A spoiled young prince who’s repelled by ugliness. A witch who tests his kindness and deems him hopeless. A spell that dooms him to a life as a hideous creature—unless he can find true love. An unlikely heroine who saves the beast from himself and unlocks the goodness within.
A tale as old as time? No question. But does it get old? Never!
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the Broadway musical, has taken the stage at The Wick Theatre in Boca Raton, and it has audiences of all ages swaying to the beat of “Be Our Guest.” A full-scale production with sets both physical and digital, intricate costumes, and a veteran cast, Beauty is one of the most ambitious shows The Wick has staged to date.
Mallory Newbrough is absolutely charming as Belle, the bookish small-town girl who wants more than a provincial life but gets more than she bargained for when she wanders into the palace in the woods looking for her imprisoned father. She finds him, along with a host of furniture and household items that have come to life. Actually, they are palace servants who have also fallen under the witch’s spell and have re-emerged as inanimate objects.
The leader of the bunch is Lumière (Jonathan Van Dyke), the butler who has become a candelabrum. He has a hilarious repartee with Cogsworth (Kevin Robert Kelly), the snooty Frenchman-cum-grandfather clock. Together with Mrs. Potts the teapot (Angie Radosh), they concoct a plan to bring Belle together with the spellbound prince.
The problem is the prince is an ugly beast with an attitude to match. Loren Christopher brings a welcome dose of humor to his Beast, and we feel for him as he tries to get his temper under control so he can charm the girl. In the end he does—simply by being authentically himself.
Scene by scene, Beauty explodes onto the stage with dance and beloved songs like “Something There” and “No Matter What.” This kind of spectacle is not easy to pull off, but the Wicks have done it flawlessly. The show runs until July 9 and is accompanied by special dining experiences at the Tavern restaurant inside the theater complex. Bring the little ones for Story Time With Belle (12:30 – 2 pm, Wednesdays and Sundays), Tea Time With Mrs. Potts (12:30 – 2 pm, Saturdays), and Lumière’s Candlelight Dinner (5 – 7 pm, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays). It’s a magical evening for the entire family.
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