THE ENTIRE cast in new costumes and set
ISTANBUL, Turkey – The original Broadway musical of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” has been delighting the world for two decades now. When it’s staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in January 2015, however, it will be like new again with the added improvements, making it the “best version ever.”
Right before the show premiered at the Zorlu Center PSM last month, director Rob Roth revealed to Bulletin Entertainment that they reviewed everything about the production early this year. They “learned a lot of stuff,” which went into making the changes reflected not only in the brand new set and costumes, and the choreography, but how the show resonates even more with different cultures.
“‘Beauty and the Beast’ is a very emotional story, just beautiful. It’s about seeing past the exterior of people, right into their soul, believing there’s goodness there. It’s a nice message to bring to the world,” said Roth, who received a Tony Award nomination some years back for his work.
According to a release, “Beauty and the Beast,” based on a fairy tale from 18th-century France, revolves around Belle, a young woman in a provincial town; and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell cast by an enchantress. 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. If not, he and his household will be doomed forever.
It can’t be helped that the theatrical production is often compared to the hit animated film feature. Roth has never been pressured by the idea, though, knowing that they have a “solid” story of tremendous spectacle and all heart.
The director said his actors – chosen from at least 7,000 aspirants – are topnotch.
“The actors work hard in maintaining the heart of each scene. The integrity of (the fantasy in) the show lies in the reality of two people falling in love despite their differences,” Roth said.
Renen de Guia of Ovation Production, which is collaborating with Disney Theatrical Productions, NETworks and Broadway Entertainment Group in bringing the musical to the Philippines, admitted to have been moved to tears watching the musical the first time. He and his wife, Cel, flew select members of Philippine media to Turkey in order to watch the show and experience the magic for themselves.
Going by the way the audience warmly received the show that night, “Beauty and the Beast” is sure to touch other lives, too, anywhere it goes. Aside from Manila, the musical on its first international tour will play in Abu Dhabi, Greece, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Macau.
Hilary Maiberger as Beauty
Details, details
Hair and makeup designer David Lawrence said it was a challenge coming up with work that allowed the actors to still function despite what they have to put on for their performance, including the horns and tail of and a ton of makeup on the Beast.
Note that Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” has human characters turning into objects then back again, from talking clock and candlestick to teapots and such. It is said that there are 580 costume pieces custom-made for the cast.
“(Part of the story) is being human again which emphasizes the importance of (physical) change onstage,” he said.
Like the director, Lawrence knows the musical has its own strengths even with the film already being so loved worldwide.
“Our musical is a real life version of what they might’ve imagined the movie to be. It’s colourful and bright, and we’ve made them real for people onstage. When you see the movie, you have a sense of who they are, but here, you relate to them even more.”
The whole team worked on the musical for three years before it was brought to life. The new set of “Beauty and the Beast” was freed of certain elements so the characters can make bigger movements. Lawrence said despite the busy look onstage, it was guided by the eyes and “painted for the lights.” This means nothing is overwhelming, distracting.
Funny duo
Actors Hassan Nazari-Robati (Lumiere, the candlestick) and James May (Cogsworth, the clock) said that while some adaptations tend to lose some things from the original, everything people loved in the animated film “Beauty and the Beast” is in the musical, plus plus.
“The groundwork the film laid is where we started (in making the musical),” said Nazari-Robati.
His character is the Beast’s mentor who helps the latter through trying times. May, on the other hand, had a funny way of describing Cogsworth.
“The clock is head of household. He is stuffy, pernickety, a bit controlling so nobody listens to him though he thinks he’s in charge,” he said. “If I do my job right, Cogsworth should come across as endearingly bossy.”
And how is the relationship between Cogsworth and Lumiere?
“They’re opposites so they drive each other crazy,” said Nazari-Robati. “But they really are good friends.”
Lumiere has the privilege of singing one of the most memorable songs from the book, namely “Be My Guest,” a cabaret-esque, over-the-top number complete with dancing plates and wine glasses.
It may be fantastic most times but the two men pointed out that a touch of sadness lingers.
“We’re slowly turning into objects. We dream of the day we get our hands back, and to roam the castle again as humans,” May said.
Beyond looks, read books
Aside from the message of moving past exteriors, choreographer Matt West likes it that “Beauty and the Beast” underscores the importance of reading. In the story, Belle is a bookworm who sees the printed material as way of traveling by imagination.
“Who reads anymore (these days)?” said West. “I love opening a book and turning pages (of paper) – I’m old-fashioned that way. I love that part of the story where Belle and the Beast are reading.”
As far as his work goes, West said there are “bigger” dance numbers, especially in “Be My Guest” and “Human Again” featuring the ensemble.
“In the clinking number – now that there’s ‘extra stage’ – everyone’s there,” he said.
Another highlight song in the musical not found in the movie is the touching “A Change In Me,” exactly when Belle realizes that she’s fallen in love with the Beast.
Song and teacup
But, of course, the most awaited number in “Beauty and the Best” is the awarded song of the same title. It was so huge the first time that it crossed over to mainstream with the pop duet version of Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson and even won awards. In the animated film, it was sung by iconic actress Angela Lansbury.
“I’m nothing like Angela Lansbury but the good thing is, they encouraged us to create our own interpretations (of our characters),” said Emily Mattheson who plays Mrs. Potts in the musical. “If you don’t bring yourself into it, it’s not going to work.”
Fortunately, she doesn’t have to make herself sound old because her singing voice naturally fits the part.
Mattheson praised young actors Charles Jones and William Poon who both alternate as Mrs. Potts’ child, Chip.
“It’s really fun working with them. They have such an innocence that they have to do little, not even acting at all. They just needed to say their lines with honesty and it’s genuine. They are the best scene partners,” she said.
The actress can relate to what Mrs. Potts was going through watching her children turn into teacups.
“Looking down at my son turning into this inanimate object is heartbreaking. It’s like you’re your kids having illness. I wish they have legs,” she said.
Stars of the show
The Beast is played by Darrick Pead while Beauty is Hilary Maiberger in real life.
The actress said Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” was the first musical she saw as a kid so she finds it incredible to actually be living her dream years later. She described Belle as a “kind of lost 16 year old trying of figure out why she doesn’t fit it.”
“And when she meets the Beast who’s also a little different, they are equals watching a beautiful thing between them grow,” she said.
Pead said his version of the Beast is funnier, more grounded than in the film. He thinks the character is “hurt” who’s never understood what love is till Belle came along.
“Many of us have felt like beast at one point in our lives and we wanted someone to love us even when we’re a little rough around the edges,” he said to that effect. “In the musical, heart talks to heart and what it’s saying is that true love is loving everything about a person (flaws and all).”
The Manila run of Disney’s“Beauty and the Beast” is from Jan. 9 to Jan. 25, 2015at 8 p.m. with matinees at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. For tickets, go to http://ift.tt/QnUmBP.
Christian Bale (Photo by Lorenzo Agius)
Ridley Scott’s upcoming 3D film, “Exodus: God And Kings,” is one giant spectacle of computer generated plagues, a thundering host of digitally rendered Hebrew slaves, giant waves and more. The Biblically inspired story, at its heart, is a journey of two men who take different paths: the Pharaoh Ramses (Ramesses II) played by Joel Edgerton, and Moses played by Christian Bale.
Echoing that hard journey is the filmmakers’ own road to the movie’s completion, one that has been plagued with challenges – including the wave of criticisms on casting (white men playing the main roles of Hebrews and ancient Egyptians), the furor caused over some terms Bale used to describe Moses, and, as expected, issues of accuracy (Scott apparently looked to natural causes behind the depicted miracles). Bale, for his part, also underwent through some physical challenges in playing the sword-wielding Moses.
Bale as a bow-wielding Moses
For one, he had been in a motorcycle accident after first meeting with Scott roughly early last year. The actor had still been at work on “American Hustle” but had problems moving his wrist properly and was “not very agile” with his left arm.
“After the accident, I couldn’t do anything with my arm so it was an interesting thing. Suddenly I had to fire a bow and arrow and my arm was shaking like crazy because the nerves hadn’t grown back properly. But everything came good by the time we started filming – my nerves had grown back. The body is just phenomenal,” Bale marvels.
Before that, the Oscar winner (Best Supporting Actor for his role in “American Hustle”) had one thing in mind when offered the role. “I asked, ‘What, like sandals and swords? Or are you talking about some abstract modern retelling of the story?’ He (Scott) said, ‘No – sandals, swords, everything.’ I had to digest the whole ridiculousness of somebody asking me to play somebody as important as Moses, and consider that for a little while.”
His desire to work with Scott won over being initially stunned, but knows this puts him squarely in the face of public scrutiny. “I always love things where the odds are against you, and obviously I know that there are a lot of people who will be saying, ‘How dare he play this character?’”
Shooting for only 74 days, which Bale says “is very quick for a film like this,” his experience on set had been generally positive. Of Scott, he says, “He moves quickly, and I love that. He has a real momentum to him. He knows what he wants. I would give him more fanatical takes, or I would give him more impassioned, radical takes, and then I would give him slightly softer, more human takes, and he will choose whichever ones he wishes in the editing room.”
Bale with director Ridley Scott (right) on set
Bale relishes the fascinating story that makes “Exodus: God And Kings” a compelling watch, whether one is religious or not. “It’s about two brothers – not by blood, but by bond – who grow up together, but become absolute enemies, and surprise each other,” he notes. “It’s an unstoppable force and an immovable object. You’ve got one guy who is compelled by the voice of God telling him to liberate, and the other one, who has come to believe he is a god, and that sets up a wonderful confrontation.”
Still, he isn’t discounting the diverse reactions people will have to the movie. “Unfortunately, we can’t make this a six-hour long film, so you have to cut things, and that’s painful. There’s so much more that was shot that will never make it into the film,” he says. One one hand there will always be critics and skeptics – those that somehow forget movies are never the most accurate accounts of historical facts or, in this case, religious text – and on the other, the actor hopes there would be an audience that knows the story by heart but would be eager to see the film anyway.
“I didn’t have any particular clear picture of who Moses was from the get-go, beyond the basics,” he admits. “I read ‘The Five Books of Moses’ and was fascinated. Moses is one of the most complicated historical and religious figures. He was of course a liberator and a leader, but at a very violent time and a time of great change.” This, of course, puts in perspective the descriptions he may have used to describe Moses in previous interviews.
“He is someone who has had an extreme experience of the Divine,” he says of the leader. Bale may not be as blessed in that sense, but does know a thing or two about a calling.
“Exodus: Gods And Kings” opens in local cinemas nationwide on Dec. 5.
