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[0:29] Jesse McAnally: Hello and welcome to another special Broadway in Detroit.

[0:33] Miranda Moffat: I am Miranda Moffat.

[0:35] Jesse McAnally: And we are in the iconic Fisher Building line after a show.

[0:41] Jesse McAnally: And today we are talking about the new national touring production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

[0:41] Miranda Moffat: Yes, Beauty and the Beast has music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Wolverton.

[0:56] Jesse McAnally: This particular version of the show is directed and choreographed by Matt West.

[1:04] Miranda Moffat: You can tell it is a director choreographer.

[1:07] Jesse McAnally: It has that Susan Stroman vibe of let's focus on the dancing above all else.

[1:13] Miranda Moffat: And I mean that as a compliment.

[1:15] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, I mean, of course, I've seen everybody's seen the animated movie.

[1:24] Jesse McAnally: I think even Gen Alpha's watched that movie.

[1:27] Miranda Moffat: It's a classic, and it's a classic for a reason.

[1:29] Jesse McAnally: I mean, everybody's seen the animated movie, I've seen the live-action version, but I have never seen the stage production of this musical in particular.

[1:37] Miranda Moffat: And one of the things that definitely is a little strange about the stage version is the way that it is sort of divvied up.

[1:44] Jesse McAnally: By the time that we hit the end of Act One, I was like, oh, that's all we're planning to cover at the end of Act One?

[1:50] Miranda Moffat: How are we gonna fit everything into Act Two?

[1:54] Jesse McAnally: And they really do. They really speed run some plot points to get to the end, for sure.

[2:01] Miranda Moffat: I agree.

[2:03] Jesse McAnally: But the thing is, for context, I have seen the original stage production, the 1994 Broadway and touring production.

[2:12] Miranda Moffat: And it was the first real Disney musical, like as we know it today, the traditional Disney Lion King, Little Mermaids, all of them.

[2:21] Jesse McAnally: It created a brand new way to do Broadway musicals, and we are still feeling the changes it made to this day.

[2:31] Miranda Moffat: Very much it feels like the first musical is it Oklahoma, right?

[2:35] Jesse McAnally: Yes, that was the quote unquote first American musical.

[2:39] Miranda Moffat: Okay, so it kind of feels like that, and then it does feel like the sort of first generation of a thing.

[2:45] Jesse McAnally: Like this doesn't feel like the completely worked out version of what a Disney animated adaptation into a stage musical could be.

[2:55] Miranda Moffat: You know, like it definitely feels like there were some kinks to sort of work out in the process, because I mean, simply put, like again, I think the way that they ended up sort of divvying up the plot points and the music didn't completely work for me.

[3:11] Jesse McAnally: And I think the thing is that it's not like a traditional musical in the sense that the music, the songs that they're singing are not really the thing that are pushing the plot forward.

[3:23] Miranda Moffat: It's basically a play. I mean, and that's what Disney musical movies are. They're essentially a play with a couple songs sort of mixed in for funsies, and it is still very much that vibe.

[3:36] Jesse McAnally: I know that they added songs to try to make it like a musical, but it is very much like mostly a play, mostly talking with some songs sort of mixed in.

[3:46] Miranda Moffat: It wasn't always that.

[3:48] Jesse McAnally: So this brand new production, this is the first time Beauty and the Beast has been staged, I want to say in about 20 years, which makes me feel older than the day is long.

[4:00] Miranda Moffat: It has cut three songs from Act One and two songs from Act Two, and included the ballad for Belle that was written for Toni Braxton that wasn't added until much later in the Broadway run.

[4:13] Jesse McAnally: And I feel pieces missing.

[4:18] Miranda Moffat: With love to the audience, they're trying to get us out earlier, but some of those holes I think are needed, especially when it comes to the love story.

[4:28] Jesse McAnally: Yes, very much so.

[4:30] Miranda Moffat: That was one of the things that really got me is the fact that they were spending so—and when I say like the way it's divvied up, doesn't make sense.

[4:37] Jesse McAnally: We had like maybe 10 minutes of Be Our Guest, like maybe 10 whole minutes of—I don't want less.

[4:45] Miranda Moffat: Like let's not be clear. That was impressive, wonderful dancing and beautifully done staging.

[4:52] Jesse McAnally: But I wanted more of everything else too.

[4:54] Miranda Moffat: Yes, and that's kind of the issue is that yeah, as Jesse said, it is definitely a choreography first kind of vibe where Be Our Guest was like I said, about 10 to 15 minutes of song with mostly dancing.

[5:08] Jesse McAnally: I mean, it spends a lot of time in the theatrics, which I understand.

[5:12] Miranda Moffat: You know, it's a musical that is like it knows its primary audience is going to be like, you know, it's something that children should be able to enjoy.

[5:20] Jesse McAnally: And it's, you know, it is flashy, it's cool, it is fun to watch.

[5:26] Miranda Moffat: Very fun to watch.

[5:27] Jesse McAnally: But you're spending 10 minutes on Be Our Guest, and you're getting that at the expense, I think, of the love story.

[5:35] Miranda Moffat: We really—there's not a lot that really happens between them to the point that when you get to the final crescendo, you're kind of like, where's the chemistry?

[5:44] Jesse McAnally: Where's the build-up?

[5:45] Miranda Moffat: Like I could have used a lot more of the romance element.

[5:50] Jesse McAnally: But is that just the nature of something being on stage versus being animated?

[5:54] Miranda Moffat: Where in animation, look, you can convey so much.

[5:58] Jesse McAnally: And we have wonderful seats because Broadway in Detroit sets us up very well.

[6:02] Miranda Moffat: We can see the actors' performances, but there's only so much you can do with a look on a stage.

[6:08] Jesse McAnally: Very true, but I think that's part of the element of creating an adaptation of source material is understanding the limitations of the new medium and adjusting to meet those needs.

[6:20] Miranda Moffat: Like, you know, there's a couple little scenes and moments from the movie that aren't incorporated here that they just—I think they just needed more. I would have just liked more time together in that being the main primary element where it just feels like we were spending a lot of time in other places that weren't as impactful, I think.

[6:42] Jesse McAnally: I find it interesting because the things that I think the love story works as well as it can on a stage.

[6:48] Miranda Moffat: I don't know what else you could add in, because there is more technically, line by line, of a love story going on than there is in the movie.

[6:57] Jesse McAnally: Nothing was cut from the love story at all from the movie.

[7:01] Miranda Moffat: It's just the way that it's executed is a little different.

[7:04] Jesse McAnally: I suppose so.

[7:05] Miranda Moffat: And maybe that's just me feeling the difference in execution because it was just my sense that when we got to the end, it's kind of like, I don't know that we're—I don't know that there was enough buildup for this kind of payoff, I guess.

[7:18] Jesse McAnally: And I don't think that was the goal of this production.

[7:21] Miranda Moffat: I think the goal was spectacle.

[7:24] Jesse McAnally: Which is why things like Gaston. I think Gaston and Be Our Guest are like the crown jewels of this production where we're gonna stop and have a blast and the audience is gonna give a standing ovation from it.

[7:39] Miranda Moffat: No, I mean I agree.

[7:40] Jesse McAnally: And that was like definitely the spectacle portion of it was one of my favorite elements is that it is very flashy and fun, and you know, like streamers and lights, and you know, and on that note, I think a lot of the more like magical elements of the show worked really well.

[8:00] Miranda Moffat: Like the enchantress transforming from the hag to the beautiful woman, his transformation from human to beast, and then at the end, beast back into human.

[8:10] Jesse McAnally: I have to imagine that man was rigged up because he was kind of flying like a saucer with the sky.

[8:15] Miranda Moffat: I knew the minute that they had him laying down flat as a pancake and covered up entirely.

[8:22] Jesse McAnally: I'm like, oh, we're doing something here.

[8:25] Miranda Moffat: And one of the gags that we both couldn't figure out was Chip.

[8:28] Jesse McAnally: So Chip was essentially, you know, the characters here are obviously humans, you know, dressed up to look like a candelabra and a clock and these different things.

[8:38] Miranda Moffat: And so Chip is a child with a teacup head, and it appears on a table that has like an empty space beneath it.

[8:47] Jesse McAnally: So you can see through the table, and it does not look like enough space to fit a human being in it, and so it's just basically like a disembodied child's head in a teacup.

[8:58] Miranda Moffat: We have a romantic way of putting words together.

[9:02] Jesse McAnally: We could not figure out exactly how they manage that.

[9:05] Miranda Moffat: And that's an effect that goes through the whole show until you see that child in person.

[9:10] Jesse McAnally: The kid was really cute too.

[9:12] Miranda Moffat: I know that's not really the point of this, but man, he was real cute.

[9:15] Jesse McAnally: He was really cute.

[9:16] Miranda Moffat: He got a lot of applause, which you know, greatly so rightly so.

[9:21] Jesse McAnally: Very cute.

[9:22] Miranda Moffat: If we're gonna be riding the flaw party, I have very good memories of seeing the show when I was younger, and the things that really stood out to me number one was the costumes, and I thought the costumes here looked good, if a little out of place sometimes.

[9:40] Jesse McAnally: And the second one was the sets, and this is a conversation I had a lot of the time on the show, and you and I have had this conversation quite a bit on things that we've seen like Death Becomes Her and Gypsy and Sweeney Todd, where we don't love the new trend of projector screens.

[9:59] Miranda Moffat: Yeah, it's definitely like projector screens, and to an extent in some shows, AI specifically creating the scenes as opposed to the set design, which I think is—I understand it's cost effective, but it's also not as cool and it's kind of lazy.

[10:15] Jesse McAnally: So yeah, and the costumes I don't want to accuse this of being AI, I don't know.

[10:21] Miranda Moffat: No, I don't think this particular production was, but I've definitely seen it done before.

[10:26] Jesse McAnally: But yeah, and the thing about this is similar to any production that you'll see.

[10:33] Miranda Moffat: They never, you know, just as like a stickler for historical realism, I guess.

[10:39] Jesse McAnally: The costumes were not reading 18th century France.

[10:43] Miranda Moffat: We did not—we were not in the 1700s here, guys.

[10:47] Jesse McAnally: Okay, let's—that's fine.

[10:49] Miranda Moffat: Disney has some license with that.

[10:52] Jesse McAnally: Like, I don't mind that as much.

[10:54] Miranda Moffat: Like, like their Hunchback of Notre Dame production, Frozen.

[10:58] Jesse McAnally: Are we really gonna hand that up to like Scandinavia or whatever?

[11:03] Miranda Moffat: No, I mean, no, and I can't really fault anybody for not being like, you know, historically accurate, but it's always something that I recognize because the costumes in particular, just like especially in the very first scene in the town scene that introduces Belle, like they looked like Fourth of July costumes.

[11:21] Jesse McAnally: I don't know.

[11:22] Miranda Moffat: I mean, they're very pretty and very cool, and don't get me wrong, the costume design is amazing, especially for Lumiere and Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts and everything.

[11:32] Jesse McAnally: But yeah, I'm like, you know, this is not 1700s France.

[11:37] Miranda Moffat: Pre-French Revolution 1700s France.

[11:41] Jesse McAnally: Oh, we know what's coming up.

[11:42] Miranda Moffat: They're beheading that prince.

[11:44] Jesse McAnally: So that's what I'm saying.

[11:45] Miranda Moffat: With the context of that, it's like, oh, things are not gonna end well for him.

[11:49] Jesse McAnally: Either way, come the French Revolution.

[11:52] Miranda Moffat: I want to ask how you felt about the new songs that were written, especially for the musical, considering you had really not listened to the musical before this.

[12:00] Jesse McAnally: Specifically, the ones that I know are big fan favorites, like Home, which is Belle's song in Act One, If I Can't Love Her, which is the beast's Act One closer.

[12:10] Miranda Moffat: Like, that is a show stopping.

[12:12] Jesse McAnally: I like that it's very easy to try to end on Be Our Guest, and then we bring up the curtain and we send everyone away.

[12:19] Miranda Moffat: But to end on an emotional kind of cliffhanger is so much more effective.

[12:23] Jesse McAnally: And I really love that choice.

[12:25] Miranda Moffat: And in Act Two, we have Human Again, which is written by Howard Ashman for the movie, but it got cut, so they just reused it.

[12:32] Jesse McAnally: And A Change in Me, which is written for Toni Braxton when she joined the Broadway production.

[12:38] Miranda Moffat: And it's so weird to me that that's still in this show.

[12:42] Jesse McAnally: Not that I dislike the song, it's just like it's had a life of its own at this point.

[12:47] Miranda Moffat: I mean, I liked all of them.

[12:48] Jesse McAnally: Home, especially, I think is very catchy and impactful in the show.

[12:55] Jesse McAnally: Um, you know, and also rest in peace, Howard Ashman, you wonderful, beautiful genius, genius person you um given us so many of the best musical numbers in Disney movies ever.

[13:08] Jesse McAnally: Um so I did. I uh I really like the songs. Um, and I think the thing is like a thought that I had regularly, which sort of gets back to my comment about the fact that as far as an adaptation of a Disney movie, it is still very much pretty much a play. It's not like a traditional musical where the songs are the plot and you're that's how you're receiving the plot, then the emotional impact. Hold on. I agree one second, let me complete my thought before I forget it. And the thing is it's it's like that, where it's mostly a play, lots of talking, that's how you get the plot, and then the song numbers are just sort of interspersed in to just sort of give a little bit of oomph to the sort of emotional story that's going on.

And a thought that I had a lot was like this, this would not be, I mean, you're kind of wasting the vocal talent of these people because the um, I mean, the actors and actresses and their voices were absolutely amazing. Um, and you can especially tell that in Bell's number, the the one that Tony Braxton. Yes, a change in me. Like you can especially tell in that song just how good of a voice Bell has. And you really, there's really not a lot of opportunity to sing and not a lot of opportunity to show range in the show. So I kind of understand why Tony Braxton would have been like, hey, I have a great voice. I don't get to really showcase it anywhere to hear. Let's, you know, let's give a little something something.

So I can agree to that point. Um, and that I think, you know, just like I said, like there's not really a lot of there's not a lot of singing. It's a musical, but there's like compared to other musicals, really not a lot of singing.

[14:47] Miranda Moffat: I agree. However, you say that the songs don't push the plot forward. I think Belle, the opening number, is the most succinct and most effective opening number that conveys character plot. And when we're starting the song, we know nothing. At the end, we know everything. Every single plot thread is set up right there.

[15:06] Jesse McAnally: Okay, let me let me correct my statement. All of the newly added songs, all of the original ones, obviously, like, yes, they are from the original and they're there to tell the story, and they're there to give you the I want, you know, for every character. Here they're just like a little they're basically, you know, like we've said verbally in a play form exactly what the plot is and exactly how we feel. And then the song is just like a little addition to basically reiterate the thing that we just talked about. Whereas in a traditional musical, it's like you're getting those elements from the songs primarily, with the speaking part, the play part of it being sort of like the additional information.

At least that's my sort of take on it. Not that I think there's anything wrong with that. Like I said, this is an adaptation of a Disney movie where that is just kind of the the way that it is, right? And this this being kind of the first move to a stage production, like you can see sort of where they were kind of figuring out what that would look like.

[16:09] Miranda Moffat: I mean, what I think you're saying is Howard Ashman is a much better lyricist than Tim Rice.

[16:14] Jesse McAnally: And yes, um, but as far as baby's first Broadway musical for Disney, um it is much more straightforward than say their follow-up, which is The Lion King, which is uh baby's first theatrical interpretation of uh c abstract ideas.

[16:31] Miranda Moffat: Yes.

[16:32] Jesse McAnally: Yeah.

[16:32] Miranda Moffat: Um as far as this though, I the spectacle is there for the actors, the vocalists, and all that. I still just really want more with the set design. And I know this is a national tour, but I I I have a longing and a nostalgia for the set design of my childhood where they boxed up these giant sets and they were moving and doing these crazy things and were weren't relying on a screen. Like one of the coolest and also most confusing things is when the practical set pieces moved out, they synced the digital ones to also move out as if they were a physical set. Did you notice that too?

[17:11] Jesse McAnally: I did not notice that.

[17:12] Miranda Moffat: But I think it was really funny.

[17:15] Jesse McAnally: And then you have the digital one going up like it is on strings, but it is not. That is hilarious. No, I did not, I did not realize that. There were there were little like funny moments that I saw, like um, so the Lumiere, you know, the the effect with the candle lighting um in the hands is really cool and used to great effect. And I saw the the actor's face a couple of times, and you can almost tell that, like, I don't know if it's like the fumes or the gas or whatever, but he was like blinking really hard any time that he would light these things. And I think it was just like I don't know if it was hot or what?

[17:49] Jesse McAnally: Right next to your face.

[17:50] Miranda Moffat: Right. It's like I don't know if it was hot or if it's like the fumes of the gas or something that was like causing that, but he was blinking real hard. Um I want Jesse, I want you to tell the story that you told me about Patrick Page being the very first Lumiere here.

[18:05] Jesse McAnally: Um Patrick Page was in the original Broadway cast of Beauty and the Beast as Lumiere. Um he had so in that suit, there is a lot of mechanisms to make the flames work, and it is dangerous, and you need help putting it on and off. And you can hear Patrick Page tell the story much better in a much nicer voice. Um, but he had Cheesecake Factory, and his body was going to expel that Cheesecake Factory out of his body. Um, and he apparently had five-minute break in between one scene and BR guest, and he knew he was not gonna get through BR guest feeling the way he did. So they had to tear the costume off of him, get him to the bathroom, and then get him redressed in uh I want to say five-minute span to keep the show going. And God bless him, he he made it work.

[18:55] Miranda Moffat: You badage that that is honestly hilarious, and that's just like that's show biz for you. It's a you know, you're human beings dealing with stuff, and things are bound to go wrong at some point. I mean, we've had that several times in shows that we've seen. We've had um the lead from a strange loop have to leave in the opening number and get replaced. We've had Hades Town stop in the middle of wait for me. We've had our share of interesting, we've had Le Miz stop in the middle of Fontaine's arrest.

[19:26] Jesse McAnally: Yes. It's theater, it's live theater, folks. Things go wrong.

[19:30] Miranda Moffat: I had a great time tonight. If I can be a little stickler, and it's not the children. Like the children in their audience was very well behaved and into it and really it. It's the grown adults that think they can sing full volume along with the actors while the show is going on.

[19:49] Jesse McAnally: Yeah.

[19:50] Miranda Moffat: Say an answer, honey. I got I got a little bit of that. But yeah, there were, you know, this is one of those things that's just like culturally relevant still and very much beloved. And if you are at all a fan of Beauty and the Beast, I highly recommend going to see it because you will enjoy yourself. Um, you know, I, as sort of a casual fan, really enjoyed myself still. Uh, and part of that was the enthusiasm of the audience. I mean, you had little girls dressed in as Belle and we had like a a couple, an adult couple that were dressed as Belle and Beast that sat right behind us. Um, like the enthusiasm from the audience and like the applause, like after the um the Gaston number. Well deserved. I feel like we haven't quite given Gaston his flowers yet.

[20:32] Jesse McAnally: Yes. After that number and be our guest, there was like rapturous applause for a good long while until the actors themselves had to like start speaking again to start the movement of the show. Um it is it is a lot of fun, and part of the fun is the enthusiasm of the audience that loves the material. I think all of the actors were incredible. And like I said, the show almost doesn't give them enough opportunities to show off how good they are. Um, like I think the bell was amazing. She really reminded me of Eliza Dushku from uh Buffy, played Faith for some reason. I don't know why.

[21:03] Miranda Moffat: Um also I don't know if this is a thing in other productions, but just love that they had her in glasses. Not the whole time, but just love that love she love that she's a girl that needs reading glasses, you know.

[21:12] Jesse McAnally: That's a just a nice touch from from a girl who wears glasses every day.

[21:16] Miranda Moffat: We I don't get to see it a lot.

[21:17] Jesse McAnally: I bet you read books too.

[21:20] Miranda Moffat: Yeah, sometimes.

[21:21] Jesse McAnally: Every once in a while. I okay, one of the things that is only in the musical that I love is Belle reading to the beast. That is like a one of my favorite elements added specifically for the musical that makes their romance more more honest.

[21:36] Miranda Moffat: Do you remember in the live action movie what happens?

[21:39] Jesse McAnally: I do not.

[21:40] Miranda Moffat: It's been a while. So basically, like she saves him, and he wakes up and sees a ready, he's like, ugh, you like reading that book? And she's like, yeah, he's like, uh, it's just so girly. I've read a bunch of books. And then he takes her to the library almost to prove a point. And then he megs her about her taste. It is not a bonding moment or a gift to give her a library. It is I'm better than you and all that. Whereas this is an emotional, I'm not good enough, and you have this skill and I can get it for you, and we could bond over this. And I think that emotionally rings so much more honest and true.

[22:15] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, I agree with that point, but I was not expecting them to make the beast illiterate.

[22:20] Miranda Moffat: I mean, everyone in the town is illiterate, so that's true. This is the 1700s, guys.

[22:25] Jesse McAnally: Um Belle is the only literate one.

[22:28] Miranda Moffat: Which makes her a little funky.

[22:30] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, good point.

[22:31] Miranda Moffat: That's a good point. I just think that that makes their bond over reading, like having all those books and not the ability to read, seems like something that would happen to a spoiled prince.

[22:41] Jesse McAnally: True.

[22:41] Miranda Moffat: Yeah, good point.

[22:43] Jesse McAnally: Um, as far as an overall thoughts and cheese rating, Miranda, what are you thinking?

[22:43] Miranda Moffat: What are you thinking? You know, I think it comes down to this production being just like the beast's uh weird leather coat with a cowl. It is cool, it is flashy, it is it is spectacle, and it is the moment. Um, is it necessarily period accurate? No. Um, but it's just there to make you feel good and let you have a good time. And I think that's kind of what this is about, is especially because like I said, they know their audience and they know that this is gonna be people who love the source material and also kids who are being introduced to the source material um in a new way. So I think they have it right on the nose as far as making this something that is gonna be enjoyable for all ages and just really fun to watch.

[23:39] Jesse McAnally: So, what cheese was that?

[23:40] Miranda Moffat: Oh goodness, I don't know. What's uh what's a crowd pleaser of a cheese?

[23:45] Jesse McAnally: I got mine, you can't take mine.

[23:47] Miranda Moffat: How how about mozzarella?

[23:49] Jesse McAnally: I'll say mozzarella because mozzarella is just a universally loved and very, you know, versatile cheese.

[23:54] Miranda Moffat: Um, I am going to give this uh nacho cheese. It ain't the prettiest thing to look at, but if you you don't really care because you enjoy it so much and it's like you know, satisfying and enjoyable and a little fatty and a little fun, and it's a great kind of popcorn entertainment.

[24:12] Jesse McAnally: I agree. I agree, excellent. Thank you again to the Broadway in Detroit group uh for letting us be involved here, and we're excited to keep giving you these. Um I'm excited for what we're gonna do next, which I believe is back to the future.

[24:26] Miranda Moffat: He's gonna kiss his mother.

[24:27] Jesse McAnally: Oh my god. We'll see.

[24:29] Miranda Moffat: We'll see how far they go in this version.

[24:31] Jesse McAnally: I think it's gonna fly.

[24:33] Miranda Moffat: I I'm very excited to see.

[24:35] Jesse McAnally: I'm very excited to see you back in the future. Uh, thank you very much, and we will see you next time.

[24:40] Miranda Moffat: Thank you again, Miranda.

[24:41] Jesse McAnally: Thank you for having me.

[24:43] Miranda Moffat: And good night all.

[24:47] ♪ Musical number: "Change" — performed by Miranda Moffat ♪