Review: Belmont University Musical Theatre's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Showcases Students' Immense Talents

Can you recall way, way back to 1991 when the Disney animated film version of Beauty and the Beast was first released? Well, even if you can't, I certainly can remember how every theater aficionado I knew was exulting about the wondrous work and how it should be made into a live stage musical. In fact, it appeared that every film and theater critic worth his or her salt was noting the worthiness of such a transfer from film to stage.

It was a scant few years later - in 1994 - that the show debuted on Broadway, only a year after its out-of-town tryout in Houston, with a score that included all eight songs from the movie, written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (who tragically had died during the film's production), with an additional six songs by Menken and Tim Rice (who replaced Ashman as lyricist) and a libretto by Linda Woolverton, adapted from her own screenplay. The initial reviews for the Broadway run were fair-to-middling, but Beauty and The Beast proved a major hit with audiences and the word-of-mouth they generated led to an initial run of more than 5,000 performances over 13 years. Since then, the musical (which is based on the classic French story by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, which itself was adapted from the original La Belle et la Bete by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve) has remained one of the most popular titles in the American musical theater canon.

Beauty and the Beast has proven just as potent on the road, touring time and again and the musical has made the rounds of theater companies of all stripes - professional, community, academic, you name it, if there's a space that can be utilized as a performance venue, it's been done - all over the world.

We share that information with you (and buried the lead of this review) as a prelude to the news that finally, it its 23rd year of musical theater productions, Belmont University Musical Theatre - the academic training ground for some of the most talented performers we've ever had the joy of seeing onstage, from among whom will come generations of future Tony Award-winners, we have no doubt - in 2023 has finally offered audiences its own hugely entertaining, compellingly acted and directed, and wonderfully theatrical version of Beauty and the Beast.

It was definitely worth the wait! Directed with confidence by David Shamburger, with superb musical direction by Nate Strasser and exuberant choreography by Anna Perry, BUMT's Beauty and the Beast features a tremendously capable cast of actors who've honed their skills in order to deliver the goods for the near-capacity audience in the glittering Fisher Center for the Performing Arts that provides the ideal setting for the professionally produced and sumptuously appointed staging which rivals that of any national touring company. The presentation of four performances during the weekend of March 24-26 - which is far too short a run, to be certain - clearly entertained the crowds (including all manner of young princesses with hopes of playing Belle one day) who queued up to enter the gorgeous neo-classical temple of the arts on the Belmont campus.

With a cast of BUMT favorites (we've been honored to watch their stage presence and talents grow during their time in the program) led by Noah Sowalskie as the Beast, Patrick Dunbar as Gaston, Chamberlin Little as LeFou and Josh Jordan as Lumiere - and Sierra Fermin and Maya Kaempf alternating in the role of Belle - this Beauty and the Beast couldn't have pleased their audiences more, instilling in every person in the theater a sense of wonder and enchantment that ensures the musical production transcended the stagebound structure of the script.

Maya Kaempf played Belle in the performance we reviewed, delivering a picture-perfect visual of her character, while singing the role with the confidence of a genuine artist. Spirited and independent, Kaempf's Belle has an almost indefinable presence: she simply is "Belle," captivating everyone in the audience with her portrayal. Her chemistry with Sowalskie's Beast was palpable and as the two characters interact, their growing affection for each other was readily apparent. Sowalksie, whom we've seen onstage since his freshman year at Belmont (and whom we remarked in an earlier review had claimed his leading man bona fides already), gave a fiercely charming and commanding performance as the Young Prince cursed to become a beast until he can find true and abiding love.

Dunbar's Gaston was perfectly arrogant, ensuring all eyes are riveted to him as he struts about the stage, with his sidekick LeFou perfectly played by Chamberlin Little. And Delaney Carrol, Elayna Sirrine and Payton Tabb shine as Les Filles de la Ville, colloquially known as the "silly girls."

Simon Elliott is winningly cast as Belle's bumbling inventor father Maurice and manages to effectively and believably convey his character's age and maturity.

Among the domestic staff at the Beast's castle, the depth of the BUMT bench of musical performers perhaps proves even more impressive than expected: Josh Jordan is terrific as Lumiere, Dylan Pearson is perfectly unctuous as the Beast's major domo Cogsworth, Maddie Heckler is coquettish and alluring as Babette and Kathryn Crandall impresses as Madame de la Bouche.

As Mrs. Potts, Leah Spurlock is every bit the elegant retainer of the household, and her performance of the show's lovely title song is exactly what anyone could ever hope to hear. As her son, Chip, Simon Strasser (the son of musical director Nate Strasser) simply couldn't be better.

The large ensemble who bring the show to vibrant life, particularly during the big spectacular musical numbers that make Beauty and the Beast so appealing, give every indication that we have much to look forward to in future seasons with Belmont University Musical Theatre.

Anna Perry's elaborate choreography is beautifully performed, providing the audience with much to applaud ("Be Our Guest" is as stunning as any we've seen, truth be told, and "Gaston" is cheekily over-the-top), while Nate Strasser's musical direction of his 17-member orchestra lends an air of sophistication and professionalism that is the hallmark of BUMT shows.

Richard Davis' extraordinary lighting design effectively illuminates every scene, ensuring audiences can see and understand what is happening as demanded by the script, while the top-notch audio design and sound effects designed by Christopher Bangos and Ivan Sobek do the same. Melissa Durmon's costumes are beautiful and, paired with all the other design elements, provide a visual feast throughout.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast - The Broadway Musical. Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. Book by Linda Woolverton. Directed by David Shamburger. Musical direction by Nate Strasser. Choreography by Anna Perry. Stage managed by Mely Berdion and Josh Fermin. Presented by Belmont University Musical Theatre at Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Belmont University, Nashville. Runs March 24-26

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