Tale As Old As Time

Before getting into the juicy stuff, I would like to wish everyone a happy World Theatre Day (if you're reading this 27th March) - I didn't even know that existed until a couple of hours ago!

Anywhos, today, I finally got the chance to catch the new Disney live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast at my local cinema - and how could I not review this, particularly as it is the first of the Disney live-action adaptations (following on from Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, The Jungle Book and more) to be given the full musical treatment.
I must admit, I was a little sceptical when it was first announced - I mean, the 1991 original wasn't the first EVER animated film for nothing was it? But I must say, overall, I really enjoyed it.
And before you think it, I am NOT going to compare it to the original. This is its own version, and after the mind-cock-up I had with Grease last week, I have (hopefully) learnt my lesson.

Although, having said that, I will say that it is definitely darker than before as they heightened the stakes concerning the curse - if not broken, the servants transform into inanimate objects - as in no strange eyes or mouths or voices, no soul, no nothing! While, I agree Lumière, Cogsworth and the rest of the gang weren't that easy on the eye, they did look realistic, and realistically CURSED!
Speaking of the gang, it ties in nicely to add in that I enjoyed the voice work for all these different characters (despite Ewan McGregor's questionable French accent as Lumière). He made quite a charming candelabra, Emma Thompson was a very heart-warming Mrs Potts, Ian McKellen gave some laughs as Cogsworth, and Audra MacDonald was over-the-top as opera-singer-turned-wardrobe Madame Garderobe. Plus, if you haven't heard the 6-time Tony winner (!) yet, she has an incredible voice.

Getting into the main characters, Emma Watson may not have the strongest voice, but she definitely delivers overall in the acting department. Dan Stevens was charming as the Beast, and Luke Evans made a very realistically-evil and narcissistic Gaston. My favourite performance I think is Josh Gad's LeFou. He was a hilarious, but also had a big heart, and you could tell he was a little sad/resentful (call it what you will) at his BFF's actions (and I will say it did feel as if LeFou and Gaston were genuinely friends). And as for the whole controversy over him being gay, there was only two moments, they were both subtle and they were mostly played for cute laughs.
As a side note, I'm happy they gave Kevin Kline's Maurice more to do (dw, no spoilers).

For the setting, they brought a bit more France into the story, particularly in the architecture and the costumes, even with a mini trip to Paris (you'll understand when you see it); they had the opportunity, and really took it to expand the Belle's world. I should all should with this, they added the story with more detail - though not all of it works, I won't go into more detail than that for fear of spoilers.

Finally, I have to mention the music, one of the things that made the original so iconic. Thankfully, we have Alan Menken returning, as well as Tim Rice as lyricist to the new songs, just as he did with the stage adaptation. I was sad when I heard they would not be including any songs from the Broadway adaptation, which I definitely recommend and you can listen to here. For those of you who do know it, take comfort in that they at least tried to put in If I Can't Love Her (Alan Menken said they realised it seemed out of place in this particular version) and for the eagle eyed, look out for the main theme of Home hidden in the score. Talking of the new songs, they're ok, the best probably being Evermore, which is the Beast's new number and sounds very Les Mis-y.

It is the classic songs from the original film, with new arrangements (I wish I could credit them, but cannot find their names, I am so sorry), particularly Belle, Gaston (including a hilarious gag from LeFou at the end) and most of all, Be Our Guest - in that song, they really went to town, which is exactly how you should do it. There was so much packed in it, not to mention the animation is gorgeous in that sequence (plus, there are Singin' in the Rain and Aladdin references thrown in for good measure).

If you are fan of Disney, or you enjoyed the original film in any way, or you have a family then this is a definite yes. Just remember that this is an adaptation, and it is its own thing (and try not to compare it to the original, as iconic as it is).