Disney’s animated Beauty and the Beast is much beloved, despite leaving so many unanswered questions about a woman who falls in love with a monster that holds her captive in a castle. 3B Productions’ live-stage version is preparing to put some of those queries to rest.
After The Little Mermaid premiered in 1989, Disney went on a roll with its animated movies. Beauty and the Beast came out in 1991. And the great music and fun characters allowed many of us (especially kids) to gloss over the fact that our sweet protagonist Belle snootily looks down on her fellow townspeople while they work, or that her falling in love with her rage-issue captor raises some questions about healthy relationships.
Joe Barton is 3B's co-founder and the director of the theater’s summer teen show that premieres Thursday. He said the beauty — so to speak — of the stage play is that it that it irons out some of the missing pieces in these characterizations through additional songs and scenes.
“The show itself is written better than the movie, they flesh out the characters more in that Belle gets a little more humanity and we get to know who the Beast is more,” he said. “And we had Belle be less of, what I call the ‘bratty Belle,’ and we see more of Belle realizing that there’s a change in herself while with the Beast — while he’s still kind of a petulant child trapped a beast body — realizes that he has to change himself in order to break the spell.”
The townspeople, including villain Gaston’s sidekick Le Fou, also are also more fleshed out, Barton said. And 3B’s production provides audiences a chance to meet the enchantress responsible for turning the prince into the Beast.
Barton said the teens actors chose to stage Beauty and the Beast as their summer show after organizers were denied the rights to perform Mamma Mia. It just goes to show that after more than 30 years, the show still has appeal.
“There's this something about the Disney mystique that people just love, and so anytime we do a Disney show, we just get huge audiences,” Barton said. “We try to stay as true to the original vision of Beauty and the Beast as possible, but what’s great is we still have wiggle room to still make it our own.”
Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Maumee Indoor Theatre, 601 Conant St., Maumee. Tickets, $20 for adults and $18 for students and seniors, are available at 3bproductions.org.
Something else for this weekend
Why see one show this weekend when you can see two?
Actors Collaborative Toledo and the Village Players Theatre have teamed up for the comedic production of Ben Hur. This show follows a four-member amateur theater troupe that tries to condense the epic tale for the stage. But don’t worry, it still contains your favorite chariot races, a sea battle, and other combat scenes.
Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Village Players Theatre, 740 Upton Ave. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students at act419.org.
Upcoming shows:
■ Jersey Boys: 7:30 p.m. July 21 at the Valentine Theatre, 410 Adams St., Toledo.
■ Little Shop of Horrors: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Croswell Opera House, 129 E. Maumee St., Adrian.
■ Rocket Man, a collaboration between ACT and the Village Players: July 29-31 at the Village Players Theatre.
■ Rent: July 29-31 at the Collingwood Arts Center, 2413 Collingwood Blvd., Toledo.
■ The Wizard of Oz: July 29-31 at the Toledo Repertoire Theatre, 16 10th St., Toledo.
■ Definition of This: Aug. 5-14 at the Toledo Repertoire Theatre.
■ Hamilton: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 23-25, 8 p.m. Aug. 26, and 1 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd., Toledo.
Jeff Schmucker writes about theater for The Blade. Send news of theater and comedy events at least two weeks in advance to theater@theblade.com.
First Published July 21, 2022, 4:00 p.m.
