Written by Bruce Bennett
Even the toughest of critics will be hard-pressed to find many flaws in Tuacahn’s latest version of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” The original stage adaptation came two years after the 1991 animated classic, which was actually Oscar-nominated for best picture (“The Silence of the Lambs” won the Oscar that year, and so far, no stage musical). Along these lines, the show’s age and Tuacahn’s familiarity with it, having first performed it in 2005, need to be considered in any evaluation. With all those versions to learn from and a much higher budget, Tuacahn’s 2015 version should be much-improved, and by that standard, it does deliver increased quality in nearly every facet, particularly in staging, set design, and technical elements.
As the dreamy, book-loving oddity in a quaint and provincial town, Belle (Kari Yancy, a standout as Ariel in last year’s “The Little Mermaid” and Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”) is both adorable and radiant. Yancy effortlessly captures the heroine’s spunky charm and possesses a made-for-Disney vocal ability. What Jason Michael Evans may lack in an overpowering voice as the Beast he makes up for with convincing expression (aided by revealing face costuming and make-up), and he portrays earnestly the important transition from angry captor to sympathetic hero.
The big production numbers in the first act, including “Gaston” (featuring a perfectly pompous Matt Merchant and his energetically cartoonish sidekick, Lefou, portrayed by Courter Simmons) and “Be Our Guest,” are executed with the requisite spectacle and pyrotechnics. In fact, this actually caused some accidental excitement when errant firework embers caused some small fires up the canyon behind the stage. They were extinguished promptly. Welcome to “Broadway in the Desert.”
However, the pivotal moments of “Beauty and the Beast” occur in Act 2 when the stakes are higher and hearts must soften in order for the Beast’s curse to be lifted. The iconic song “Beauty and the Beast” is gracefully performed and still resonates. The comical ensemble, featuring Mrs. Potts, Chip, Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Babette offers nicely restrained performances and feels heartfelt without slipping into caricature, the latter of which occurs all too often in other productions of this show.
Audiences won’t likely care if Tuacahn’s 2015 version is better than its 2005 production, but maybe they should considering ticket prices are essentially more than double what they were a decade ago, when prices ranged from $16 to $36.
Even after more than two decades—approaching “war horse” territory for a ubiquitously performed stage musical—“Beauty and the Beast” benefits from one of Disney’s best scripts and musical scores as well as from Tuacahn’s skilled director-choreographer Bill Burns and a terrific cast that prove there is still plenty of life in the “tale as old as time.”
Grade: B+
