5,138 posts
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Post by TallPaul on Jul 2, 2022 12:05:53 GMT
Do you have to stand on the stage, to beef up the ensemble? 😂
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Post by SuttonPeron on Jul 2, 2022 21:15:31 GMT
This is like saying that you’re not going to see Sunset Boulevard ever ever again because it doesn’t have the Napier sets. It will never be staged like that again so fine, stop seeing revivals. Really? I’m all for the material being retained and not mucked about with (although I find myself being more relaxed about that these days) but insisting that the production matches the original isn’t reasonable. My first experience of BATB was lovely. Go see it, and try to find within yourself the mental capacity to deal with the fact that it’s changed. Things change. Like I said before, Disney has used the "reimagined" excuse to reduce the costs as much as possible, while marketing the production as lush and large (something this show doesn´t need) and charging very expensive prices for tickets. I have only compared it to the original because it is the only other production of the show that Disney Theatricals produced in the UK, therefore the most familiar to UK-based people. I could name several non-replicas that were just as good. When so much is charged for a ticket, I expect to see why in the show. That means a large cast, a visually impressive (not neccessarily enormous) physical production, a large 100% live orchestra/band, a good sound design and as much attention to detail as possible. And if I think it failed to hit the mark, I might share why I thought so publicly. |
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Post by iseestars on Jul 2, 2022 22:09:14 GMT
saw it today after seeing it a couple of times on tour. set changes are definitely noticeable and for the better stage is a lot more filled and i think fits with the show a lot better. a couple small costume changes which i think work well (belles pink dress being a big one). think it was a really strong show and Alyn was on as Gaston and was really good defo a stand out vocally! audience pretty much sold out too it seemed, checked for standing room view at back of stalls and seems to be good especially for the low ticket price.
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Post by h86 on Jul 3, 2022 9:07:22 GMT
This is like saying that you’re not going to see Sunset Boulevard ever ever again because it doesn’t have the Napier sets. It will never be staged like that again so fine, stop seeing revivals. Really? I’m all for the material being retained and not mucked about with (although I find myself being more relaxed about that these days) but insisting that the production matches the original isn’t reasonable. My first experience of BATB was lovely. Go see it, and try to find within yourself the mental capacity to deal with the fact that it’s changed. Things change. Like I said before, Disney has used the "reimagined" excuse to reduce the costs as much as possible, while marketing the production as lush and large (something this show doesn´t need) and charging very expensive prices for tickets. I have only compared it to the original because it is the only other production of the show that Disney Theatricals produced in the UK, therefore the most familiar to UK-based people. I could name several non-replicas that were just as good. When so much is charged for a ticket, I expect to see why in the show. That means a large cast, a visually impressive (not neccessarily enormous) physical production, a large 100% live orchestra/band, a good sound design and as much attention to detail as possible. And if I think it failed to hit the mark, I might share why I thought so publicly. You’ve seen it then? |
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165 posts
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Post by Paulw on Jul 7, 2022 22:41:37 GMT
I saw this tonight having never seen it on stage before, I can say I have seen better Disney musicals than this but it was perfectly watchable even if a little slow at times.
Belle was covered by Grace Swaby and I thought she was ok but a little quiet at times when you would have expected her not to be.
Lighting was the standout for me.
Oh and did I mention there was a showstop?
When Belle comes down the stairs for dinner her dress got caught in the stairs as she was walking down, she sat down at the of of her bit (with the Beast helping her) to try and get it free and from where I was sat it looked like the flying candlesticks smashed straight into her, but she must have been ok as 10 minutes later she was back on and looked ok.
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1,929 posts
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Post by LaLuPone on Jul 7, 2022 23:04:48 GMT
I was also there tonight, was about to come and report the show stop myself! The set piece did knock into her but it was moving so slowly that I think it would have just been a tap, I reckon it’s also not as heavy/sturdy as it looks. It was quite comical watching it sort of bounce slowly off her as Beast pushed it back. I was Row F stage right side so got a very clear view of all that. I was about 4 seats in from the aisle, which was a bargain as a Disney Day Seat, was great to be so close to the stage and only missed a tiny bit of stage right at the back. I would have felt short-changed paying £70 for this though, I believe it’s the last seat before prices drop.
I actually thought Grace was wonderful. I’d seen Courtney in Bristol last September and thought she was so brilliant so I was a bit upset to hear she was going to be off at first but I was really glad I’d seen Grace in the end. When you say she was quiet do you mean her singing? I actually thought she had a really strong clean belt, maybe the sound was better from where I was sat? Listening to her sing A Change In Me, I actually thought she could be a great Elphaba.
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Post by h86 on Jul 8, 2022 8:16:05 GMT
I saw this tonight having never seen it on stage before, I can say I have seen better Disney musicals than this but it was perfectly watchable even if a little slow at times. Belle was covered by Grace Swaby and I thought she was ok but a little quiet at times when you would have expected her not to be. Lighting was the standout for me. Oh and did I mention there was a showstop? When Belle comes down the stairs for dinner her dress got caught in the stairs as she was walking down, she sat down at the of of her bit (with the Beast helping her) to try and get it free and from where I was sat it looked like the flying candlesticks smashed straight into her, but she must have been ok as 10 minutes later she was back on and looked ok. I agree with you regarding Grace. I saw her in Liverpool and was just a little underwhelmed after having seen Courtney, who is absolutely sublime as Belle. Those flying scrolls things look so good but often travel low to the stage so if you are in the wrong position then there is going to be a collision. Relieved to hear the Grace was ok though. |
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Jul 10, 2022 20:37:58 GMT
Saw the show a few days ago for the first time since September and OH MY GOD they’ve upped their game!
The show wasn’t bad or unenjoyable first time round, but it did leave me slightly underwhelmed outside of the bigger numbers (Gaston and Be Our Guest) - but everyone’s energy was off the scale the other night and I loved it!
There’s still a pantomime, camp energy to it (especially Cogsworth and Madame), but it really works in the best way. Courtney is amazing, and Shaq blows the previous (dishonourably discharged) lead out of the water in voice and acting and as leads they have a real chemistry. Gavin Lee is a scene stealer every time he’s on stage (as always!), and Be Our Guest leaves you shaking with adrenaline all the way through the interval!
They have made scenery additions that make the stage feel more full, but it still has the tour-feel with the minimal scenery and wolf projections which can make the stage feel a bit empty but the large ensemble do help to fill out the stage!
If you enjoy Disney productions then I do highly recommend this production - the cast more than makes up for any lack in set design
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165 posts
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Post by Paulw on Jul 11, 2022 19:46:01 GMT
I saw this tonight having never seen it on stage before, I can say I have seen better Disney musicals than this but it was perfectly watchable even if a little slow at times. Belle was covered by Grace Swaby and I thought she was ok but a little quiet at times when you would have expected her not to be. Lighting was the standout for me. Oh and did I mention there was a showstop? When Belle comes down the stairs for dinner her dress got caught in the stairs as she was walking down, she sat down at the of of her bit (with the Beast helping her) to try and get it free and from where I was sat it looked like the flying candlesticks smashed straight into her, but she must have been ok as 10 minutes later she was back on and looked ok. I agree with you regarding Grace. I saw her in Liverpool and was just a little underwhelmed after having seen Courtney, who is absolutely sublime as Belle. Those flying scrolls things look so good but often travel low to the stage so if you are in the wrong position then there is going to be a collision. Relieved to hear the Grace was ok though. Sorry for my delayed reply work gets in the way of having fun sometimes! I am not saying she is bad as I enjoyed her performance but just felt it was lacking at some points that weren't the big numbers or choruses |
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3,325 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Jul 14, 2022 19:46:39 GMT
Started 20 minutes late today due to technical difficulties. Further show stop at about 8:30pm. Now just announced we’re taking an early 15 minute interval. Anyone’s guess if this will get to the end or not!
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3,325 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Jul 14, 2022 22:02:06 GMT
Finished at 10:40pm, although I think the second half was trimmed a bit. Not everyone made it to the end and young Belle, dressed in her finest princess dress down the row, was rather tired.
The second interval, which was meant to be only 5 minutes, still went 15.
Great show in the circumstances. Everyone did well to keep the energy up.
Got a great third row Monday day seat as well. A long way to the side and missed the edge, but really nice to see everything up close and pick up on a lot of details I missed further back.
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Post by sph on Jul 15, 2022 1:08:55 GMT
I was there myself tonight and yes, as Dr Tom said, there was a big delay starting and a show stop halfway through Act 1.
Tonight was my first time seeing this particular production, although I did see the original UK tour back in 2002.
The most glaringly obvious cut made tonight was in the opening number. They did it with no set! Obviously the delay in starting must have related to this set piece somehow as the entire opening number was performed on a completely BARE stage! This was a bit disappointing, as judging from pictures I've seen, the village set is actually the most impressive piece in the whole show.
I can't comment on what was cut from Act 2, having never seen this production before, but to ask those who have: is there a sequence in this production where the household objects attack the villagers when they invade the castle? Tonight it went straight from the villagers in the forest to Gaston fighting the Beast. Is that normal? It's a bit abrupt if so.
The stage itself is very... bare. Costumes are not especially awe-inspiring. The screens are fine as backdrops, but at times they become a little ridiculous. The wolf chase scenes for example are just like watching a cartoon rather than a live show. One of the good things about seeing a film translated to the stage is seeing how they do the key moments theatrically. Simply doing them with screens feels like kind of cheating. You can see animated wolves giving chase in the movie.
Same with Gaston and the Beast fighting. They fight on a bare stage and then... Gaston screams and runs offstage and the projections are supposed to show he fell to his death? Hmmm...
Overall, it's a 3 star show in my opinion. Performances are good, but the show has been cut down and production values lowered too much to deliver the standard you would expect from Disney. The cast work very hard, Sam Bailey as Mrs Potts was the best for me personally. There were no weak links. It just felt like a bit of a subpar production by Disney standards. They would never let this production appear on Broadway without significant changes.
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Post by starlight92 on Jul 15, 2022 1:55:47 GMT
Why was there a show stop?
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2,242 posts
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Post by richey on Jul 15, 2022 6:09:23 GMT
I was there myself tonight and yes, as Dr Tom said, there was a big delay starting and a show stop halfway through Act 1. Tonight was my first time seeing this particular production, although I did see the original UK tour back in 2002. The most glaringly obvious cut made tonight was in the opening number. They did it with no set! Obviously the delay in starting must have related to this set piece somehow as the entire opening number was performed on a completely BARE stage! This was a bit disappointing, as judging from pictures I've seen, the village set is actually the most impressive piece in the whole show. I can't comment on what was cut from Act 2, having never seen this production before, but to ask those who have: is there a sequence in this production where the household objects attack the villagers when they invade the castle? Tonight it went straight from the villagers in the forest to Gaston fighting the Beast. Is that normal? It's a bit abrupt if so. The stage itself is very... bare. Costumes are not especially awe-inspiring. The screens are fine as backdrops, but at times they become a little ridiculous. The wolf chase scenes for example are just like watching a cartoon rather than a live show. One of the good things about seeing a film translated to the stage is seeing how they do the key moments theatrically. Simply doing them with screens feels like kind of cheating. You can see animated wolves giving chase in the movie. Same with Gaston and the Beast fighting. They fight on a bare stage and then... Gaston screams and runs offstage and the projections are supposed to show he fell to his death? Hmmm... Overall, it's a 3 star show in my opinion. Performances are good, but the show has been cut down and production values lowered too much to deliver the standard you would expect from Disney. The cast work very hard, Sam Bailey as Mrs Potts was the best for me personally. There were no weak links. It just felt like a bit of a subpar production by Disney standards. They would never let this production appear on Broadway without significant changes. It sounds like they didn't use some key scenery last night. When I saw it in Manchester, the Beast/ Gaston fight was on a balcony (which I believe was the reverse of the village set, or adapted from it?) Gaston falls off it,leading into the projection. |
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Post by h86 on Jul 15, 2022 6:37:10 GMT
I was there myself tonight and yes, as Dr Tom said, there was a big delay starting and a show stop halfway through Act 1. Tonight was my first time seeing this particular production, although I did see the original UK tour back in 2002. The most glaringly obvious cut made tonight was in the opening number. They did it with no set! Obviously the delay in starting must have related to this set piece somehow as the entire opening number was performed on a completely BARE stage! This was a bit disappointing, as judging from pictures I've seen, the village set is actually the most impressive piece in the whole show. I can't comment on what was cut from Act 2, having never seen this production before, but to ask those who have: is there a sequence in this production where the household objects attack the villagers when they invade the castle? Tonight it went straight from the villagers in the forest to Gaston fighting the Beast. Is that normal? It's a bit abrupt if so. The stage itself is very... bare. Costumes are not especially awe-inspiring. The screens are fine as backdrops, but at times they become a little ridiculous. The wolf chase scenes for example are just like watching a cartoon rather than a live show. One of the good things about seeing a film translated to the stage is seeing how they do the key moments theatrically. Simply doing them with screens feels like kind of cheating. You can see animated wolves giving chase in the movie. Same with Gaston and the Beast fighting. They fight on a bare stage and then... Gaston screams and runs offstage and the projections are supposed to show he fell to his death? Hmmm... Overall, it's a 3 star show in my opinion. Performances are good, but the show has been cut down and production values lowered too much to deliver the standard you would expect from Disney. The cast work very hard, Sam Bailey as Mrs Potts was the best for me personally. There were no weak links. It just felt like a bit of a subpar production by Disney standards. They would never let this production appear on Broadway without significant changes. yes so there is normally the village set in the song Belle, which is also normally used in the beginning of the song Gaston. Mob song does normally go straight into the fight with Beast so that seemed to be the same. Gaston’s death is on a tower/balcony normally and he falls of it flying on the stage. Seems like there were issues with the tracks possibly as the village set and balcony/tower use the same tracks near the back of the stage. Act 2 is normally much shorter than act 1 anyway. |
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Post by chels on Jul 15, 2022 12:36:54 GMT
I saw it last week, definitely had sets for the village and Gaston/Beast's fight, same as there was on tour - I assume there must have been an issue with those and they defaulted to the show must go on attitude?
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Post by jacob on Jul 15, 2022 15:43:23 GMT
I saw it last week, definitely had sets for the village and Gaston/Beast's fight, same as there was on tour - I assume there must have been an issue with those and they defaulted to the show must go on attitude? not to be funny too, but without that one main set piece it just highlights how little set there is for this production .,, also glad they went on with the show regardless |
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Post by sph on Jul 15, 2022 21:56:58 GMT
Ah I see, thank you for clarifying everyone. I thought it a little strange that Beast and Gaston's fight would be so... underwhelming.
The show stop was probably because they were going into the tavern scene in act 1 and the village set still wasn't working.
Knowing that this piece is used for the end fight scene too explains it all. I'm not sure if anything else was cut, but without the show's main 3-dimensional set piece the whole show felt very... empty. A few staircases and flying candle things for the castle... and a rather plain small platform for the west wing.
The costumes didn't do much for me either. In the original production the household objects were "gradually changing" from humans to objects, so their costumes became more elaborate and object-like in Act 2. Here they just remained pretty much the same throughout. All of the costumes looked more high-end panto than Disney musical to me.
Also, strange little change I noticed: they call the Beast "His Highness" and not "The Master" as they always have in previous versions. Wonder why they made that switch?
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Post by h86 on Jul 16, 2022 0:47:59 GMT
Some incorrect information being posted here.
The set piece for the Beast/Gaston fight is the tower/balcony of the castle, this is not the same set piece as for the village (or the reverse of it, despite some people thinking it is) Two completely different sets.
Just to elaborate on the other set pieces used as well -
Belle’s cottage (upgraded for the palladium run)
Well
Dungeon
Belle’s bedroom
West wing incl Rose
Beast’s throne
Dinner table
Library
Stone door (used for transformation)
So much talk in this thread about the set!
You all know that Gavin Lee is in this production correct? Tap dancing with two large candlesticks as hands!!
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Post by danb on Jul 16, 2022 4:57:21 GMT
Some incorrect information being posted here. The set piece for the Beast/Gaston fight is the tower/balcony of the castle, this is not the same set piece as for the village (or the reverse of it, despite some people thinking it is) Two completely different sets. Just to elaborate on the other set pieces used as well - Belle’s cottage (upgraded for the palladium run) Well Dungeon Belle’s bedroom West wing incl Rose Beast’s throne Dinner table Library Stone door (used for transformation) So much talk in this thread about the set! You all know that Gavin Lee is in this production correct? Tap dancing with two large candlesticks as hands!! Yes, but it’s irrelevant if those sets don’t immerse you or effectively convey what they are trying to…. I may give it another try when it comes back to Bristol as I’d like to see Shaq Taylor. Gavin Lee was fine; his costume was not. That looked cheap too and only one ‘candle’ ever lit at a time. |
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Post by h86 on Jul 16, 2022 10:44:23 GMT
Some incorrect information being posted here. The set piece for the Beast/Gaston fight is the tower/balcony of the castle, this is not the same set piece as for the village (or the reverse of it, despite some people thinking it is) Two completely different sets. Just to elaborate on the other set pieces used as well - Belle’s cottage (upgraded for the palladium run) Well Dungeon Belle’s bedroom West wing incl Rose Beast’s throne Dinner table Library Stone door (used for transformation) So much talk in this thread about the set! You all know that Gavin Lee is in this production correct? Tap dancing with two large candlesticks as hands!! Yes, but it’s irrelevant if those sets don’t immerse you or effectively convey what they are trying to…. I may give it another try when it comes back to Bristol as I’d like to see Shaq Taylor. Gavin Lee was fine; his costume was not. That looked cheap too and only one ‘candle’ ever lit at a time. I was merely pointing out as a fact what sets are included as there was some incorrect information being shared. I find it interesting actually how generally in musical theatre the trend has been for physical set pieces/scenes to be reduced or not used at all in newer musicals (Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away some examples) and Beauty has a lot more set scenes than these musicals yet it is getting heavily judged on not having lots of set pieces! How do I know all those chairs lined up in Come From Away are supposed to be a plane…. Oh I suspend my disbelief! I was never a fan of the big castle set in the original Beauty production at the Dominion, to me everything was squeezed into that set and it made it seem like a dolls house. I find this one much more immersive actually, it gives a sense of scale and allows you to focus on each scene. Each to their own. I do agree regarding Gavins candle costume! |
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Post by jacob on Jul 16, 2022 11:49:07 GMT
.. because DEH / CFA / Hamilton rely on a real world setting. Minimal works there !!!!
BATB is a fairytale .. it’s magic .. it’s Disney .. can I not expect a lavish design 😭😭 ?
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Post by hadeswasking on Jul 16, 2022 16:06:28 GMT
Saw this show not too long ago and would love to share my thoughts. Overall my expectations were surpassed and I was plesantly surprised.
This show was very low on my priority list after the disappointment I felt after seeing Frozen. I actually didn't think I was going to see it until tickets popped up in the front row at a great price.
The cast are worth the price of admission alone. Courtney Stapleton as Belle is perfect. Her voice is out of this world! I thought Shaq's comedic timing was great. Every time Gavin Lee was on stage my eyes were glued to him.
I didn't see the original production so I don't get a lot of the complaints people have about this show on here.
I loved the simplicity of the set, I thought it was just enough. Occasionally the digital backdrop looked a little cheap but the talent distracted me from that.
Sometimes less is more and when you have that calibre of talent performing in front of you, you're always going to be in for a treat.
I can't wait to revisit this eventually. You guys on here are sometimes just way too negative, letting expectations overcome your feelings on a show. It's okay just to enjoy what you're given sometimes.
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Post by sph on Jul 16, 2022 22:08:17 GMT
I enjoyed the show, the cast were great, but I guess I can only report on my own experience... and not only was the overall design underwhelming, key pieces were missing from it on the night and entire scenes and numbers were performed on bare stages, just not what I was hoping for from a Disney show.
I understand the circumstances of course - live theatre, technical faults etc, I was just unlucky, but hey, that's the experience I had and this board is here for us to share our theatrical experiences.
I have to say, the cast handled the bare-stage scenes exceptionally well. You would think the opening number was always done without a set by how well the ensemble did it. The same for the Beast and Gaston's fight scene. I didn't know it was supposed to have a set piece until I read it here! Although it did strike me as odd that Gaston's death was just him screaming and running offstage before a projection of him falling.
I'd be tempted to revisit just to see the "full" show, but we'll see what happens.
A shame they cut the scene with the enchanted objects fighting the villagers - going straight into the Gaston/Beast fight is very abrupt.
Again, I honestly can't fault the cast, all turning out wonderful performances and handling the technical issues brilliantly.
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Post by danb on Jul 17, 2022 6:27:22 GMT
Are they giving you tickets to see it again? I remember when we saw Mary Poppins on its very 2nd preview in Bristol, and Mary didn’t fly. They didn’t give us free tickets but we were invited to go and just watch the end scene again if we liked.
When my wife & daughter saw BATB on tour in Bristol way back when, the set stuck in the transformation and the show was cut short, so they get free tickets to see it again. .
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