7401. See Beauty and the Beast

 When I found out that Beauty and the Beast was coming to the PAC, I told Heather that I was taking her for my birthday since she took me to see The Lion King for her birthday. By the time I got tickets, there were few seats left but I managed to get some on the aisle stage left. 

Beauty and the Beast was in Appleton for one week only October 21-26. We had tickets for the 22nd for 7:30. I bribed the hubby with dinner to drop me off and pick me up so I didn't have to park downtown. I hitched a ride with Heather and we parked in our favorite spot and walked the couple blocks. The rain stopped by then. 

After getting in and buying our $80 sweatshirts, we snapped a few pictures before heading up to our seats.

We also grabbed beverages. I got their signature cocktail for the show -- The Gray Stuff. Since I had my cup from The Lion King, it was only $8 otherwise it would have be $12. Heather played it safe and got water, well that and she forgot her cup. Note to self-- always put it by your purse in the morning.

The view from our seats wasn't bad. We just had to lean forward to see anything in the far left side of the stage. I would definitely sit in them again. 

Ever since I saw a community theater presentation of Beauty and the Beast, I wanted to see a Broadway production of it. I was sure it was going to be amazing. The show itself was amazing. It was beautifully done.

However, the community theater (and probably the movies) ruined my experience. The costumes were a huge let down. I spent way too much time being annoyed by the costumes than I should have. Belle's blue dress was the wrong shade of blue. Madame did not look like a wardrobe. I'm not 100% sure Chip was an actual actor during most of the show. But Mrs. Potts is the wrong that bugged me the most. She looked like a southern belle not a tea pot. They could have definitely designed her costume better. At least Lumière was what I expected.

Oh and the Beast. He was almost worse than Mrs. Potts.  It took me all show to figure out what was wrong with the beast, He had no facial hair. What the heck. The beast was not hairy. Seriously annoyed the heck out of me.

Overall it was a great show and you should go see it if you get a chance. Just don't let the costumes drive you nuts. 

Craxi At the Movies: Beauty and the Beast

When I heard that Disney was remaking Beauty and the Beast as a live-action move, I was skeptical. It is my favorite Disney movie and I wasn't sure if it would be ruined if they made it live-action. Then I found out Emma Watson was playing Belle and decided I wanted to see it.

Image from imdb.com

My movie-going experience did not start well. After paying through the nose for a bottle of water ($4.25... heck I can buy a whole case for that price and my movie ticket was only $5), Erin and I had to stand around waiting to get into the theater as they were still cleaning it... and it was 10 minutes before show time... Then by the time the previews and announcements were finished it was nearly 20 minutes AFTER the time the movie was supposed to start.

The movie, however, was REALLY well done but I still prefer the animated version. I'm glad they stuck to the original story.. a tale as old as time.. Sure they were a few differences but they were minor and added to the movie. The way the explained the snow at the castle was most beneficial.

Emma Watson was amazing as Belle. However, it is sad that a whole new generation that will know her as Belle and not Hermoine. I didn't even realize she could sing. The animated beast is so much better looking than the new beast. I really didn't like the horns. I wouldn't say he was scary but he definitely was more beast-like.

My biggest disappointment was that the castle accessories were still animated. I really though Mrs Potts, Lumiere, Cogswoth, Chip, and the rest of the gang would have been really characters as well. It does make sense though that they are animated because of the nature of the characters. Humans really don't make good household objects no matter how good the costume team is.  I also prefer the whimsical Mrs. Potts of the animated version than the more regal Mrs. Potts of the live action version.

Disney announced that LaFou is the first openly gay Disney character. My opinion: Who Cares? Now, with that being said, if Disney didn't say that I might not have drawn that conclusion. There is nothing overly obvious that he is gay. Yes, there are few moments that would make you go hmmm if you didn't know better. The final dance scene there is a moment when LaFou does give a flirtatious look to another young man but it is so brief that again if you didn't know better, you would never have guessed. I never saw LaFou dance with another man during that scene. Even though Disney introduced us to the first openly gay character, they did it in such a way that didn't detract from the movie and wasn't over the top.

Even though I prefer the animated version, I am not disappointed. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend seeing it. It is a good family movie. And yes the songs will get stuck in your head.

Would I buy it? Maybe... and that's only because I normally don't buy many movies any more.