Summary
The greatest shift in [Wendy Dann]'s characterization comes with the rival for [Belle Jarred]'s affections, the bullying Gaston (Jesse Bush) and his comic sidekick Lefou (Aaron Morris). Such a character never appeared in Madame de Beaumont's 1756 version for children and instead entered when the story was retold by Jean Cocteau for his memorable 1946 movie. In the movie and in previous stagings of the Disney musical Gaston has been, well, cartoonish, a self-inflated bag of wind waiting to be exploded. His opening number is, sure enough, "Me." He hoped to charm Belle with lines like, "We shall be the perfect pair/ Rather like my thighs." Eschewing subtlety. Dann puts actor Bush's Gaston in a big black hat and turns him into a nasty piece of business. In Ithaca, Gaston turns out to be more closely linked with the fear of the beast than we have previously imagined.
Contrary to what you might have been told, the story of Beauty and the Beast was not put together by Walt Disney's animation department in 1991. The folks at Ithaca's Hangar Theatre are trying to take Alan Menken's compositions and Howard Ashman's lyrics for the musical back to their roots in French fairy tale. To do this they are relying on the sound premise that the magic of live theater enriches the imagination more persuasively than a computer-enhanced animated figure does. There's no getting around the fact that the program lists the show as Disney's Beauty and the Beast, but this time out the title roles get bigger, and that of Disney shrinks to the side.See the full content of this document
Extract
Belle Jarred
Belle Jarred
Ithaca's Hangar Theatre adds its own touches to Disney's version of Beauty and the BeastContrary to what you might have been told, the story of Beauty and the Beast was not put together by Walt Disney's animation department in 1991. The folks at Ithaca's Hangar Theatre are ...See the full content of this document
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