Showing posts with label Musicals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Musicals. Show all posts

Friday, 21 June 2024

Musical Review: Les Miserables (Sondheim Theatre, London, U.K.)

 

Les Miserables

Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed fully-staged new production of lyricist Alain Boublil and acclaimed composer Claude-Michel Schonberg’s Les Misérables, the West End's longest-running musical, at the Sondheim Theatre, is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals. This revolutionary Tony Award and Laurence Olivier Award-winning West End musical, opened last September 25, 2021, will run until March 29, 2025 (see trailer here). It premiered at the Barbican Centre on October 8, 1985, then transferred to Palace Theatre on December 4, 1985, before transferring to Queen's Theatre (now Sondheim Theatre) on April 3, 2004. Since that time, it has been seen by over 130 million people worldwide in 53 countries and in an impressive total of 22 languages (including Hungarian, Korean and Catalan).  

Check out “Sondheim Theatre”

The Sondheim Theatre


The 2:30 PM performance we attended lasted 2 hours 50 minutes including a 15-min. interval.  With lyrics by librettist  Herbert Kretzmer and music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, the magnificent, sung-through score of Les Misérables includes a number of unforgettable songs. The stirring, hush and intimate I Dreamed a Dream, its best known song, was made famous through numerous cover versions by artists ranging from from Katherine Jenkins, Elaine Page, Neil Diamond, Aretha Franklin to Susan Boyle (in her viral audition for Britain's Got Talent) and even our own Lea Salonga. 

The author (left) with wife Grace and son Jandy


“Master of the House,” sung by the filthy crooks the Thénardiers (who scam all their customers), was such a fun, naughty and raucous number, after a string of sad ones, that we were more happy to spend a bit more time in their company, getting a party along the way.

“Do You Hear The People Sing?,” the musical's finale, with its clear cut, repeated lyrics and insistent beat, was so effective as a revolutionary call of action that its been taken up by real-life protesters. “On My Own,”  the tortured ballad sung by Eponine, with its big, wrenching key changes, was the key moment to express her anguish at Marius Pontmercy not loving her back. 

“Bring Him Home,” a shiver-inducing prayer by Jean Valjean parying for Marius Pontmercy's safety, for Cossette's sake, is a musical beauty, with simple lyrics that still lets the conviction of his words ring out. The mammoth musical number “OneDay More,”    the most epic ending to an act, was an extraordinary feat, with the  characters , using their own counterpoint melodies, using their own distinct vocal lines.  

The performance included gunfire, smoke and flashing strobe light effects.  The use of camera and sound recording equipment was strictly prohibited.

A gripping scene from the musical


Based on the great 1862 humanitarian novel by Victor Hugo (with original text by Alain Boublil and additional material by James Fenton), this timeless story of transformation, passion, unrequited love, broken dreams, sacrifice, and determination, in 19th-century France, is a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. 

It tells story of Jean Valjean, who rebuilds his life after 19 years in prison. Though still pursued, for decades, by his nemesis prison inspector Javert, their epic cat-and-mouse journey takes them from the French fields to the gritty Parisian sewers.  He finds redemption while all around him, young revolutionaries fight for their own rights and freedoms. 

Milan Van Waardenburg, the Dutch leading artist, makes his West End debut as Jean Valjean (since March 11, 2024) after having recently led the award-winning Netherlands and Belgium production of Les Misérables, receiving critical acclaim and a nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical in the 2022 Dutch Musical Awards. 

Milan’s previous theater credits include the role of Prince Hans in Disney Theatrical Production’s Frozen in Germany, Dimitri in Anastasia, both in Germany and The Netherlands; Lieutenant Frederic Charles and Quasimodo in Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Herbert in Tanz derVampire, both on tour across Germany. 

Katie Hall plays Fantine, the impoverished factory worker who turns to prostitution to be able to pay the Thénardiers to care for her illegitimate daughter, Cosette. Katie studied at the National Youth Music Theatre and her theater credits include:

Katie regularly performs as a soloist in numerous concerts internationally, including The Golden Age of Broadway at the BBC Proms; with Voices of the West End, The Three Phantoms, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and Stavanger Symphony Orchestra; at the Cheltenham Music Festival; and on BBC Radio 2's Friday Night Is Music Night.    

Her television credits includes: Josh (BBC);  Eurovision: Your Country Needs You (BBC) and I'd Do Anything (BBC), both spearheaded by Andrew Lloyd Webber.   Film credits include Les Misérables (Working Title Films) directed by Tom Hooper.   Most recently, Katie starred as Fantine in the new UK and Ireland Tour of Les Misérables. Incidentally, Filipina singer and actress Rachelle Ann Go also played Fantine from March 2, 2020 until April 20, 2020 and, again, from July 27, 2020.

Stewart Clarke, who played Javert (the police officer who relentlessly pursues Jean Valjean to bring the escaped convict to justice) since January 29, 2024, studied at the University of Warwick Theatre.  His stage acting credits include:

 

His film and television credits include ‘Guiseppe Zangara’ in The Moonstone (King Bert Productions for BBC) and ‘Young Man 1’ in Easy Virtue (Ealing Studios). In 2020, Stewart was nominated for an Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, for his performance in Trevor Nunn’s Fiddler on the Roof in the West End, following its run at The Menier Chocolate Factory.   

Will Callan, making his West End debut as Marius Pontmercy, a student revolutionary and friend of Eponine, who falls in love with Cosette.  Will attended the Youth Theatre, LIPA 4:19 for 8 years from the age of 8, whilst also performing with The Liverpool Empire Youth Theatre from 2014-2021. During this time, Will performed as the lead in Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Misérables and Chess and also played lead roles in Rent, Fame the Musical and West Side Story. Will is also a singer-songwriter who performs, produces and writes his own music, with over 3.3 million streams to date on Spotify alone. Straight out of sixth form college in 2021, Will made his professional debut as Marius Pontmercy in the recent UK & Ireland Tour of Les Misérables and is delighted to be continuing his journey. 

Lulu-Mae Pears marks her West End debut as Cosette, the daughter of Fantine who has grown up to become a young woman of culture and privilege after being adopted by Jean Valjean.  She is a graduate of ArtsEd, London (2022) and Tring Park School for the Performing Arts (2019). Her credits, whilst training, include Lysistrata in Lysistrata Jones (ArtsEd); Ensemble in Bandstand (ArtsEd); and Graziella in West Side Story (Ljubljana Summer Festival, Slovenia). Her workshops include Mary-Jane Gumm in Chasing Rainbows (Denis Jones); and Chelsea Green in Charley the Musical (Caroline Frericks). 

Amena El-Kindy makes her West End debut as Eponine, the daughter of the Thénardiers, who becomes a ragged street waif and secretly loves Marius Pontmercy.  She studied at the University of Chichester Conservatoire in Musical Theatre and her theater credits include Avalon in Robin Hood (Liverpool Everyman Theatre), Shirelle in Beautiful– The Carole King Musical (UK Tour) and Robin Hood: The Legend. Re-written (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). 

Luke Kempner plays Thenardier, a second-rate thief who runs an inn, where he cheats his customers and, later, becomes the leader of a gang of street thugs and con men in Paris.  Luke is an acclaimed stand-up comic, impressionist and actor widely recognized for his popular sketch videos which have amassed over 10 million views online. His television credits include a regular hosting, on Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch, Love Island Aftersun, Spitting Image, The Last Leg, Big Brother’s Bit on the Side, Deep Fake Neighbor Wars, Stand-Up Sketch Show, Murder in Successville, The Imitation Game, and Celebrity Karaoke Club. Luke’s many voices are also regularly heard on The Now Show on BBC Radio 4.  

His theater credits include: 25th Anniversary tour of Les Misérables, Avenue Q and South Pacific  as well as starring in the West End production of Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image The Musical and his brand new Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, Gritty Police Drama: A One-Man Musical which follows success with previous shows including The Only Way Is Downton. Luke also co-hosts the Shit, I Married a Twin podcast with The Mac Twins. 

Claire Machin plays Madame Thenardier, Thénardier's unscrupulous wife and collaborator, who abuses Cosette but dotes on her own daughter, Eponine.  Claire was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Cora in The Girls. She was nominated for an Off West End Award for Best Supporting Female in a Musical for her role as Whore/Claire in Amour. Claire also won and was nominated for the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role as Gladys in Memphis.  Her other theater credits include:

 

In 2017 Claire also performed her one woman show An Old Fashioned Love Story at the New London Theatre and has also been involved in various workshops supporting new writing.  Her TV/film credits include Grandma Who in The Grinch Musical (NBC); Mrs Nathan in Vanity Fair  (ITV/Mammoth Screen); Louise in Miss Marple (BBC); Sharon in The Ritz (BBC); and Les Misérables (Working Title Films). 

Djavan van de Fliert plays Enjolras, the leader of the student revolutionaries and a friend of Marius Pontmercy.  Djavan studied at ArtsEd, London and his credits, while in training, include Lysistrata Jones in Bandstand (Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Theatre) while his theater credits include Kristoff in Disney Theatrical Production’s Frozen (Drury Lane).  He is the recipient of the VandenEnde Foundation Award and Ian Fleming Award. 

Rounding up the cast are Annabelle Aquino (Ensemble), Hazel Baldwin, Brad Barnley (as Factory Foreman/Brujon), Michael Baxter (Swing),  Emily Olive Boyd (as Madame), Rosy Church (as the Old Woman), Ben Culleton (as Courfeyrac), Matthew Dale, Matt Dempsey (as Bamatabois/Lesgles/Babet/Dance Captain), Sophie-May Feek, Matt Hayden (as Montparnasse), Tom Hext (as Grantaire), Christopher Jacobsen (as Combeferre), Jessica Johns-Parsons (as the Wig Maker), Yazmin King, Sam Kipling, Anouk van Laake, Harry Lake (as Jean Prouvaire), Sarah Lark, Ellie Ann Lowe (as Factory Girl), Ben Oatley (as Joly), Adam Pearce (as Bishop of Digne who shelters Jean Valjean, after his release from jail. and gives him absolution), Jordan Simon Pollard (as Claquesous), Jonathan Stevens (as Feuilly), Ollie Benson/Theo Wake/Ollie Wray/Dexter Pulling (as Gavroche, a streetwise urchin who later joins up with the revolutionaries), Clark Young/Ivy-Rae Battams/Mila Isaacs (Little Cossette), Phoebe Williams (Swing) and Saskia Sibley/Olive Harrison/Poppy Jason (Young Eponine).  

Andreane Neofitou crafted the  authentic French wardrobe, with a staggering 392 costumes, encompassing 85 wigs and 5,000 individual clothing pieces, required.

  • Directors: Trevor Nunn and John Caird
  • Choreography: Kate Flatt
  • Set and Image Design: John Napier
  • Lighting: David Hersey
  • Sound: Mick Potter and Andrew Bruce.

This brilliant new staging has taken the world by storm and has been hailed by The Guardian as “a thrilling inspiration,” The Daily Telegraph's David Cavendish, in December 2018, as “the reborn dream of a production, looks and sounds fresher than ever,” The Sunday Telegraph as the “perfect theater in a perfect theater,” The Times as "dazzling staging and megawatt performances" and the Huffington Post as the “Les Mis for the 21st Century.”  

The whole cast 


Les Misérables:  Sondheim Theatre,  51 Shaftesbury Avenue  corner Wardour Street, City of Westminster, London W1D 6BA, United Kingdom. Coordinates: 51.511944°N 0.132778°W. Monday – Saturday: 7:30 PM, Thursday & Saturday: 2:30 PM. Seats on the side of the Grand Circle are classed as side view restricted while seats from Row R back in the Stalls and Row H back in the Dress Circle may be restricted view due to the overhang and may not have a view of the top of the stage. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by and sat next to an adult ticketholder (18+). Children under the age of 3 will not be admitted. Latecomers may not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance. You may not bring food or drink purchased elsewhere. 

How to Get There: The nearest train station is Charing Cross while the nearest tube station is Piccadilly Circus (take Shaftesbury Avenue along where the famous illuminated signs are. The theatre will be on your left about 100 m. along, just after the Gielgud Theatre). 

The nearest bus stops are serviced by numbers 12, 14, 19, 38 (Shaftesbury Avenue) and 6, 13, 15, 23, 88, 94, 139, 159, 453 (Regent Street). Night bus numbers: (Shaftesbury Avenue) 14, N19, N38; (Regent Street) 6, 12, 23, 88, 94, 139, 159, 453, N3, N13, N15, N109, N18, N136.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,
Location: 51 Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 6BA, UK

Saturday, 24 September 2016

Musical Review: The Jersey Boys

The Jersey Boys: L-R - Christian Bautista, Nyoy Volante, Markki Stroem and Nino Alejandro

 (Excerpt from my article featured in www.pep.ph)
The award-winning musical “Jersey Boys,” the bio­­graphical musical based on the story of the 40-year-friendship of the legendary, world-famous Frankie Valli-led American doo-wop boy band The Four Seasons, had its Philippine premiere last September 24, with an all-Filipino cast of acoustic-pop royalty, swoon-worthy romantic balladeers as well as a powerhouse rock musician whose kin are among OPM legends. It will run for a limited 15 shows only, on the weekends from September 23 until October 16, at the Meralco Theater in Ortigas, Pasig City.
This brand new version of the musical, the 40th production of the theater group Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group (ATEG), which recently presented the newly re-imagined production of the disco marathon "Saturday Night Fever: The Musical" (an award-winning and long-running Broadway production based on jukebox hits), featured scenic design and staging to the lights design and costumes that are unique to this production. In the last 14 years, ATEG has brought to Manila stage the best of Broadway via Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, Dream Girls, Avenue Q, The Addams Family and Rock of Ages, among many others.
All four cast members have had a history working with Atlantis - acoustic balladeer  Nyoy Volante (as lead vocalist Frankie Valli) in “Rock of Ages” and “In the Heights;” Asian pop superstar  Christian Bautista (as singer-songwriter, keyboardist and quiet genius Bob Gaudio) in “Ghost The Musical;” singer-actor Markki Stroem (as the hot-headed lead guitarist and arrogant gambler Tommy DeVito) in “Next to Normal” and “Carrie: The Musical;” and The Voice finalist Nino Alejandro (as the hilarious bass player Nick Massi, a founding member of the band) in “The Bridges of Madison County.”
As solo music artists, all four stellar cast members come from different music genres but these intelligent and great musicians truly can understand musical styles from different eras, succeeding in replicating the voices, high-pitched harmonies (especially Frankie Valli’s trademark three-octave range and incredible falsetto pitch) and distinctive doo-wop sound and style of singing of each member of The Four Seasons, getting both the correct signature four-part harmonies and also the proper dramatic impact their roles required.
Their ability to morph into the respective characters they played also made them good theater actors. They obviously did research on who their respective characters (going as are far back as the characters’ birth), but they also did “put a little bit of themselves” into their characters to avoid coming across as too mechanical or robotic in their performances.
The direct and honest Nyoy, with his small stature but crazy, laser clear high falsetto (perfect for the role of Frankie Valli), intensely believes in his character. He convincingly mutates from the unlucky but hopeful teenager to the regretful fallen idol, channeling the happy and angry feelings in his life as he sings.
Christian’s superbly polished performance convincingly portrayed the confident bravado that Bob had and mirrored the precise and calculating nature of his character. Nino’s occasional comic outbursts added to the overall energy of the show. Markki, in his glitter jacket, is as suave as any of the smoothest crooners. Individually, all four were solid performers but they were also tight as a group.
Prior to the premiere of this musical, little was known by the public about the group's history because the magazines of the era didn't write much about them. It showed how the Four Seasons got together, and on to their meteoric rise and descent (truly a classic American story of “rags to riches and back to rags”), all told from different, and often contrasting, points of view of the band members who each gives his own perspective on its history and music directly to the audience (a little distracting at first), via the four symbolic seasons.
Spring, by DeVito, explains how the band forms and Frankie’s coming of age story. Summer, by Gaudio, begins the superstar rise of the Four Seasons. Fall, told by Massi, showcases the band’s succumbing to their newfound Fame. Finally, winter, by Valli, wraps up the show and the band’s story.  The storyline and subplots had a lot of comedic character moments.
The Jersey Boys’ music, by Four Season band member Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe, the Four Seasons' real-life record producer, was set to a generation of iconic and unforgettable hits that continue to be played and covered up to now.  Some 33 songs were featured in the show, including 5 No. 1 hits and 11 songs that made the Billboard’s Top 10.  However, 19 hit songs by the Four Seasons or Frankie Valli didn’t make it into the show, including four Top 10 hits.
The show started out slow as the dramatized account of the stage production made it more of a biopic rather than a musical and the audience had to wait for some time before Frankie made our feet tap to the show’s first real track - "Sherry," followed by “Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like A Man, the three songs that propelled them to stardom. Thanks to Bobby's songs, Frankie continued to have success as a solo artist, hitting the jackpot with “C’mon Marianne,” the almost-never-released “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You" (which Bobby fights to get airplay for) and “Working My Way Back to You."
During the show, other songs were sung during momentous and tragic moments in their lives - "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)" when a tense Bob chalks up a personal first by losing his virginity in a Chicago hotel room at Christmas; the tear-jerking "My Eyes Adored You" when Frankie and Mary divorce due to constant touring strains; “Big Man in Town” when things strain between Tommy and Bob; “Stay/Let’s Hang On!” when Nick declares that he's tired of everything and wants out; “Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby, Goodbye)”  when Frankie breaks up with girlfriend Lorraine; "Fallen Angel" when Francine, Frankie’s daughter with Mary, dies from a drug overdose; and “Rag Doll”  when the original four members reunite on stage one last time during their 1990 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  
Near the end of the show, they sang “Who Loves You” as each member, in turn, took a moment to address the audience, explaining his pride at having been with the band and briefly noting what he did afterwards. The show ended with a standing ovation from the truly appreciative crowd. 
Jamie Esteva Wilson, Bibo Reyes, Nelsito Gomez, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante (wife of Nyoy), Yanah Laurel, Giannina Ocampo-Van Hoven, Altair Alonso, Steven Conde, Rhenwyn Gabalonzo, Emeline Carmela Guinid, Kendrick Ibasco, Gab Medina and Timmy Pavino round out the cast.
The 2-level, gray and drab and surprisingly non-descript set (which included a metal catwalk), designed by Faust Peneyra, captured the industrial grittiness and appeal of the Four Seasons’ New Jersey, a reminder of the boys’ working class backgrounds. Placed toward the back of the stage, it served as a concert stage, a recording studio, nightclub, jail cell and hotel room.  It allowed plenty of space for props, items for scene changes (such as a recording booth that was constantly wheeled or shoved into the center stage), choreography being performed and instruments to be placed.  A projection screen is displayed to signal time and scene change.
The choreography (mostly shoulder and leg thrusts), by Cecile Martinez, was simple and uncomplicated but very effective, sexy and cool. The costumes, designed by Erwin Tan, included some vintage suits, ties and dresses, all fun to wear and accurate for the period.
The musical was fast and furious as the scenes were so quick. Members of the truly first-rate ensemble had to play multiple roles, with nearly 80 characters for the women alone, meaning dozen of costume changes and they had to be quick. The colorful lighting, by Driscoll Otto, washed the stage with a Liberace-style essence.
Directed by seasoned stage director and ATEG co-founder Bobby Garcia (he pulled it off seamlessly), the show’s libretto was penned by book writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, sound design by Justin Stasiw, musical direction by Ceejay Javier, vocal coaching by Manman Angsico, and hair & makeup design by Johann Dela Fuente.
“Jersey Boys,” truly a piece of theater with a timeless story and a well-crafted biographical musical, is a celebration of the unforgettable music of The Four Seasons and is, at the same time, a gritty but heartfelt true-to-life tale, told with dramatic clarity, of friendship, love, family, stardom, following your dream and dealing with the realities that that brings, creating  a new awareness about The Four Seasons, especially with younger people.  
Aside from bringing their fantastic story to life, this musical also honored the legends who created the music that defined the boomer generation who took drugs, sex, rebellion and  rock and roll to a whole new level. The songs, played with an energy to them that was amazing to hear, lifted us higher and higher and made us leave the theater feeling so good. The show was pure genius.
This 2.5-hour (including a 15-min. intermission) musical is only recommended for ages 12+ as the show contains smoke, gun shots, strobe lights, drug references, sexual situations and authentic “profane Jersey language” (including a lot of f__k bombs).
The Four Seasons who, alongside the Beach Boys, Motown and Memphis soul, fought their way to the top of the music charts even during the phenomenal "Beatlemania," The Rolling Stones and British Invasion in the mid-1960s (the “Golden Era of Music,” specifically the birth of what is now Rock and Roll). These four sons of Italian immigrants went, from singing on street corners in the various housing projects in Newark, northern New Jersey (the title refers to the fact that the band members were all from here), to singing on national television as their songs charted 24 Top-30 hits from 1962 to 1968.  They wrote their own songs, invented their own sound and sold 175 million records worldwide, all before they were 30 years old.
Now in its 11th year on Broadway (it officially opened on November 6, 2oo5 at the August Wilson Theatre), the show won 55 major awards including the 2006 Tony Award for “Best Musical,” “Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical” (John Lloyd Young), “Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical” (Christian Hoff) and “Best Lighting Design of a Musical” (Howell Binkley). At the 2007 Grammy Awards, it won as the “Best Musical Show Album” and, at the 2008 Laurence Olivier Awards in London, it also won as “Best New Musical.”  After setting a record of at least 4,093 performances as of September 22, 2015, “Jersey Boys” has surpassed "Miss Saigon" as the 12th longest running show in Broadway history.
To date, this show has been seen by more than 23 million people worldwide and is currently playing in New York, Las Vegas, London, and in numerous cities across North America and the U.K.  In Asia, from November 2012 to April 2014, an international touring production, starring an all-South African cast, played Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Friday, 9 January 2015

Musical Review: Beauty and the Beast


(Excerpt from my article featured in www.pep.ph)


Beauty and the Beast, one of the most successful Broadway musicals of all time, was set to opened last January 9 at the Main Theater (Nicanor Abelardo Hall) of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) along Roxas Blvd. in Pasay City and members of media were given front row seats to this awesome and unforgettable experience in musical entertainment, based on a delightful and inspiring classic fairy tale (written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont) of love and transformation. Linda Woolverton, screen writer of the original Disney film as well as The Lion King, Alice in Wonderland and The Maleficent, added new scenes to fill out the story for the stage and gave depth to just about every character. 
Hilary Maiberger as Belle

Presenting this original Broadway spectacular in Manila (the first stop in the Asian leg), part of its 10-country first-ever international tour, are Disney Theatrical Productions, NETworks, Broadway Entertainment Group and MKFAE, with Ovation Productions (now observing its 35th anniversary in music and entertainment promotion) as its partner. 

Darick Pead as the Beast
The film (a 1991 Academy Award winner for animated feature film) and now musical, Beauty and the Beast, directed by Robert Jess Roth, revolves around the lively, silky voiced Belle (played by Hilary Maiberger), a young, independent, smart but vulnerable woman from a French 18th century provincial town, and the Beast (played by Darick Pead), who is really a young cursed prince who is turned into a beast by an enchantress as punishment for his cruel and selfish ways and forced to live in a hideous form until he finds true love. His servants also share in the curse; they too have lost their human form and have been turned into various household objects. The story goes that if the Beast can learn to love and be loved in return, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self.  But if the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed forever. 

The enchantress and the prince
Beauty and the Beast proved to be a big hit when it premiered at the Palace Theater on Broadway on April 18, 1994 and ran for 13 years, ranking as the ninth longest-running and one of the highest-grossing (grossing more than US$1.4 billion worldwide) Broadway shows of all time.  Since then, the musical has been translated in 8 languages and has logged over 15,000 performances in more than 120 cities and 21 countries. Nominated for 9 prestigious Tonys and 10 Drama Desk Awards, Costume designer Anne Hould-Ward was the only one to take home a Tony for her colorful and resplendent costumes (clothes, make-up, hairstyles and wigs, masks and prosthetics, etc.). 


Anne’s interpretations of Belle’s costumes hark back to the film version but remain firmly planted in the musical’s set time, the Rococo period. In the first half of the musical, starting with the panoramic opening with the simple but classically beautiful title song "Belle," she wears a standard-issue Disney heroine drag–an ankle-length skirt topped by a corseted vest and a white, face-framing collar.  As I can tell, the designs for the show have changed over the years while maintaining the same basic shape. In the second half, when Belle finally stepped out in that iconic, yellow dress, the audience actually gasped. 

Gaston flexing his biceps to an uninterested Belle
When a character walked on stage, we immediately knew something about the character through his costume, telling us if the character was male, female or animal. The clothes also indicated the nature of the characters in the musical - their stations in life, their age, occupations and personalities.  The introverted Beast’s costume, donned with style as he goes roaring and growling while he stalks and leaps about the stage, told us that he had become more animal than human but it also told us that he was still a Prince who was just imprisoned in the body of the Beast. 

Gaston (played by Alan Dietlein) and Lefou (played by Jordan Aragon
The personality traits of the bicep-tular Gaston (played by Alan Dietlein), a show stealer, are reflected in the color, fabric choices (Gaston does not wear silk or velvet), the line of the costume (fabric does not drape on his body - he is poured into the costume), and the costume accessories such as his wig.  The colors, line and fabric of the candle-handed Lumiere’s (played by Hassan Nazari-Robati) and his lady love Babette’s costumes indicated that there was a relationship between these two characters. 

Girls swooning over Gaston
Many of the characters in the Beast’s castle appeared in costumes that indicated they had been turned into enchanted objects. Anne succeeded in her task of making an actor look like a wardrobe or candelabra, coming up with a look for the enchanted objects which would work on stage.  On stage, we saw them at several stages of the transformation as they slowly turn into these objects.  Many of the actors playing servants wore costumes that used a system of wires for support of their heavy garments. The costumes also made it possible for the actors to move or dance freely, make a quick change from one costume to another, or to make a change/transformation on stage in front of the audience. 


The element of scenic design was also a very important element in the staging of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Visually, the stage design by Stanley A. Meyer very much followed the film version of the story in its vibrant use of line, color and texture to help set the tone and style of the production. The two-dimensional look of the set also appropriately conveyed the fairy tale origin of the story. 

The evocative set design played a critical role in this stunning spectacle that left us in the audience totally immersed. The vivid and ornate scenery, working together with all production and performance elements, created artistic consistency throughout the play. For example, the bright reds, orange and yellow of the early village scene are consistent with the happy, playful upbeat songs and dance numbers presented early in the play. 


The assortment of beautifully designed stage backdrops covers every critical scene, giving options that range from Disney-esque scenery to drops that depict realistic settings.  It lends itself to a variety of different scenic interpretations, bringing color to the stage and complimenting the cast.  Architecturally accurate backdrops that easily transform the stage itself, with a little added creativity and a spark of ingenuity, include the Medieval Street, Baroque windows and Rose Terrace.  


Spurred on by Gaston, the mood of the villagers turns ugly in Act II as they attacked the Beast’s castle. This mood is reflected in a change of costume consisting of dark, somber colors, diffused shadowy lighting, and sharply angular sets that elicit a sense of foreboding. The set of the Beast’s castle is large and grandiose with curved arches, flights of stairs, many rooms, etc. The castle also has gargoyle statues and is cast in darkness. In the film version of Beauty and the Beast, villages, houses, castles and forests appear and disappear rapidly. This smooth transition from place to lace reinforces the fairy tale origin of the story.  The visual aspects of light, color, line (vertical, horizontal, circular, etc.) and texture (smooth, rough, etc.) affect the mood of the musical dance number called “Be Our Guest.” 

Paul Crane as Maurice, Belle’s father
The original animated, Oscar-winning film score, with the music of Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Tangled) and lyrics written by the late Howard Ashman (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin), was expanded to include 7 new songs with music by Menken and lyrics by veteran Tim Rice (The Lion King, Jesus Christ Superstar). They include the dramatic “Home,” Belle’s song of determination where she pours her heart out in her lusciously rich voice, pure in tone and smoothly emotive; “Me” that tells you everything you might need to know about Gaston; the pained “If I Can’t Love Her,” the Beast’s way of showing his yearning and loneliness; and “Human” which again conveys the passage of time and continued hope. All the new songs are integrated so as to appear both familiar and new. We in the audience can relate to the characters through the music. 
The choreography (by Matt West) in the "Be Our Guest" costume and dance parade, led by Lumiere was, in every way, like the spectacle it was in the classic Disney movie.  The dazzling, dancing dishes, the back-flipping carpet, and the enchanting spoons, knives and forks showed off a lot of breathtaking soft shoe moves in this glitzy vaudeville number. An unexpected percussive performance was the “Gaston” segment’s on-point clanking of tankards, an idea of sound designer John Petrafesa, Jr., drew a major round of applause and cheers from this Friday afternoon’s audience. 

John also created special sound effects such as thunder, the sound of wind and falling rain plus the sound effects which accompany every time Gaston’s lackey Lefou (played by Jordan Aragon) was hit, pounded, tripped or thrown by Gaston.  Incidental music was also frequently played to underscore or set a tone or mood for the action. To augment the stage voices, actually more difficult than it appears, the performers wore body microphones so that their voices could easily be heard by everyone in the main theater. 

The main actors are also supported by a strong, solid cast noted for their gorgeous voices and a natural, breezy stage presence.  They include James May (as the tightly wound Cogsworth, the clock), Emily Mattheson (as the warmly maternal Mrs. Potts), Paul Crane (as Maurice, Belle’s father), and Charlie Jones and William Poon (the kids who alternate as Mrs. Potts child, Chip). Completing the original Broadway creative team on the tour are Natasha Katz (lighting design) and Michael Kosarin (music supervision). 

The musical was also made possible by the support of Globe Business, VISA, FOX International Channels, Diamond Hotel, the Philippine Star, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila Bulletin and BusinessWorld. 

From the start, the audience was quickly drawn into the action, with the focus moving between Belle, Gaston, the Beast and the Enchanted Objects as the musical moves from scene to scene. These unique and memorable characters, some truly unusual, managed to connect with the audience through familiar personality traits and their actions on stage add more depth through gestures, tone of voice and the pacing of the action. 

All throughout, we got swept away in the carefully developing love story, laugh (or at least cracked a smile) at the jokes and even experience an occasional chill up our spine.  If you're looking to capture the imagination of your children or your young grandchildren with a "tale as old as time," then this enchanting and enormously effective musical show is for you.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,
Location: Cultural Center of the Philippines, Malate, Pasay, 1300 Metro Manila
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)