Enthusiasm overcomes show's technical glitches
By Lamont Clegg
For the
Published August 04, 2004
So states the first line in the title song from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," the current offering at the Augusta Barn Theatre. It's the tale and the enthusiasm of its cast which makes this version worth seeing despite some obvious technical glitches.
The story is familiar in which a once-handsome prince is turned into a beast and searches for love to break the spell. Along with the prince, his former servants are under the spell and are evolving into inanimate household items. Enter Belle, who winds up in the prince's castle, and we have his potential love.
Danyelle Bossardet brings a natural grace and beautiful voice to the role of Belle. She successfully walks the line between strength and elegance as she wins over everyone in the castle (and audience).
As the Beast, Eric Parker's greatest strength comes in his vocal abilities. He shines on the numbers "How Long Must This Go On?" and "If I Can't Love Her." However, he could use a little more beast, and a little less human in his portrayal to make his eventual transformation more striking.
Guy LeMonnier brings a huge presence to the role of Gaston, the village's handsome hunter who has his eyes set on Belle. As he struts around the Barn stage, the character is full of himself, and his bass voice fills the entire theater.
Some of the show's best physical comedy moments are between LeMonnier and Roy Brown, Gaston's sidekick, LeFou. And, speaking of Gaston, the beer stein dance portion of his song is alone worth the price of admission.
Special mention must go to Doug Blickle's set. The Barn's stage plays about twice its actual size thanks to the versatile playground he has given director Brendan Ragotzy, choreographer Charlie Misovye and the talented cast.
Technically, the Barn is not designed to house some of the spectacle-laden modern musicals. This is most obvious during the beast transformation scene, which doesn't quite work. But the production has so much heart, that becomes a minor point - and one which should not discourage the facility from giving its audiences the latest in contemporary theater.
Popular 'Beauty & the Beast' extended one more week
By
For the
Originally published
A full house of excited viewers delivered a standing ovation for the enormous cast of this production, a former Disney animated film that won an Academy Award. It was adapted to the stage by Tim Rice, Howard Ashman, Alan Menken and Linda Woolverton. Though the show has a few pitfalls on the technical end, in terms of staging and performance, it's excellent.
Closely following the story of the animated film, Belle (Danyelle Bossardet) is a book-loving young woman in a French town, dreaming of faraway places while fending off the advances of Gaston (Guy LeMonnier). She finds adventure while searching for her father (Howard McBride) in the forest and becomes the prisoner of a horrible beast (Eric Parker). The Beast is a prince under a spell that will keep him imprisoned in the body of a monster until he loves and a woman returns his love.
Director Brendan Ragotzy wisely cast quality performers in the roles of the enchanted objects of the castle. Scott Burkell plays the candlestick, Lumiere, who sings "Be Our Guest" with playful humor; Joe Aiello plays Cogsworth, the clock; Brooke Evans plays a an opera singing wardrobe; Penelope Alex shows up as Babette, the feather duster; and second-year intern Kathryn M. Flynn fills the key role of Mrs. Potts. A huge cast of Barnies fill out the remaining roles of villagers, enchanted flatware, salt & pepper shakers, carpets and more.
LeMonnier nearly steals the show as Gaston. He's over-the-top hilarious as the muscle-bound blowhard, and he would overshadow the others if they were not as equally talented.
Those who attended "Guys & Dolls" will recognize Bossardet from her role of Sarah Brown. As Belle, Bossardet is animated, captivating and outstanding. She adds a subtle touch to every moment she graces the stage. It's obvious why she was nominated for a National Broadway Theatre Award for her previous work in this role. Her voice is like shining, sterling silver and wows audiences with "Home" and "A Change in Me" among others.
Parker delivers one of his best performances as the Beast. Though his gentle side may be more effective than his violent aspect, his wonderful voice makes the most of songs like "How Long Must This Go On?" and "If I Can't Love Her."
Those who regularly attend the shows in the rehearsal shed after the mainstage production already knew that Flynn has a remarkable voice and a Julie Andrews-like demeanor. As Mrs. Potts, she does a tremendous job with show's theme song "Beauty and the Beast."
The show is so good in terms of performance and staging that it's disappointing the sets are not more extravagant and detailed, especially the final transformation of the Beast, which is very clumsy and poorly conceived. And though Charlie Misovye's choreography is excellent in the big production numbers, the scene in which the Beast saves Belle from the wolves is repetitive and fails to convey the wound the Beast receives. Nevertheless, these minor problems are not significant enough to mar the quality of the production.
Those who want to spy out the stars of tomorrow will want to reserve a spot in the rehearsal shed lounge for the cabaret-style show that always follows the mainstage production. This revue that should be a part of every trip to the Barn features one such talent, Rachel Perry, in the first number in Lucy's song to Linus from "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" among many others.
Christopher Tower of Richland reviews theater and teaches at
Beautiful 'Beast': Barn mounts grand production of hit musical
By Sue Merrell
The
Fairy tales can come true, or so it seems watching at
There was an air of enchantment and excitement in the old wooden barn Tuesday night as a full house of about 400, including some very young children who stayed up way past bedtime, hooted and applauded the two-and-a-half-hour show.
Even before it opened, the beloved musical had already sold out several performances and was extended an extra week. Audiences won't be disappointed in this tale of a selfish prince who's been turned into a beast until he learns to love and gets someone to love him.
Director Brendan Ragotzy has assembled a talented cast, with some fairly good costumes and illusions, snappy choreography and powerful singing. The sets may not move with the computerized precision of the Broadway tour, but the well-organized crew slips a dozen sets on and off almost as magically.
Danyelle Bossardet, who is reprising the role of the bookish beauty Belle she played on tour, is even more electric in this intimate setting than she was at DeVos Performance Hall a year ago. From the moment she appears at a side door in the audience, her beauty-queen smile lights up the stage. Her powerful voice handles every number with ease, especially the soaring "Home." Somehow the eight-piece orchestra backs her up with goose-bump intensity.
Former
Barn regular Eric Parker is convincing as the rude, angry beast who melts like a marshmallow in the warmth of Belle's care for an injured paw. His costume is believably bulky, his curly mane luxuriant, but his lower jaw and fangs protrude awkwardly. His solos seemed a little low for his vocal range. The pivotal "If I Can't Love Her" needed more beastly guts.
The show's trademark ensemble numbers were the highlight of the evening. The townspeople gather in the tavern to sing the praises of "Gaston" with an exceptionally entertaining beer-mug hand jive. "Be Our Guest" featured a parade of castle servants who have been turned into housewares, such as Ryan Ratliff's somersaulting doormat, Adam Laird's Russian dancing cheese grater and a bevy of colorful napkins doing the can-can. Some costumes, such as the oven mitts, worked well, while others, such as the knife, fork and spoon, didn't translate well at all.
Kathryn M. Flynn, as the teapot Mrs. Potts, did a wonderful job on the title song. She wheeled around the show's most amazing illusion, a tea cart with the bodyless head of Chip, a little teacup, played by Luke Ragotzy. The illusion worked wonderfully, though the costume framing Luke's head looked more like a giant blue taco than a teacup.
Barn favorites Joe Aiello and Scott Burkell kept up a witty repartee as, respectively, the smug house-manager-turned-clock Cogsworth and French butler-turned-candelabrum Lumiere. Brook Evans is hilarious as the aria-sining wardrobe, and Penelope Alex is the slinky French maid-turned-feather-duster.
The climactic scene during which the Beast fights off Gaston and is transformed by Belle's love still needs some work. On Tuesday night, Gaston was left sitting on the windowsill at the end of the fight and had to throw himself out. Then, in some bizarre mix of fog and blinding lights, the beast is dangled like a ghostly apparition before becoming the prince. Surely the director can come up with a simpler, more effective transformation.
Some of the Barn scenes actually worked better than the national tour's. Wolves rushing down the aisles made the forest scenes extra scary, and when the mob of villagers heads off to the castle to kill the beast, the director again sends them out into the aisles, with a much more lively and engaging result than the tour, which left the mob circling the stage for much too long.
Tuesday's show started about 15 minutes after the usual
BARN THEATRE’S ‘BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’ IS IMPRESSIVE PRODUCTION
By C.J. GiankarisTuesday’s opening of the Barn Theatre’s musical “Beauty and the Beast” had “winner” written all over it. By Every criterion, the Barn production excelled, with some production numbers stopping the show cold. Luckily, the Barn has already extended the show’s run into a third week, as this is a genuine “must-see” production.
Said by the Barn to be its largest and costliest show ever, “Beauty and the Beast” engages the energetic talent of 60 performers playing 85 roles. Non-stop action employs seven different settings—all highly imaginative and professionally executed. Disney’s stage “Beauty and the Beast,” moreover, evolved from theatrical “genes.” The 1991 animated movie version ended up with an Oscar nomination as Best Picture, while the stage-musical version was nominated for a 1994 Tony Award.
Scenic designer Doug Blickle and scenic artist Steven Lee Burright have made marvelous use of every square inch of the Barn’s cramped stage, using rotating flats to effect handsome and practical backdrops. The stage’s depth is used to the fullest, with the back wall upstage often visible, gaining impressive visual depth to evoke expansive brooding forests and monumental palace pillars.
Costume designer Goulet Bartholomew and hair master Garrylee McCormick conjure styles ideally suited for a timeless fairy tale setting. Bartholomew faced additional challenges, designing outfits for humans evolving into inanimate objects, thanks to a spell on the palace. Ingenuity is evident. All design efforts are top-notch.
Charlie Misovye impressively choreographed the show, with production scenes clever and eye-catching—especially the first tavern scene. Below in the orchestra pit, music conductor Steven Zumbrun led his seven charges in some uneven playing at first on opening night. But gradually they improved, and the infectious musical score by Alan Menken with lyrics by Tim Rice and Howard Ashman caught hold.
As Belle, the beautiful village girl whose love alone could break the spell cast on the Prince, guest artist Danyelle Bossardet proves ideal. Lovely to look at, and singing with exceptional clarity and precision, Bossardet makes the role her own. She superbly sings “Home,” “Something There” and “A Change in Me.” You could not ask for more from any Belle.
Barn favorite Eric Parker handles the role of Beast splendidly. Despite the awkwardness of wearing a special costume, Parker conveyed a full range of emotions. His pitch-true, impressive baritone makes him a highly successful Beast, his best numbers being “How Long Must This Go On” and “If I Can’t Love Her.” Parker once again exhibits his invaluable versatile talent.
Under director Brendan Ragotzy, sparkling individual performances are the rule. Guest artist Guy LeMonnier, as the arrogant, handsome Gaston, nearly takes command of the show. He’s tall, broad-shouldered and possesses a first0rate singing voice. Howard McBride, as Belle’s father, strikes the right key, while Joe Aiello (Cogsworth), Scott Burkell (Lumiere), Penelope Alex (Babette), Kathryn M. Flynn (Mrs. Potts), Brooke Evans (Madame de la Grande Bouche) and young Luke Ragotzy (Chip) all offer bravura performances. The singing of each of them deserves mention, but space forbids. This tremendous undertaking at the Barn pays off, big time. Great show!
Disney tale on The Barn stage
The scheduled run has been extended one week, through Aug. 22, and an additional performance will be at
By that time, the production problems that plagued the opening will be solved or, at least, lessened.
There is no fault here with the cast, and the intricately simple scenic design worked well to establish the show's many settings (platforms roll in to become Belle's bedroom, the Beast's forbidden West Wing and the castle interior; palace pillars rotate into forest trees) but, in light of the wardrobe malfunctions that plagued the Beast (his furry "leggings" kept coming un-Velcroed and the padded costume created a "Hunchback of Notre Dame" appearance), Eric Parker's performance should be doubly lauded. As always, he sang beautifully, and if his Beast is ultra-ugly early on, he softens believably to win Belle as required.
The young girl who yearns for something more than her "provincial life" is portrayed with sympathetic clarity by returning guest artist Danyelle Bossardet. She displays a lovely soprano as the spirited and intelligent Belle.
The enchanted "things" are highlights of the production, especially as portrayed by Joe Aiello as Cogsworth, the butler/clock; Scott Burkell as Lumiere, the footman/candelabra; Penelope Alex as Babette, the French maid/feather duster; Kathryn M. Flynn as Mrs. Potts, the cook/teapot and Brooke Evans as Madame de la Grande Bouche, the diva/wardrobe.
As always, Aiello and Burkell plumb every ounce of comic potential and Alex is a feathery delight. As the rational peace-keeper, Flynn sang the title song well but her too-strong lighting unfortunately pulled focus from the dancing Belle and Beast. Evans is the perfect "furniturization" of a self-indulgent, vocally excellent star.
But the character who creates his own energy and steals the spotlight every moment on stage is the monstrously ego-centric villain of the piece, Gaston, as played to the hilt by guest artist Guy LeMonnier.
In addition to a powerful baritone, LeMonnier has the swagger, the bravado, the muscles and the lacquered "do" of Gaston's animation counterpart and when he grins, you really expect his teeth to twinkle! Whether over-selling himself to Belle as a potential husband ("Me"), accepting the fawning accolades of his sidekick LeFou (played with perfect obsequiousness -- and a strong head -- by Roy Brown) and the villagers ("Gaston") or plotting with the local asylum keeper (a suitably slimy Eric Peterson) to force Belle into matrimony by incarcerating her father ("Maison des Lunes"), LeMonnier is definitely the bad guy you love to hate. It would be nice to see him back as a leading man.
The chorus does admirable work as villagers, wolves and, in the rousing "Be Our Guest," as all manner of dining and kitchen utensils. It was a showstopper, as was "Gaston," due in no small part to the extended and precise tankard-tapping routine that smacked of "Will Rogers' Follies'" "Our Favorite Son."
There are few disappointments here in the translation from screen to live action, but the final "Transformation" is extremely awkward and could be more easily accomplished -- and accepted -- without the dangling disappearing act which is obviously very difficult to perform and just doesn't work.
"Beauty and The Beast" includes a Barn premiere. Luke Ragotzy makes his stage debut as Chip, Mrs. Potts' son/teacup, and sister Callie Ragotzy is the youngest chorus member. They are children of Barn producer/director Brendan Ragotzy and wife, Penelope Alex, and grandchildren of Barn founders, the late Jack and Betty Ragotzy.
Contact Marcia Fulmer at mfulmer@etruth.com.
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