I say thank you for coming, and I hope you enjoyed it. Whether you agree with a character’s portrayal or not, everyone I saw left looking honestly glad they came. Cheesey as it sounds, that really is all that matters.