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My husband and I took a short trip to New York this past Friday. We only had time to see one show and I narrowed it down to Tarzan or Beauty and the Beast. When I heard that Donny Osmond was going to play Gaston, I knew that would be the show for me. I made the right choice! My husband has assured me that we can go back to New York and see Tarzan next time. I will hold him to it.
I bought the tickets on line just a week before we left and actually got good seats, Row P, Left Side, Seats 5 and 7. The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is a very intimate theatre and the seats we had were not under the balcony (which I feared) and we were quite close. I had forgotten my binoculars at home and was worried that I wouldn't be able to see the actors facial expressions. That fear was groundless since we were able to see perfectly.
The show started on time and when Belle (Sarah Uriarte Berry) came out to sing the opening number, there was magic in the air. The crowd cheered when Donny Osmond made his first appearence as Gaston. Of course his character has to strut around the stage, showing muscles and white, shiny teeth, and Donny was up for all that. He was not afraid to make a fool of himself and to perform hard dance numbers. His singing was top notch and his acting was believable. In short, he is a professional entertainer and it shows!
After each number Donny sang, the crowd went wild. And he deserved the applause. He never broke the "fourth wall" to acknowledge the cheers and was spot on the entire show. I read an interview with Donny on the internet last night, and he said he wanted to play Gaston because it went against type. Gaston is all showy and goofy at the beginning, sort of a harmless idiot. But his character slowly changes during the show and you find that he is a ruthless bully who will do anything to get what he wants. He turns from a somewhat likable guy, to a villian. When Gaston falls off the castle in the end, and the cheers go up that he is dead, then Donny knows he did a good job in portraying that change in character.
I loved the show. All the actor were superb (except for Belle's father and chip, but I'm not complaining). The scenery was spectacular, the costumes fabulous and the singing and dancing just what you would expect from a Broadway show. The fact that Donny Osmond is in the show only adds more fun to an already great show. Sure, he maybe a bit too old to play Gaston (do we really know how old Gaston is suppose to be anyway?) and his muscles may not be real, but those things just don't seem to matter. Donny is a professional and did not take anything away from the magic of the show, he only added to it.
If you have a chance to see him in the next few weeks he is playing, don't hesitate. Buy your tickets now. You will not be dissapointed!
Beast (Steve Blanchard) and Belle (Sarah Uriarte Berry) in all their glory!
Sarah and me after the show.
Me and Mrs. Potts (Jeanne Lehman)
I made my huband wait at the stage door so I could get a glimps of Donny. Some of the main characters came out, but after 45 minutes and no Donny, we left. We had an early flight back to Pittsburgh the next day. I was told by a groupie, that Donny is great with the fans. He'll sign autographs and pose for pictures and is very patient and will not leave till everyone gets his attention. A true pro!
Off topic: Sorry the photos are so big. Lord knows you guys don't need to see my big face, but I used photobucket and this is what appears. I also have a photo of Lumiere (Stuart Marland) but it is not posting properly.
I bought the tickets on line just a week before we left and actually got good seats, Row P, Left Side, Seats 5 and 7. The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is a very intimate theatre and the seats we had were not under the balcony (which I feared) and we were quite close. I had forgotten my binoculars at home and was worried that I wouldn't be able to see the actors facial expressions. That fear was groundless since we were able to see perfectly.
The show started on time and when Belle (Sarah Uriarte Berry) came out to sing the opening number, there was magic in the air. The crowd cheered when Donny Osmond made his first appearence as Gaston. Of course his character has to strut around the stage, showing muscles and white, shiny teeth, and Donny was up for all that. He was not afraid to make a fool of himself and to perform hard dance numbers. His singing was top notch and his acting was believable. In short, he is a professional entertainer and it shows!
After each number Donny sang, the crowd went wild. And he deserved the applause. He never broke the "fourth wall" to acknowledge the cheers and was spot on the entire show. I read an interview with Donny on the internet last night, and he said he wanted to play Gaston because it went against type. Gaston is all showy and goofy at the beginning, sort of a harmless idiot. But his character slowly changes during the show and you find that he is a ruthless bully who will do anything to get what he wants. He turns from a somewhat likable guy, to a villian. When Gaston falls off the castle in the end, and the cheers go up that he is dead, then Donny knows he did a good job in portraying that change in character.
I loved the show. All the actor were superb (except for Belle's father and chip, but I'm not complaining). The scenery was spectacular, the costumes fabulous and the singing and dancing just what you would expect from a Broadway show. The fact that Donny Osmond is in the show only adds more fun to an already great show. Sure, he maybe a bit too old to play Gaston (do we really know how old Gaston is suppose to be anyway?) and his muscles may not be real, but those things just don't seem to matter. Donny is a professional and did not take anything away from the magic of the show, he only added to it.
If you have a chance to see him in the next few weeks he is playing, don't hesitate. Buy your tickets now. You will not be dissapointed!
Beast (Steve Blanchard) and Belle (Sarah Uriarte Berry) in all their glory!
Sarah and me after the show.
Me and Mrs. Potts (Jeanne Lehman)
I made my huband wait at the stage door so I could get a glimps of Donny. Some of the main characters came out, but after 45 minutes and no Donny, we left. We had an early flight back to Pittsburgh the next day. I was told by a groupie, that Donny is great with the fans. He'll sign autographs and pose for pictures and is very patient and will not leave till everyone gets his attention. A true pro!
Off topic: Sorry the photos are so big. Lord knows you guys don't need to see my big face, but I used photobucket and this is what appears. I also have a photo of Lumiere (Stuart Marland) but it is not posting properly.
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