Beauty and the Beast: The Musical

Tuesday night, Lone and I went for the Beauty and the Beast musical at the KL Convention Center. We bought the tickets way back in April and believe me, I have waited with so much anticipation until it was finally July!

The musical both exceeded my expectations and disappointed me at the same time, though I know how contradictory that sounds. But let me explain.

It exceeded my expectations because the performances were really good, they added a lot of new songs, the performers sang and acted really well and with so much enthusiasm, and it was really entertaining and fun.

It disappointed me because I thought the direction wasn't all that good... I didn't know what they were trying to achieve with the show, were they trying to amuse us and make us laugh, or move us and make us cry, or shock us, or what? Because sometimes during the sad scenes or the supposedly serious scenes, they ended up selling us short in the emotional department. The only thing they really achieved was making us laugh.

The other thing is, so many children attended the show, which is of course expected, since it's supposedly a children's show, and would explain a lot of the serious scenes which they turned funny and their over-exaggeration of the characters' caricatures. And yet, I wouldn't call the show kid-friendly... In fact, certain scenes were downright vulgar! Most notably, the scene in which Gaston humps Belle, and the many other scenes where he humps the air. =P

So after the show was over, I walked away feeling confused... Was I supposed to be amused? Or moved? Was this a family-friendly show? Or an 18SX one? What message were they trying to send? What were they trying to achieve?

It all seemed like there wasn't really a point to the show at all... And I definitely didn't walk away feeling fulfilled like I did with the Phantom of the Opera in Singapore, or even with the local production, Drunk Before Dawn.

Beauty and the Beast was just... whatever!

I mean, I enjoyed it, I think. But there's really nothing I can take away from it. =(

Oh well...

Anyway, I got pictures! =) Although we weren't supposed to take any, but everyone else was doing it! =P And with flash too, those terrible people in the audience! At least we didn't use the flash, which would've have totally distracted the performers.

We didn't take a lot, because we had to be really sneaky, but we managed some near the end. Here they are!

In the beginning...
We had to take a picture of the library backdrop, of course! I salivate just thinking about getting a library like this.
Ballroom dancing after the Beast has turned back into the prince. =)
And taking the bows at the end of the show!

That's all, folks! Thanks for watching.