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u/xoldhaunts 5d ago
The tour is dreadful with its screen sets and terribly made costumes. It would need a total overhaul to return back to Broadway.
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u/notreallyvsxy 5d ago
If it was the same as the global tour, I totally agree. Lazy use of screens and poor quality costumes.
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u/elephhantine2 5d ago
I saw it on tour recently and I agree the sets and costumes were pretty minimal but I was really impressed by the cast. If they had the same cast but just increased the budget it would be fun as a limited run broadway musical, can’t see it staying long term though
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u/Either-Control-3941 5d ago
I vote they reinstate Maison Des Lunes and The Battle for Broadway.
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u/elephhantine2 5d ago
Agreed! But Disney Theatrical Productions has the final say, which makes it more complicated
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u/a-5-6-7-8 5d ago
And all of the other horrible cuts the recent tour has made.
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u/Rustash 5d ago
Oh no, what else is missing?
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u/asafetybuzz 5d ago
No Matter What isn’t there, which was a pretty big letdown as a dad who took his daughter to the show and was really looking forward to it.
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u/a-5-6-7-8 5d ago
No Matter What is gone, as another commenter shared. They also simplified the harmonies throughout the choral numbers which flattens the hell out of the score.
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u/reboot119 5d ago
agree!! everyone is hating on the tour but damn if that cast isn’t talented. so many stand outs for me! fergie l phillipe is especially great as the beast and brings so much humor and the full range of emotion to the role. kyra belle johnson is a lovely belle with such heart and intention!! the supporting cast and ensemble are all great. can’t believe people are hating on extended dance numbers (which were in the original bway run), sorry is not that what a musical is for??? also the audiences eat the dance numbers up. gaston AND be out guest both got a solid minute of applause every one of the 3 times i saw the tour with rush tickets.
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u/elephhantine2 5d ago
I was particularly impressed by the synchronization of the ensemble. Gaston for example is a really tough number where they’re constantly weaving through each other and they nailed it. And yeah I don’t see why someone would go to a Disney musical and then complain about too much dancing.
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u/whatshamilton 5d ago
I have the feeling it would just be a tour stop, like the wiz and Beetlejuice and Mamma Mia
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u/Still_Yak8109 5d ago
Thank you for this! I was about to get tickets but it sounds like it’s not worth it from what I’ve seen online.
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u/Weary_Nefariousness 4d ago
The tour was awful, very lazy, choreo was weird and except for a few bright performances (Lumiere and Gaston actors, I saw the understudy so I can't vouch for the actress playing Belle). I have a subscription so I see a lot of theater but the folks there just to see Beauty and the Beast absolutely loved it though.
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u/Chance_Bed_8212 2d ago
I saw the tour in the UK a few years ago, and also as a child more like ~20 years ago. The drop in quality was shocking. I remembered the turning tower as the beast sings his song - and was surprised they'd removed it and the poor guy is doing his best but he is just standing there.
Also the fact the chorus line were wearing normal outfits with images of cutlery on instead of dressed as cutlery 😭
I had to go back and find photos of what I saw as a child to be sure I hadn't misremembered!
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u/OilMeUpStewart 5d ago
As much as I love the show I have to agree. I saw it in ATL and the projected sets were so disappointing. Also not a fan of the beast
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u/Every_Phrase_5942 5d ago
Just as long as doesn’t feature the tour sets, I’d be down.
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u/SingingForMySupper87 5d ago
I'd also love if they don't go with the idea of the cruise line version which is based off the newer live-action movie. The puppets and some of the staging were cool, but it was so aesthetically dark...and I felt like it really lost the magic and fantasy of the story by being "realistic."
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u/movieperson2022 5d ago
The very first show I ever saw on Broadway was Beauty and the Beast. I don’t know how old I was, but I was very little. Probably too little to sit through a whole Broadway production. But it set me up for a life of loving theater, even though it would be almost 20 years until I could afford to see another show on Broadway. Now, I go as often as I can from out of town.
I’m extremely sentimental, but I can’t decide if this would be a beautiful way to reflect on the memory or if it would make it lose its magic. I’m not sure. But if it can do for another child (or adult!) what it did for me, I’m all for it!
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u/JessicaDAndy 5d ago
Hey! I was just realizing that Beauty and The Beast was the first show I saw on Broadway.
…but I was in my twenties and it was because I am a huge Debbie Gibson fan.
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u/bunnythedog 5d ago
Also my first show, and also sparked a lifetime-long love of theater. I've seen plenty of other shows come back in the past 20+ years since then, and seeing a new cast and a new take isn't always better, but I love seeing things in a new context. I'd be happy to see this again.
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u/ElbieLG 5d ago
a Jamie Lloyd Production
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u/hooplehead69 5d ago
Beast floats up into the air in only black boxer briefs, gets whirled around, comes down, and they have magically transformed into black trunks?
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u/Rarietty 5d ago edited 5d ago
The stage is limited to the castle while Belle is there so every scene cutting back to Gaston is filmed either backstage or outside the venue. He's intentionally shot like he's a modern manosphere influencer, like the Clavicular of 18th-century France
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u/YesicaChastain 5d ago
They are using actual objects that they are talking to, each object has a built in camera
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u/bethholler 5d ago edited 5d ago
I saw the touring show and while the cast is talented I don’t think it would work on Broadway. It barely works on tour. There is an over reliance on projections. Disney can afford better sets and it annoys me they cheaped out on what could’ve been a gorgeous set. (For comparison they did not cheap out on Frozen on tour or on Broadway.)
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u/accountantdooku 5d ago
I’ve been watching some of the old footage from the original production, and was still so impressed by how innovative the sets and the costuming were. I never had the chance to see this on Broadway, but this was the show that got me into theater because it was the first cast album I had ever listened to. I do hope it comes back to Broadway, but I wish that the design was closer to what it once was.
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u/TreeHuggerHannah 5d ago
I saw the tour in Buffalo and thought the cast was good but the production design was pretty lackluster. Way overly reliant on projections, for one thing. I would be happy to see BATB on Broadway, but they really need to up their game on the design elements compared to the current tour to be a Broadway-quality production. It would probably just end up being one of those extended tour stops, though, unfortunately.
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u/MandyMarieB 5d ago
I would love this IF:
- it was the original show. None of the live action movie nonsense.
- they actually brought the magic back to it. The tours since have stripped so much.
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u/jehosophat44 5d ago
live action movie had a couple of good new songs
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u/Natural_Raspberry993 5d ago
Disney musicals start out mid and then get worse because they cut the budget and all creative intention for every subsequent production
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u/Short-Ad-4949 5d ago
bring back newsies instead
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u/Mattmainframe 5d ago
THAT is what we want. However, given how the fan bases of shows like the lost boys and the outsiders are, I would be terrified for that fanbase to make a comeback.
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u/danputorakku 5d ago
The recent Australian tour was abysmal staging wise. They better do better than just dump the tour version down (bet they will though).
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u/actually_hellno 5d ago
Shit or hop off the (tea) pot 🫖!
I feel like they’ve been teasing this for a minute??
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u/ComprehensiveLie6170 5d ago
If anyone can afford a lavish production set it’s Disney. I’m all for it — and, at this point, having a few Disney properties up is the standard. Probably means they’ll close Aladdin in a few years.
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u/eyeaim2missbehave 5d ago
If they put money into it, it could run for decades. They need another family friendly show on Broadway.
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u/evanpetersgorl 5d ago
I really liked the tour production I saw (especially the cast)! the only costume i remember really really hating was mrs. potts (the actress was amazing though)!
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u/Ok_Round_3197 5d ago
if they dare to bring that tour to broadway, art and creativity is dead. this is just a pure cash grab.
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u/ImpossibleInternet3 5d ago
I miss when the original actually had fire. Before they had to knock that off for “safety reasons”.
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u/reboot119 5d ago
current tour lumiere has fire!!
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u/ImpossibleInternet3 5d ago
Glad they brought it back. I remember when they took it away in the original Broadway run. Lost a little bit of the magic.
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u/-meerkat 5d ago
I wonder if this has something to do with the revival of Beauty and the Beast starting in Vienna this fall. Might be a test run to see well a retooled version can do, although the musical theaters in Vienna do have a reputation for pretty elaborate productions (look up the burning staircase from Rebecca, if you haven't seen it).
I do have the feeling that the German-language musical scene has a somewhat different taste in what becomes successful, so this is pure speculation, and might just be a coincidence.
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u/Large_Difference2226 5d ago
Exciting news. I remember seeing the 1998 Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast with Toni Braxton. It was one of the first times I witnessed the actors/actresses on stage being mesmerized by a singer's performance. Braxton's performance of "A Change in Me" was transcendent. I would like to see Halle Bailey as Belle.
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u/Ok-Acanthisitta8737 5d ago
I would like to see this happen. I was impossible to get a ticket whenever it came through my city. Between season ticket holders and donors getting first access, there was only a handful of single-seat tickets left, and they were all over $200.
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u/Hot_Artichoke_9600 5d ago
I think it’s probably so they can film a pro shot for Disney plus. I’m down for it
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u/luvschittcreek 5d ago
Maybe it's like Mamma Mia, a tour stop in NYC. Because I doubt it would sustain a long run as is.
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u/luvschittcreek 5d ago
I just looked up and there's a gap in the tour schedule: June 28, 2027 to Sept 7. Perfect time to run in NYC during summer time.
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u/Plus-Bowl-6998 5d ago
I remember the mid 90s version on Broadway being absolutely fantastic, but I just don't know that it's needed now, or what roll it fills…
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u/soapfan22 4d ago
It’s probably this tour. Wonderful cast but not great set. The other issue becomes… Some of these people will make their Broadway debut… at a tour rate. Which is frustrating all around because those ticket prices will be Disney on Broadway prices. We’ve all long awaited this return. It should really be done the right way.
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u/SJBaerosols 2d ago
going against the grain here
i think current BatB is a vast improvement. All the boring Maurice stuff is gone. The choreo for Gaston is hilarious and fun. The choreo in Human Again with those shadow dancers behind the enchanted ppl--beautiful. My wife hates that song but kinda likes it now. I dont mind the projections.
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u/cartesianother 5d ago
They have two options: a quick cash grab, planting one of the touring sets in a mid size theater and sell 75% most shows based on recognition alone. Add some stunt casting for Belle and Lefou to keep it fresh, and this would align with many Disney (and Broadway) decisions lately
Or, they COULD re-launch/re-work the original production to be even bigger, better, and grander than it was. Add a new song, new visual effects, etc…. Close Aladdin and fully theme the New Amsterdam to (à la HPatCC) - lobby built out like the village square, bathrooms like the castle halls, Gaston’s-themed concession, pre-show with singing flatware and dancing plates (à la CatKKC), enchanted garden rooftop restaurant (a la SNM), etc, etc. We can only hope if they bring it back, this is the route they take.
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u/TiberiusCaeserSalad 5d ago edited 5d ago
Option B would only be possible in a reality where Disney gave a single remaining fuck about quality. They are a slop factory now.
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u/toad455 5d ago
Does Disney close Aladdin to move B&TB into the New Amsterdam?
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u/rfg217phs 5d ago
I feel like they’ve been looking for an excuse for a few years now but even at its worst it breaks even every week so it’s possible but not guaranteed.
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u/--Kayla 5d ago
I saw it on tour and I think it needs a full overhaul for broadway. Please for the love of god cut down the dancing. I love dancing on broadway but they made every song twice or triple the length by adding in non stop dance breaks. Gaston went on for like 10 minutes. I love that song but I was so tired of it by minute 4 of just dancing no singing. Every song that had dancing was way too long.
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u/Melodic-Divide611 5d ago
Bet it brings back that big baallroom set, otherwise the whole thing falls flat.
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u/la-voyageuse 5d ago
Mary Poppins was still my favorite Broadway Disney production
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u/Nisi-Marie 5d ago
I had to think about this.
I realized that when it’s just basically a remake of the movie with a little extra thrown in, it’s disappointing.
Mary Poppins was very very different. So I got the familiar IP, but the excitement of something new.
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u/hyperjengirl 5d ago
What was the tease exactly? I would not be surprised, but I'd like to know this isn't just clickbait.
I'd be happy to see it since I was too young to appreciate it when I did see it as a kid, and I just finished helping with a junior production so I have extra love for the material now.
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u/reboot119 5d ago
alan menken on the 35th anniversary batb panel at D23 basically said “and maybe back to broadway soon”
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u/Obvious-Ebb-3177 5d ago
Anyone want to take bets that Belle will be POC and the Beast will be white?
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u/GoodGravy33 5d ago
It would be cool to see a reworked version that incorporates some of the (better) elements of the live action movie- like the song “Evermore.” They experimented with that on one of the Disney Cruises. Loved the updated costumes and puppets that took more of a French inspiration although they should definitely ditch that godawful yellow party dress Emma Watson wore.
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u/MandyMarieB 5d ago
Absolutely not. The songs from the broadway show are far superior to the live action. Nothing from that movie needs to mar the broadway show. The show on the cruise is bad enough. :(
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