Musical "Beauty and the Beast": reviews. Musical "Beauty and the Beast" in Moscow

"Beauty and the Beast" - a fairy tale about a beautiful girl with a kind heart and an enchanted prince, languishing in the guise of a terrible Monster. This touching story is known all over the world, it is loved by both children and adults.

The fairy tale was screened many times, a large number of theatrical productions were created, including the famous musical of Alan Mencken, the premiere of the Russian version of which was held on October 18, 2014 in Moscow.

Fairy tale

The fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" is so wise that it seems that it is popular, and many really think so. But the fairy tale has an author - it's the French writer Gabriel-Suzanne Barbo de Villeneuve. But the magical love story of Belle and the Beast was not quite the same as we know it. In the fairy tale written by Madame de Villeneuve, there were many more characters and storylines than in the version familiar to us, and it was told in it far not only about the enchanted Prince and Beauty. We are used to the variant, which appeared 16 years after the work of the writer de Villeneuve saw the light. Jeanne-Marie Leprens de Beaumont (great-grandmother of the famous Prosper Merimee) edited and shortened the original version. The story of de Villeneuve in the de Beaumont office almost immediately gained incredible popularity.

The musical "Beauty and the Beast" (which lasts 3 hours) tells that only love and beauty will save the world, because they have great power to make the world and people better.

Creators

The author of the music is the famous American composer, winner of 10 Golden Globe Awards, 7 Grammy Awards and 8 Oscar Awards - Alan Menken.

The list of his most famous works includes music for cartoons and Broadway productions, such as "The Little Mermaid", "Aladdin", "Rapunzel", "Hunchback of Notre Dame", and also to the musical "Act, Sister". He is the author of songs and voiceovers for the cartoon "Pocahontas" and for the tape "One at home". This is not a complete list of masterpieces that have glorified A. Menken for the whole world.

The libretto was written by L. Woolverton, the author of scenarios for children's television programs and animated series. Her most famous works are "The Lion King", "Real Haunted Hunters", "Alvin and the Chipmunks", "Duck Stories".

The lyrics for the animated film "Beauty and the Beast", which were also used in the production, belong to H. Eshman. To the additional songs the text was written by the famous Tim Rice.

For already 20 years the musical "Beauty and the Beast" has enjoyed success among audiences of all ages in many countries of the world. Reviews about him are filled with such epithets as "fantastic show", "amazing action", "bright extravaganza", "bewitching fairy tale" ...

Characters

Belle is the first beauty in her town. Clever and kind girl. It differs from all not only in beauty. She loves to read and dream, because of what the people of the city consider her strange. Only her father understands it - the inventor and the same dreamer as a daughter.

The monster is the Prince, who was bewitched by the sorceress as punishment for not being able to love and compassion. There is only one way to remove the spell: The prince must love a girl who, in return, will love him, despite his awful appearance.

Gaston is a handsome, tall, strong, confident young hunter. He is in love with all the girls except Belle, whom he dreams of getting into his wives and does not give her a pass. Belle does not want to become his wife, because he is rude and arrogant.

Lefu is a friend of Gaston, frail, small and stupid.

When the spell was cast on the Prince, all those who lived and worked in his castle, too, fell under the spell of the sorceress: Lumiere, the head waiter, became a candelabrum; Butler Cogsworth - a fireplace clock; Mrs. Chaiton - a teapot; Her son Chip - a cup for tea; Maid Babette - a broom.

Plot

One winter night, the young Prince, who lives in a luxurious castle, asked for a beggar's lodging. He was heartless and told to drive her away. The old woman turned out to be a sorceress and punished the Prince, turning him into a Beast, and his servants into objects. The spell can only be removed by a girl who loves the Beast.

Belle lives with his father, who once lost his way in the woods, went to the castle to the Beast and became a prisoner there. The girl goes to look for him and, being in the castle, asks to release his father, says that he will remain in captivity instead of him. The monster agrees. Father is returned home, and she remains in the castle.

The enchanted Prince and his servants hope that Beauty can remove the spell from them. First, the girl and the owner of the castle do not get along, the Beast frightens Belle not only with appearance, but with rude manners. Over time, it learns to be gallant, Belle ceases to be afraid of him, and they become friends. Thanks to the girl the Beast becomes kinder and more humane, it sincerely falls in love with it. Noticing that Beauty yearns for her father, Prince releases her home, she promises to return, but he is sure that she will not see her again. At parting, the girl receives a ring as a gift, which will allow her to instantly be in the castle, if she so desires, and a magic mirror in which she can see anything she wants.

At home, she meets Gaston, who threatens that if she does not become his wife, her father will be sent to a lunatic asylum, because he tells everyone stories about the Beast. The girl, trying to prove the truthfulness of her father's words and avoid her hated marriage, shows in the magical mirror the Beast that Gaston intends to destroy by arranging a round-up on him, for which he gathers a crowd of townspeople.

A young hunter tries to kill the Prince, which he does not resist at all, for he does not need a life without Belle. The Bell returns to the castle to save the Beast, but Gaston manages to mortally wound him. The girl says that she loves the Beast, the spell is destroyed, love conquers death, and instead of the terrible beast, a beautiful Prince appears before her. One of the favorite stories about the all-conquering power of love is the musical "Beauty and the Beast". The feedback from the audience around the world makes it possible to get an answer to the question: "Is it worth to go to this performance?" There is no doubt that such a kind musical fairy tale deserves attention and everyone will like it.

Moscow production of 2008

For the first time, Russia saw the play "Beauty and the Beast" (musical) in 2008. For two years the fairy tale pleased the Russian audience, the halls were full, the production was a huge success. During this time, there were more than six hundred shows. About 700 thousand spectators watched the musical "Beauty and the Beast". Comments on the production and gratitude Russian public wrote in their letters to the company "Stage Entertainment", which gave this magical and immortal love story to our country. The performance was so fond of the audience that the completion of its rental in 2010 was a great disappointment for them.

Buy tickets for the production of "Beauty and the Beast" (musical) tickets were almost impossible, since they sold out for several months ahead.

The troupe of 2008

The selection of artists was very long. There was even an open national casting "Find the Beast", which was shown on TVC channel, where out of 500 applicants chose one artist for the role of the enchanted Prince in the musical "Beauty and the Beast". Actors who performed roles in the first Moscow production:

• Belle - Ekaterina Guseva (actress of theater and cinema, acted as Katya in the musical "Nord-Ost").
• The monster is Victor Dobronravov (the son of actor F. Dobronravov, actor of theater and cinema).
• Monsieur the Dark - Ivan Ozhogin (graduate of GITIS, laureate of competitions and the highest theater awards, soloist of musicals Cats, Nord-Ost, Chicago, Soy Wedding, Vampire Ball, Master and Margarita, Phantom of the Opera ).
• Gaston - Rostislav Kolpakov (soloist of the musicals "Vampire Ball", "Master and Margarita", "Lukomorye").
• Lumiere - Andrey Birin (actor Oleg Tabakov, starred in the movie "Running on the Waves", played the role of Michael in the musical "The Witches of Eastwick").
• Mrs. Chaiton - Elena Charkviani (10 years worked in the theater-cabaret "Bat", conducted the program on NTV channel.) The soloist of musicals: We Will Rock You, Mamma Mia !, "Witches of Eastwick", Cats).
• Madame de la Komod - Lusine Tishinian (participated in musical projects and performed concerts in Russia and in Europe).
• Lefu - Alexei Yemtsov (He graduated from the EHTI, while still a student, took part in the productions of the Yekaterinburg Musical Comedy Theater, lives and works in Moscow).

These wonderful performers have decorated themselves with the musical "Beauty and the Beast", the public's reviews of the company sound exceptionally positive.

The Moscow production of 2014

After in 2010 the show "Beauty and the Beast" in Russia was completed, the audience wrote a huge number of letters to the company "Stage Entertainment" with a request for his return to the domestic stage. In October 2014, when she celebrated her 20-year anniversary staging "Beauty and the Beast" (musical), Moscow once again welcomed this beautiful romantic story. Producers do not doubt at all that this time the musical fairy tale will be a great success for the Russian public.

The troupe of 2014

35 actors were selected in the production "Beauty and the Beast" (musical). The composition of artists performing roles in the play of 2014, updated. But there are actors who participated in the production of 2008.

• Belle - Anastasia Yatsenko.
• The monster is Alexei Konovalov and Pavel Lyovkin.
• Gaston - Evgeny Shirikov.
• Lumiere - Andrey Birin.
• Maurice is Vladimir Yabchanik.
• Lefu - Alexander Oleksenko.
• Mrs. Chaiton is Anna Guchenkova.
• Madame de la Commodus - Alyona Firger.
• Narrator - Alexey Ivashchenko.

To become performers of roles, in the musical "Beauty and the Beast" the actors underwent rigorous casting, which lasted about a year.

Make up and costumes

The production of "Beauty and the Beast" (Russian musical) is a rich arsenal of very interesting and complex costumes. Many of them have a rather big weight. For example, Belle's dress, in which she appears before the audience in the finale of the play, weighs 16 kilograms. Suit Lumiere (candelabra) weighs 10 kilograms, with the hands of the actor all the time raised up, and they are wearing accessories that mimic the candles that can burn, as in hidden pockets, gas burners are hidden. In order to perform roles in such heavy clothes, artists need endurance and good physical preparation.

Very complex is the make-up of the main character in the production "Beauty and the Beast" (musical). Photo of the process of drawing a makeup artist who performs the role of the enchanted Prince, you can see below.

Interesting Facts

The play was staged in 22 countries, and the total number of viewers around the world was more than 35 million people. The author of Russian texts to the aria of the play is the actor Alexei Kortnev.

Prices for tickets. How to get there

On the production of "Beauty and the Beast" (musical) tickets can be purchased through the Internet, their cost varies on average from 1000 to 4000 rubles.
There is a performance daily in the theater "Russia", at the address "Pushkin Square", 2. Nearby are the metro stations "Tverskaya", "Chekhovskaya", "Pushkinskaya".

On weekdays you can see a fairy tale exclusively in the evening. On weekends and holidays - twice, in the afternoon and in the evening, the musical "Beauty and the Beast" is shown. The duration of the performance is 3 hours.