Beauty and the Beast Revival

[rodrigo_ca]

Also, one of my conspiracy theories (especially after the news that Hamilton is moving to Disney+) is that Disney is indeed planning on filming some of their productions for Disney+. Funny to see I'm not the only one haha. I don't think they'll film Frozen though. There are plans for productions in the UK, Germany and more countries (I believe the plan is for the show to eventually come to The Netherlands). However, BatB seems like a good one to start with, since it's an older show but will still be fresh and new since it's a new version of the show.

That's exactly my theory! Especially after the filming of Aladdin in the UK, I just bet we'll see Mary Poppins filmed as well before it closes in the UK and then you can BET they didn't get Whoopi Goldberg to do a run of Sister Act on stage all the way in the UK if they weren't planning to film it too.

[Thumper_93]

I really like the costumes for that production! Those costumes were actually originally designed for the Dutch production and later used by other European productions. I remember seeing that production when I was younger and it was magical. I also really liked that show's version of the yellow dress, especially the sleeves.



And yes, that's a blonde Belle. They decided that the actress who was playing Belle at the time looked too plain as a brunette so they made her version of Belle blonde. They did a Dutch revival a couple of years ago and that Belle was brunette, so it seems they just look at what works best for the actress.

He outlined a number of newish projects for the company, none of them aimed at Broadway. A new production of “Beauty and the Beast,” with the same creative team that worked on the 1994 original, is slated to open overseas next spring and in the United States in 2022, and the company is working on a new, smaller, touring production of “Aladdin.”

Interesting. A lot of productions seem to prefer a UK/West End debut to a US/Broadway debut (for example, the Back to the Future musical or Sister Act way back). They might want to see how the show does overseas before opening a Broadway production. I wonder if it has to do with costs maybe?

Also, one of my conspiracy theories (especially after the news that Hamilton is moving to Disney+) is that Disney is indeed planning on filming some of their productions for Disney+. Funny to see I'm not the only one haha. I don't think they'll film Frozen though. There are plans for productions in the UK, Germany and more countries (I believe the plan is for the show to eventually come to The Netherlands). However, BatB seems like a good one to start with, since it's an older show but will still be fresh and new since it's a new version of the show.

I think that these cosutmes were made for Stage Entertaiment, the owner of the Show rights in Europe. This company is from Germany and they did the show in Spain too. In Madrid now they're playing Anastasia and The Lion King with a huge success.

For the Spanish Belle they used Julia Moller in Madrid (I Believe She played Belle in Barcelona too):



She was replaced by Maria Adamuz (I don't like her for Belle):



And in the Tour Talia de Val played Belle. For me the best actress:





They used Wigs for all the Belle's adaptations in Spain. We used to respect the cast but in Anastasia Stage choosed a Brunette Anya inted a blonde one like in the rest of the world...

[supertalies]

think that these cosutmes were made for Stage Entertaiment, the owner of the Show rights in Europe. This company is from Germany and they did the show in Spain too. In Madrid now they're playing Anastasia and The Lion King with a huge success...

Yeah you're right. These costumes are from the Stage Entertainment productions. Stage Entertainment is behind most of the European productions of the Disney musicals and were also the ones who reworked Tarzan and The Little Mermaid after they flopped on Broadway. They also created some shows, like Sister Act and Anastasia. By the way they're actually not a German company, but a Dutch company! Which is why a lot of their 'new versions' of existing shows kinda get workshopped here in The Netherlands. The Dutch version of BATB was the first one to use these costumes and the reworked versions of Tarzan and TLM first premiered here.

We used to respect the cast but in Anastasia Stage choosed a Brunette Anya inted a blonde one like in the rest of the world...

There is also a production of Anastasia currently playing here in the Netherlands (well not currently because of Covid... but it was before all this happened) and the Anya in this production is also a brunette. I thought she was also a brunette in the Broadway version?

That's exactly my theory! Especially after the filming of Aladdin in the UK, I just bet we'll see Mary Poppins filmed as well before it closes in the UK and then you can BET they didn't get Whoopi Goldberg to do a run of Sister Act on stage all the way in the UK if they weren't planning to film it too.

Oh yeah! I totally forgot that they had filmed the UK version of Aladdin. I believe they even brought back some of the cast members from internation productions for that. I wouldn't be surprised if that will be the show to pop up next on Disney+ after Hamilton tbh. Also I'd love it if they filmed Whoopi in Sister Act! I would love for that to be captured because it will probably not happen again.

[JeanGreyForever]

I really like the costumes for that production! Those costumes were actually originally designed for the Dutch production and later used by other European productions. I remember seeing that production when I was younger and it was magical. I also really liked that show's version of the yellow dress, especially the sleeves.



And yes, that's a blonde Belle. They decided that the actress who was playing Belle at the time looked too plain as a brunette so they made her version of Belle blonde. They did a Dutch revival a couple of years ago and that Belle was brunette, so it seems they just look at what works best for the actress.

He outlined a number of newish projects for the company, none of them aimed at Broadway. A new production of “Beauty and the Beast,” with the same creative team that worked on the 1994 original, is slated to open overseas next spring and in the United States in 2022, and the company is working on a new, smaller, touring production of “Aladdin.”

Interesting. A lot of productions seem to prefer a UK/West End debut to a US/Broadway debut (for example, the Back to the Future musical or Sister Act way back). They might want to see how the show does overseas before opening a Broadway production. I wonder if it has to do with costs maybe?

Also, one of my conspiracy theories (especially after the news that Hamilton is moving to Disney+) is that Disney is indeed planning on filming some of their productions for Disney+. Funny to see I'm not the only one haha. I don't think they'll film Frozen though. There are plans for productions in the UK, Germany and more countries (I believe the plan is for the show to eventually come to The Netherlands). However, BatB seems like a good one to start with, since it's an older show but will still be fresh and new since it's a new version of the show.

That dress is gorgeous! I wish the live-action film had something like that. And a blonde Belle doesn't bother me too much. It's a bit strange at first but she's very pretty as a blonde and the original Beauty from the fairy tale was blonde. The same goes for Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz or Christine Daae from The Phantom of the Opera.

I agree with you that it's likely they're going to film this BATB for Disney+. There was already an article about how Disney doesn't feel they have enough material for Disney+ which is why they're releasing Hamilton early.

[JeanGreyForever]

That blonde Belle is EXTREMELY jarring to me. I don't like it (the actress is beautiful, though). So I used Seventeen magazine's online beauty makeover tool, and (sorry about the hairstyle- it was the best I could find!)

HAHAHAHA, love this. Funny enough they actually had made a brunette wig for the actress. Before the show had premiered they performed Be Our Guest on some TV show and she was wearing a a darker wig then. So they changed the hair colour pretty last minute I believe. The understudy did have a darker wig though.

^ Is that in reference to the live-action Ariel, or just in general? I think for me I don't care much about the live action films (I'm always interested in how a film is made, so I've been enjoying Niki Caro's posts that Sotiris has been posting in the LA Mulan thread), so if the LA characters don't look similar, meh, but I want my stage show (Broadway, West End, wherever, touring) to look like the characters, just like I do in the theme park (Do not hire a blue-eyed Snow White w/o giving her contacts!!!! So jarring as well for me!!!)...personal preference I suppose.

Funny, but with me it's actually the opposite. I don't really mind when they change a character for stage adaptations. With stage adaptations I tend to have an easier time looking past the way a character looks. I remember that before I went to see that Dutch production of BATB I really disliked that they had made Belle blonde, but during the show I really didn't mind. Another example: I saw Mean Girls the Musical a while back and the understudy for Regina George was on. She's an African-American girl with darker hair, so obviously she looks very different from the first cast Regina or the Regina from the movie. However, I totally didn't mind, even though Regina George is probably also a very iconic character with a certain look. There have also been several African-American Belles and based on the pictures I've seen they look great!

However, when it's a live action remake of an animated movie, weirdly enough I do want my characters to look like the animated versions. So when they had announced they had cast Halle Bailey as Ariel, that was a bit jarring for me. Now, I'm used to the idea by now and I'm certainly going try and keep an open mind when I watch the live action remake (I think Halle is an amazingly talented singer)... but like you said, it's personal preference.

The same goes for me. When it comes to the stage, blind casting has been the law of the land for generations now (like how men used to play women back in the day of Shakespeare or female Peter Pans) so I have NO issue with an Asian Ariel or a Black Cinderella or Belle. Although Toni Braxton was not my cup of tea as Belle but that's besides the point. When it comes to the live-action films, I do expect something that looks more like the animated films but I appreciate your positivity and optimism unlike some users.

Also, one of my conspiracy theories (especially after the news that Hamilton is moving to Disney+) is that Disney is indeed planning on filming some of their productions for Disney+. Funny to see I'm not the only one haha. I don't think they'll film Frozen though. There are plans for productions in the UK, Germany and more countries (I believe the plan is for the show to eventually come to The Netherlands). However, BatB seems like a good one to start with, since it's an older show but will still be fresh and new since it's a new version of the show.

That's exactly my theory! Especially after the filming of Aladdin in the UK, I just bet we'll see Mary Poppins filmed as well before it closes in the UK and then you can BET they didn't get Whoopi Goldberg to do a run of Sister Act on stage all the way in the UK if they weren't planning to film it too.

I would love to see all those shows filmed and included on Disney+. Especially Mary Poppins because I never saw that on stage.

It’s actually interesting to think about race in the parks... because at first I thought I’d expect the face characters to be the same race as the characters in the movie, but actually I don’t think that’s always the case with face characters who are people of color!

Jasmine and Pocahontas tend to be played by white actresses at the parks. I've seen a couple of East Asian Jasmines as well which is always pretty jarring because I do hope Disney realizes that not every Asian country is interchangeable. It's one thing to cast an Indian girl or Sri Lankan girl as an Arabian girl but it's really obvious when a Chinese girl or Thai girl is cast as Jasmine.


*Moderator's note: This post has been edited to remove personal attack.*

[JeanGreyForever]

I really like the costumes for that production! Those costumes were actually originally designed for the Dutch production and later used by other European productions. I remember seeing that production when I was younger and it was magical. I also really liked that show's version of the yellow dress, especially the sleeves.

https://www.stsonstage.com/uploads/imag ... _src_2.jpg

And yes, that's a blonde Belle. They decided that the actress who was playing Belle at the time looked too plain as a brunette so they made her version of Belle blonde. They did a Dutch revival a couple of years ago and that Belle was brunette, so it seems they just look at what works best for the actress.
Interesting. A lot of productions seem to prefer a UK/West End debut to a US/Broadway debut (for example, the Back to the Future musical or Sister Act way back). They might want to see how the show does overseas before opening a Broadway production. I wonder if it has to do with costs maybe?

Also, one of my conspiracy theories (especially after the news that Hamilton is moving to Disney+) is that Disney is indeed planning on filming some of their productions for Disney+. Funny to see I'm not the only one haha. I don't think they'll film Frozen though. There are plans for productions in the UK, Germany and more countries (I believe the plan is for the show to eventually come to The Netherlands). However, BatB seems like a good one to start with, since it's an older show but will still be fresh and new since it's a new version of the show.

I think that these cosutmes were made for Stage Entertaiment, the owner of the Show rights in Europe. This company is from Germany and they did the show in Spain too. In Madrid now they're playing Anastasia and The Lion King with a huge success.

For the Spanish Belle they used Julia Moller in Madrid (I Believe She played Belle in Barcelona too):

https://www.juliamoller.com/juliamoller ... mage_3.png

She was replaced by Maria Adamuz (I don't like her for Belle):

https://www.todomusicales.com/fckeditor ... amuz01.jpg

And in the Tour Talia de Val played Belle. For me the best actress:

https://www.todomusicales.com/fckeditor ... Val200.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/11 ... 00x400.png
https://primerafilarevista.files.wordpr ... .jpg?w=600

They used Wigs for all the Belle's adaptations in Spain. We used to respect the cast but in Anastasia Stage choosed a Brunette Anya inted a blonde one like in the rest of the world...

Thanks for all that information!

I wonder why they picked a brunette Anya although in some photo stills of the musical (depending on the lighting), her hair does look brown. And in the movie, it was auburn so it looks red in some scenes and brown in others.

There is also a production of Anastasia currently playing here in the Netherlands (well not currently because of Covid... but it was before all this happened) and the Anya in this production is also a brunette. I thought she was also a brunette in the Broadway version?

She has a dark blonde wig in the musical but it does look brown at times.

[supertalies]

Ah ok. I believe the Anya in the Dutch production had brown hair but it might have also been a dark blonde. I'm not sure.

That dress is gorgeous! I wish the live-action film had something like that. And a blonde Belle doesn't bother me too much. It's a bit strange at first but she's very pretty as a blonde and the original Beauty from the fairy tale was blonde. The same goes for Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz or Christine Daae from The Phantom of the Opera.

I agree with you that it's likely they're going to film this BATB for Disney+. There was already an article about how Disney doesn't feel they have enough material for Disney+ which is why they're releasing Hamilton early.

Oh, don't get me started on the dress from the live action remake lol. I mean, it was a very pretty dress, but definitely not the stunning gown it was supposed to be. And let's not talk about historical accuracy... I really hope they don't take inspiration from that dress for this new revival of the show. Or if they do... at least add sleeves!

Now that you mention Christine from Phantom, there have actually also been some Christines who had blonde wigs I believe. Which is indeed more true to the books!

I didn't know that Beauty/Belle was also a blonde in the original BATB story though, but that does explain why so many Beautys/Belles have been blonde in other adaptations of the story, like in the 2014 french La Belle et La Bete film with Lea Sedoux as Belle (speaking of beautiful costumes, that movie had some STUNNING costumes for Belle).

Anyway. I didn't see that article where it was said Disney didn't have enough material for Disney+ and that that was the reason why they're releasing Hamilton early, but it makes sense. There is a severe lack of original new content on there. I've literally had it since the day it launched in the Netherlands last september but was really considering cancelling my subscription because there was not that much new content. Funnily enough the Hamilton announcement is what kept me from cancelling for the time being. So I guess I fell right into Disney's trap hahaha.

[Disney's Divinity]

I didn't know that Beauty/Belle was also a blonde in the original BATB story though, but that does explain why so many Beautys/Belles have been blonde in other adaptations of the story, like in the 2014 french La Belle et La Bete film with Lea Sedoux as Belle (speaking of beautiful costumes, that movie had some STUNNING costumes for Belle).

Yes, that film was gorgeous! There are aspects about the film that I like more than Disney's animated film, but overall I still do regard Disney's version as the best.

[JeanGreyForever]

Ah ok. I believe the Anya in the Dutch production had brown hair but it might have also been a dark blonde. I'm not sure.

That dress is gorgeous! I wish the live-action film had something like that. And a blonde Belle doesn't bother me too much. It's a bit strange at first but she's very pretty as a blonde and the original Beauty from the fairy tale was blonde. The same goes for Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz or Christine Daae from The Phantom of the Opera.

I agree with you that it's likely they're going to film this BATB for Disney+. There was already an article about how Disney doesn't feel they have enough material for Disney+ which is why they're releasing Hamilton early.

Oh, don't get me started on the dress from the live action remake lol. I mean, it was a very pretty dress, but definitely not the stunning gown it was supposed to be. And let's not talk about historical accuracy... I really hope they don't take inspiration from that dress for this new revival of the show. Or if they do... at least add sleeves!

Now that you mention Christine from Phantom, there have actually also been some Christines who had blonde wigs I believe. Which is indeed more true to the books!

I didn't know that Beauty/Belle was also a blonde in the original BATB story though, but that does explain why so many Beautys/Belles have been blonde in other adaptations of the story, like in the 2014 french La Belle et La Bete film with Lea Sedoux as Belle (speaking of beautiful costumes, that movie had some STUNNING costumes for Belle).

Anyway. I didn't see that article where it was said Disney didn't have enough material for Disney+ and that that was the reason why they're releasing Hamilton early, but it makes sense. There is a severe lack of original new content on there. I've literally had it since the day it launched in the Netherlands last september but was really considering cancelling my subscription because there was not that much new content. Funnily enough the Hamilton announcement is what kept me from cancelling for the time being. So I guess I fell right into Disney's trap hahaha.

To be honest, i didn't consider it pretty at all. It looked like a very flimsy prom gown and not one I would see as a very popular style and it certainly wasn't worthy of being a princess gown from the most opulent and decadent era. If they remove sleeves from the new revival dress to match the live-action film, I'll be heartbroken.

And actually the only reason that Christine is brunette in the musicals is because Sarah Brightman, who originated the role, had curly, brown hair so that became the staple for Christine and almost every actress since then dons a wig to resemble her. But like you said, there have been a few exceptions where the wig was blonde. I think before Sarah Brightman, the plan was for Christine to be blonde.

Yeah, that's why both French Beauty and the Beast films (the 1946 and 2014 ones specifically) have blonde Belles. And the original text of the Villeneuve version specifically states that from what I remember. The 2014 French film had stunning costumes and I wish I could own some of those gowns that Lea Seydoux got to wear. Now she truly looked like the fairy tale Belle unlike Emma Watson in that yellow rag lol.

The article was posted somewhere here in this forum, I think in the Hamilton thread or maybe the Disney+ thread. Lol, I guess Bob Iger's plan to keep subscribers worked after all.

[Disney Duster]

And a blonde Belle doesn't bother me too much. It's a bit strange at first but she's very pretty as a blonde and the original Beauty from the fairy tale was blonde. The same goes for Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz or Christine Daae from The Phantom of the Opera.

I believe in the first, original The Wizard of Oz book, Dorothy had red hair. Then, in the next books, the illustrator gave her blonde hair. That's the little I remember about that.

Oh, don't get me started on the dress from the live action remake lol. I mean, it was a very pretty dress, but definitely not the stunning gown it was supposed to be. And let's not talk about historical accuracy... I really hope they don't take inspiration from that dress for this new revival of the show. Or if they do... at least add sleeves!

To be honest, i didn't consider it pretty at all. It looked like a very flimsy prom gown and not one I would see as a very popular style and it certainly wasn't worthy of being a princess gown from the most opulent and decadent era. If they remove sleeves from the new revival dress to match the live-action film, I'll be heartbroken.

That live-action gown was a little bit prettty, but still bad. But sleeves aren't where it was so bad. Remember, the original Disney animated Belle's dress didn't have sleeves either. It wasn't historically accurate, but it was gorgeous.

[blackcauldron85]

Just a thought that I just had: If that Dutch Belle actress had Belle's iconic hairstyle, I think I'd be more okay with it. But she has, unless I missed something, a bun, not the 1/2 up, 1/2 down iconic Belle yellow dress hairstyle...? So the color and style doesn't match...

[supertalies]

I didn't know that Beauty/Belle was also a blonde in the original BATB story though, but that does explain why so many Beautys/Belles have been blonde in other adaptations of the story, like in the 2014 french La Belle et La Bete film with Lea Sedoux as Belle (speaking of beautiful costumes, that movie had some STUNNING costumes for Belle).

Yes, that film was gorgeous! There are aspects about the film that I like more than Disney's animated film, but overall I still do regard Disney's version as the best.

Agreed! That movie was visually stunning, but I still prefer the Disney version.

Just a thought that I just had: If that Dutch Belle actress had Belle's iconic hairstyle, I think I'd be more okay with it. But she has, unless I missed something, a bun, not the 1/2 up, 1/2 down iconic Belle yellow dress hairstyle...? So the color and style doesn't match...

I think there is actually a bit of hair hanging down in the back, but not as much as with the animated Belle. But I understand where you're coming from!

[blackcauldron85]

I do like the beads/pearls in it...it's different that it's in a low ponytail, but yes, I do like it better than the front-facing photo I initially saw! Thank you!

[JeanGreyForever]

And a blonde Belle doesn't bother me too much. It's a bit strange at first but she's very pretty as a blonde and the original Beauty from the fairy tale was blonde. The same goes for Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz or Christine Daae from The Phantom of the Opera.

I believe in the first, original The Wizard of Oz book, Dorothy had red hair. Then, in the next books, the illustrator gave her blonde hair. That's the little I remember about that.

To be honest, i didn't consider it pretty at all. It looked like a very flimsy prom gown and not one I would see as a very popular style and it certainly wasn't worthy of being a princess gown from the most opulent and decadent era. If they remove sleeves from the new revival dress to match the live-action film, I'll be heartbroken.

That live-action gown was a little bit prettty, but still bad. But sleeves aren't where it was so bad. Remember, the original Disney animated Belle's dress didn't have sleeves either. It wasn't historically accurate, but it was gorgeous.

Yes, precisely. Dorothy has red hair in the first book but every other book in the series (which has continued to this day although they're little known now) features her with a short blonde bob. That along with her pristine white outfit made her look more like a posh, city girl rather than a country girl from the first book. Actually Shirley Temple was one of the original choices for Dorothy so her look would have been almost identical to the Dorothy from the book series (minus the first book). And they even tried out a blonde wig for Judy Garland, some pics of which are online.

True, the Disney animated dress didn't have sleeves but that dress didn't need any plus it had gloves. The skirt alone was gorgeous enough by itself which we can't really say for the live-action film. And it still bothers me that Belle had sleeves in the concept art of the live-action film but they totally disregarded that for Emma Watson.

[Disney Duster]

Oh, ok about Dorothy. I've seen the blonde wig on Judy.

I actually don't mind the top of Belle's live-action gown, sleeves or no. I just really wish the skirt and overskirts were better.

[JeanGreyForever]

The top of her gown is a letdown for me especially when you compare it to the other gorgeous period costumes from the same film (mostly worn by Audra McDonald).

[Disney Duster]

It's a let down, I just don't mind it nearly as much as the bottom half.

[JeanGreyForever]

For me the whole package was just a mess. The hair was too simple and not interesting enough. The jewelry was barely visible. The skirt had no flow and was completely lackluster. The arms were completely bare. The bodice was just plain and uninteresting. I don't remember much about the shoes either although to be fair, in the animated film, she just has golden ballet flats.

[Disney Duster]

Yes, the whole look was underwhelming. You bring up another great point. Her dress was supposed to move and float well, but it hardly ever shows that, and actually looks like one big ugly mass most of the time!

[DisneyFan97]

I saw this Musical eariler this year and io was one of the BEST LIVE STAGE productions i have ever seen !!!