Disney’s Beauty and The Beast at The Straz // #BroadwayinTampa

This week, my memories were thoroughly jogged. Memories dancing around my room, spinning to the sounds of Belle or Be Our Guest playing on repeat on my pink portable CD player in my pink room or deciding that I didn’t really have to put my book down when I walked around because my favorite bookworm Belle princess didn’t either. 

 

So when the Straz Center invited my family to attend opening night of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast for it’s Broadway Tour (A theater I happen to love, because I don’t believe there’s a bad seat in the house… no matter where it is. And after a recent bad experience at a theater on Broadway in NY with an obstructed view, a good view from any angle in important!), I knew it was time to create some new memories around this tale as old as time.

 

I was almost watching my kids as much as I was watching the show, and in a theater full of littles dressed in their own costumes and gowns, I’m sure many parents were doing the same. Of course I knew Aliyah would love it, toting along her Belle doll that she requested for Christmas since it’s her current favorite character (how perfect is that?!), she really felt like the bell of the ball. What I really enjoyed through it all was reliving those first reactions to the story of a provincial princess… a girl who stood up for herself while remaining quite charming and sweet, through the eyes of my boy, Brayden. I realized that he had never been introduced to the story, at least that he could remember as his wide eyes kept careful watch of the stage. “If one more petal falls, mama!” He would say when the scenes would get quiet, “just one more petal…” 

 

For me, this is one night that will be carved out in the crevices of our memories… and that’s what it’s all about for me. Creating a place, a life, where memories are allowed to be made, grow and flourish. Sometimes it’s not about planting every single plant in the garden, but creating a warm and welcoming environment where seeds can thrive and then allowing the process to happen. This was definitely a moment that spanned generations, as I sat in my seat quietly “whisper” singing the songs along with the cast and then glances at the wide eyes and sly smiles on my kids faces as they took in each scene, between spilling some candy, asking for water and switching between laps halfway through of course. 

 

Disney’s animated film won over hearts, including my own, in 1991, garnishing two Oscars. The musical found similar successful momentum when it debuted on Broadway in 1994, and now local Tampa Bay fans of the enchanting version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast will love the latest Broadway tour, on stage at the David A. Straz Center now through May 10 (this Sunday, a great Mother’s Day outing!). Following other Broadway tours like Cinderella and Pippin at the Straz, the scenes weren’t quite as grand or extravagant, although effortlessly converted by cast members and many times as part of the scene itself, and the engaging characters that pulled laughs from a sea of viewers, both young and old, seemed to make up for it. With an amazingly spot-on performance of Belle by Jill Butterfield, the audience had no trouble falling for her character and pitch-perfect sing-song voice over and over. Since the beginning of on screen life in the small French village (and I’m realizing that this may be where my love for all things French began), I’ve been a long-time fan of Lumiere, my other favorite character from the movie, and this performance was no different. He practically stole the stage with his saunter, strong accent, wiggling hips and setting aflame his candlestick hands and just the right time to draw laughs from an intrigued crowd. And did I just not notice back then or did I forget how full of innuendo the story is? It may be that the characters are played by people playing the part of inanimate objects which bring the suggestion to the forefront, or the fact that I can see it now and it’s been a long while since watching the animated version… as most with fly right over a younger audiences head.Something to be proud of for us locals, the show also features Tampa’s own actor Thomas Mothershed as Belle’s father, Maurice!

As I sang along to my favorites, well, so did my husband. And his favorite has always been Gaston… although I will say the choreographed stage number to Gaston pretty much converted me as it was one of the stand-out moments in the show! Cameron Bond immersed himself in character well and kept us all in an uproar for most of his time on stage as being one of the most larger-than-life performers of the night, and dare I say, even upstaging the Beast. For a family affair, the Beasts performance was quite on par, although I had a hard time connecting with the scare factor I was expecting as his role seemed more slapstick than beastly. The final scene, however, brought me back in as Belle professes her love for the Beast and in true Disney fashion, the audience is entranced in the wonder of the magical fable, though for this one, it’s the princess saving her prince. 

 

Seizing the moments when we can, or Saisir l’occasion in my best French accent (which isn’t that great), so that I can broaden my children’s view, open up their eyes to see different worlds beyond their own, stir their own creativity and dreams. Whether that be through a tale or through an experience, and in this case it’s both, bringing together stage and song and a wee bit of Broadway life and a story of a heroine, their perspective has shifted.

 

When it comes down to it, have you created and nurtured the space for fertile ground to allow sweet memories and precious moments to take hold and grow? It doesn’t always have to be a grand gesture either! What our kids want from us, what they remember, is time with us, being with us, doing something with us… anything from reading Beauty and the Beast by flashlight in a teepee tent to seeing the Broadway show (FYI, both I highly recommend!), we’re creating the right environment for the good memories to take root. 

 

xo