Review: Hale Centre Theatre Brings Back BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’s Spectacle and Soul

When BEAUTY AND THE BEAST arrived in 1994 as Disney’s first Broadway show, it was a dramatic spectacle that inspired the imaginations of fans the world over who lamented they’d never get a chance to see it.  But as time went on and the musical became geographically closer and easier to see, first with national tours and then with local productions, each iteration of BEAUTY was decreased in size and magic. It’s now performed so often and with such low budgets that the thought of seeing another version can feel like a chore to seasoned theatregoers—even those would have once given anything to attend.   

Imagine the astonishment and delight that fills the hearts of jaded audience members at Hale Centre Theatre’s Centre Stage in Sandy when they realize immediately during the prologue that this team has somehow brought back not only the spectacle of the original Broadway production but also its soul. 

Who in 2024 sits on the edge of their seats at a performance of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST to ensure they don’t miss a single moment?  But that’s what is happening right now at Hale Centre Theatre. The audience is completely enraptured by both sincere storytelling and production value that is beyond compare, including scenic design that needs to be seen to be believed, swoonworthy pyrotechnics and aerial choreography, tastefully stunning projections and costuming, wonderfully fresh direction, and beautiful performances. 

Disney Theatricals should make travel plans to take notes on how to make their forthcoming major new production of the show successful. 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, book by Linda Woolverton) is based on the classic Disney animated film. When a prince is transformed into a beast because of his selfishness, he must learn to love another and earn her love in return. When the beautiful, brainy Belle finds herself in the Beast's enchanted castle through unexpected circumstances, she and we discover that true beauty comes from within.

Jessica Hudson is the perfect Belle (double cast with Shae Robins) with tender emotion, commanding intellect, and truly exquisite singing. She has a touching relationship with the wonderful Mark Pulham as her father, Maurice (double cast with David Marsden).

Understudy Zack Wilson brings out the humanity in the Beast (normally double cast with Kyle Olsen and Darick Pead).

Russell Maxfield as Gaston (double cast with Preston Yates) and Thomas Brandley as Le Fou (double cast with Angel Martinez) are a formidable pair that bring out unexpected humor without resorting to cartoonish antics.

Similarly, the palace residents feel like real human beings rather than over-the-top objects, including Scott Hendrickson as Lumiere (double cast with David Paul Smith), BJ Wimpey as Cogsworth (double cast with Kyle Baugh), Corinne Adair as Babette (double cast with Ashley Gardner Carlson), Chelsea Lindsay as Mrs. Potts (double cast with Diana Dayley Bowler), Link Evans as Chip (triple cast with Benedict Copier and Mason Burnham), and April Kerr as Madame de le Grande Bouche (double cast with Ashley Shamy).

The sprightly ensemble brings passion and joy to their numbers in town and in the castle.

The production team helmed by director Ryan Simmons, including music director Kelly DeHaan, choreographer Afton Wilson, and flight/aerial director Ramsi Nia Stoker, has created a show that is both stirringly new and deeply familiar. A new twist on “Human Again” is particularly moving.    

The costumes by Jenn Taylor, hair and makeup by Candice Cronin, and props by Danna Barney are works of art.

The scenic design by Nate Bertone, with automation by Nick Herring and lighting/video/projection design by Jaron Kent Hermansen, is a wonder to behold with a massive castle set that rises, spins, lifts, and separates in seemingly innumerable possible iterations.  The large screens in the back of the theatre that can sometimes distract in other productions, have been ingeniously cloaked in physical set pieces, utilizing the screens as stunning stained glass windows. When added to the hanging chandeliers and floating candles, the entire space is immersively transformed with magical surprises waiting to be revealed at every moment, including a “Be Our Guest” that tops any to come before. 

The reviewed performance was inhibited by some technical difficulties, including a lengthy stop, but those wrinkles will surely be ironed out in time, and they did not diminish enthusiasm for the ambitious marvel on that stage.

If there is any piece of you that has ever appreciated BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, you absolutely must grab any last ticket that remains for the nearly sold-out run.  And that doesn’t just go for people in Utah but anyone anywhere in the world who is willing to travel to see what is quite possibly the best production of the show in the last 30 years.

Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST plays through January 25, 2025. For tickets, call the box office at 801-984-9000 or visit www.hct.org.

Photo Credit: Hale Centre Theatre.

 

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