I had never seen BatB live before, so I was super excited that I actually had the chance to see when it came to Detroit. And I am just so gleeful after it! It was so satisfying to watch it and it was SO WELL DONE.
Set: In one word? Colors. So bright and vivid! It was so beautiful to look it! And the Rococo design influenced everything that crossed the stage, from the curtains, to the floor, to the castle's backdrop. The set pieces of the village looked staunchly like recreations of the Disney movie, and the backdrop of the village scenes was a tapestry of nature, which I thought was clever. The costumes also coincided with the set in their designs.
Staging: All. Of. The slapstick. I was so taken aback by that approach, but somehow... it worked! And it was funny! And their use of sound effects was so nicely done. It added a LOT to everyone's characters and their individual funny moments. But when it was serious, you knew it was serious, whether by the actors' demeanors or the lighting changed. Their use of lighting was beautiful too. Swirling circles of dots were prominent in chorus numbers like "Be Our Guest" and "Human Again."
Belle: I was unsure if I would like her or not, but then I heard her really sing in "Belle," and I realized she sounded just like Susan Egan. But I didn't really appreciate her until she and Maurice had their moment in place of "No Matter What" (which was cut). She is a pure mezzo-soprano and rocks it! She was also SO sassy! I loved it! She would put the Beast in his place, but after the wolves, she would joke with him! I just appreciated that because it really felt right. She's not humorless and she does know how to have fun, and I think most people miss that about her. This actress was spot on.
Beast: He wasn't some 40-year-old dude! I was ecstatic just for that fact, but he also blew me away! He was this angsty teen but it was endearing, and he was so adorkable! I've seen people try to play him so seriously, but he honestly is this immature teen in a beast's body, and he portrayed it perfectly. He was stubborn and he challenged Belle openly but when they were falling in love he looked like he was really trying to be charming and he was failing adorably! I loved him so much!
Gaston: I had some high expectations for him, as anyone would, right? I look in the program and he's been in two Mozart operas. I couldn't wait to hear his voice! In that I wasn't disappointed--it was very rich and manly--but he didn't use his opera voice enough! (As much as I wanted him to anyway...) He also played Gaston like he was a Southern California jock... He had that inflection in his voice and I didn't really care for it. He was funny, and everyone else liked him, especially my friend, but I wasn't crazy about him. Granted, he was still funny!
Lefou: Man, did that guy get his butt kicked! He was doing somersaults from Gaston's constant beatings. But the energy! You have to have energy to play that role though, but he did really wonderfully with the character! He and Gaston were great together!
Maurice: This actor had some Shakespeare credentials, which showed, but not in the best way. He didn't play Maurice as the oblivious, dotty father, though, which I appreciated in some cases. He was very realistic in his take on him, and I think this helped connect with Belle so much more nicely. However, as compared to the rest of the cast's insanity, it seemed a bit out of place. It's a musical, so you need to have a bit of a "theatrical" approach, you know?
Lumière: Oh, the mixed feelings. He was sooooo over-the-top. The energy coming off this guy was tangible, and you couldn't help but like that about him, but it was just like... stereotypical Frenchman. All of the flair, and ALL of the innuendos. The parents loved him for them. He cracked up the kids too with his over-exuberance. And yet, it didn't feel completely out-of-character to me. There was this hopeless romanticism about him when he would get so excited about Belle and Beast. What I liked was that he had enough serious moments when he grappled with losing his humanity that was actually very poignant. And his bromance with Cogsworth... Loved it!
Cogsworth: This guy was SO ON POINT. His characterization was just flawless, and he made Cogsworth so incredibly endearing! I just adored him! I've seen Cogsworths that couldn't hold a candle to Lumière onstage (pun totally intended), but this actor held his own! He had some AMAZING funny moments! His two famous lines were perfectly delivered (I will never get tired of the "Baroque" joke, I just never will) and his character quirks were brilliant. A+++
Mrs. Potts: She was capable of holding her own with the threesome, but she wasn't particularly memorable, in my opinion. But then again, I think it's even harder to make her memorable with no real opportunities to get funny moments out during or between her lines. She had a lovely voice, speaking and singing, but other than that, she was a bit in the background.
Babette: In terms of the musical's context, she was perfect, and hysterical. She was adorable, and with Lumière... oh God, I was almost crying from stifled laughter during their banters. Her outfit was also deliciously scandalous, and she could move and pose like nobody's business.
Chip: The little sweetheart! He was so cute in his little tea cart and hat! What else can I possibly say?
Madame de la Grande Bouche: She. Was. FABULOUUUUS! This actress knocked this role out of the park like nobody I've ever seen!! Her energy was AMAZING, her costume was GORGEOUS (very 18th century with the side hoops that were her drawers!), and she embraced and epitomized her inner primadonna. She was perfect and hilarious! She was definitely one of my favorites!
Puppets?: Yes! Puppets! They had the hag that turned into an enchantress be a puppet, which was very interesting. The enchantress was also, like, 15 feet tall. The wolves were also puppets, but the puppeteers were in black morph suits. There were two people per wolf, one per two legs, front and back, and with the way the lighting was, it looked really cool! They jumped, bit, and howled! I really liked that take on them!
Overall, the cast felt really tight-knit and fleshed-out, the set was mind-bogglingly beautiful, and I was on the verge of tears because of absolute elation the majority of time. I absolutely adored it in every way.