Back when I first fell in love with Beauty and the Beast I remember thinking that this movie would make an awesome stage musical. So imagine my excitement on discovering that Disney was actually turning it into a musical!
And after countless years of listening to the Broadway soundtrack and dreaming about seeing it live, it was finally played in Denmark and I actually got to see it!
And it surpassed every expectation! The songs, the scenery the costumes (emphasis on that last one) it was all so beautifully made.
But I will not spend this entire post gushing about the musical experience. Instead I will highlight what is different from the movie.
First let's talk about the new songs!
The musical has no less than 7 new songs!! And they're great!
One thing I really like about the new songs is that in many of them some of the instrumental score from the movie is used. And that makes you "recognise" the song even though it's the first time you hear it. Just some really good thinking on the song writer's part!
Let me briefly talk about each of the songs:
No Matter What is a song where Maurice tells Belle that she is in no way odd, and no matter what he'll be by her side. It's sweet and funny and shows off their father-daughter relationship in a good way.
Me is the very narcissistic song Gaston sings when he proposes to Belle. It's basically the proposal scene from the movie with the words sung. I must say I like this song a lot - it's hilarious and always has me laughing out loud.
Home is a gripping ballad Belle sings after arriving at the Beast's castle where she reflects on the bleakness of her new "home". This was the first song I heard from the musical and it's just so strong and beautiful and don't get me started on the lyrics! You need to listen to this song!
If I Can't Love Her is another ballad sung by the Beast on the hopelessness he feels, and where he declares that if he can't love Belle then all is lost. This ones the big finale of act 1 and a very powerful one at that. I feel it's a song that gives you a bit more insight on the Beast's character and it's another one of my absolute favourites.
Human Again is the song you probably all know because it's included on the special edition of the movie. It's basically all the enchanted objects singing about their longing to be human again. But the highlight of this song is actually a sweet little scene between Belle and the Beast that takes place in an interlude. You may think you've seen that one in the movie too, but it's way different in the musical and so much sweeter!
Maison Des Lunes is the song where Gaston unveils his dastardly plan to get Belle to marry him. This is the true villain's song that you never knew the movie needed. It's slow and dramatic but building to a climax and I can't help but loving it too:)
A Change In Me is the song Belle sings when she returns to her father and explains how her stay with the Beast has changed her. It was added to the musical years after the initial premiere and it's style is different than the other songs, but it's still very enjoyable.
That covered the songs:)
The new songs are definitely the biggest change made from the movie to the musical and therefore the main focus of this post, but there are other changes as well. There are for instance added lots of little scenes and bits of dialogues to help fleshing out the characters a bit more, which I really enjoyed.
And did I mention the cosumes? In the production I watched all the cosumes were embellished with extra little details that made them look more french in a way. And they were so pretty!!! (All the pictures in this post is from the Danish production by the way)
But it is hard for me to describe the brilliance in words for the real difference between the musical and the movie is the experience of being in the theatre and watching the story unfold right in front of you. That is an experience that cannot be surpassed:)
What are you thoughts on the musical?
Have any of you watched it?
If not, then go on and listen to the soundtrack and then tell me what you think of the new songs!
