I grew up in NY. My mother was a professional actress and singer. By the age of 6 I had already seen more than 30 shows. Most of them not geared towards children. Actually, most of them not even remotely appropriate for children. I love theater. I perform in local community theaters now, and sometimes even get paid for it. Which is why I am ashamed to admit that I have seen Beauty and the Beast (on Broadway) three times. It's not deep, or remotely though-provoking, but boy is it entertaining!

I am admitedly a big Disney fan. I have all their movies on tape. However, I am not a big advocate of making movies into plays. The first time that I went to see Beauty and the Beast was in high school. One of my friends had gotten two tickets as a graduation gift and asked if I wanted to go. Well, I didn't want to, but felt like I had to. So I agreed and rolled my eyes and complained about the agony that I would have to endure (all behind her back of course). By intermission I was completely dumbfounded. I was really enjoying the show. I couldn't believe it. I was thoroughly impressed with how they had made the animated characters really come to life on stage. The costumes, the sets, the music was all terrific.

After the show finished I was completely mortified that not only had I cried like a baby at the end, but I wanted to go back and see it again. I knew that I could never confess such a thing to my brother who had been raised in the same theater-oriented environment that I had been. (Incidently, he's a big old snob, but you should definitely check out his epinions under bmrosen.) Anyway, I went back to see the show 2 more times and plan on going again with my current boyfriend who has never seen it.

If you are parents and you want to expose your children to the arts and theater, this is a perfect way to do it. I can't help but think back to my childhood and the plays that I had to sit through. Granted, my situation was unique because of my mother, but if you are a regular family who wants to bring a little culture into your lives then go see this show!!



Recommended: Yes