Gorgeous. That's all that need be said about Ballet Met's sweet "Beauty and
the Beast," which just opened Thursday night at the Ohio Theater, and which
will play through Sunday, March 14.
The music is lovely, the dancing divine, the costumes breathtaking, the sets
entrancing. David Nixon's choreography and concept both work admirably well.
The lead performances by Carrie West and Richard Tullius were also fine, as
were the efforts of the rest of the cast and the orchestra. It's a piece that
rises or falls on its grace and emotional pull, and in its opening night, the
whole thing worked.
That goes for my four-year-old Shoshanna as well. After restraining her
from rushing the stage (she doesn't yet understand the differential between
performers and spectators), we retreated to a corner of the balcony, where she
could dance in peace. Many of the wonderful classic tunes she recognized from
Disney's Fantasia, all of them rendered admirably by the CSO under Gary Sheldon.
The story line, of course, varies a bit from the Disney rendition, and from
the super-glitzed "Beast" that toured through here a few years ago.
But this one feels like home. Go see it. Bring the kids. Over the weekend,
they'll actually be allowed on stage, which is fitting for an all-around
beautiful show.
Photo: Jason Hartley as the Beast. Photo by Will Shively.
