What do you do when the opportunity arises for a girly weekend with just your daughter on your hands?
Bring her to enjoy some Disney magic, of course.
Mei and I got to enjoy some girly time together this weekend to close the school holidays as Noey and DD took off on an overnight school-organised fishing trip at a kelong in Malaysia. With only the little miss for company, I decided to indulge her girly fantasies (and mine!) both on-screen and on stage.
Cinderella
First up was Cinderella at the cinema and, oh my, I was totally blown away by this film, which was the perfect fulfilment of all my girly fantasies. Set in the golden era of balls and princes, and with that extra special touch of magic, I truly felt like a little girl again, with wonder in my eyes. This was probably because the story here borrows many elements from the original Disney animated film I watched as a child. Gus-Gus the mouse and his band of friends, and Cinderella’s iconic blue gown, for example.
Not a prequel or a story-you-thought-you-knew-but-didn’t like Maleficent, this was a straight re-telling of the old familiar tale, but with the much-needed character development thrown in. It is the added dimension to these well-known characters that lifts the film and makes it more relatable. One of my favourite moments is that chance encounter between Cinderella and the Prince before the ball where they establish a convincing chemistry. The Prince is taken by Cinderella’s beauty, but also her spirit and lack of pretence that makes it more convincing when he falls for her at the ball and searches the kingdom for this girl.
And oh, the ball! Lush and beautiful, it is the thing of girls’ dreams! This is a fairy tale after all, and the scenes at the ball, that amazing dress (and that touch of magic beforehand, of course) captured that perfectly.
Above all, I appreciated the fact that the movie took what I consider to be the flatest princess in the Disney line-up and fleshed her out into the unlikeliest of strong female characters. Not by making her into a butt-kicking heroine, but by empowering her with strength of character through qualities of courage and kindness. The film’s big message of having courage and being kind (as often as it is repeated) shines through and is a good message in these days where common decency is often lacking.
I loved this movie, if you can’t already tell!
Mei was surprisingly not so much a fan. Or maybe not so surprisingly, considering that she often gets scared at exciting or emotional scenes, and most of the character development would have been beyond her. Instead, my little Elsa was instead very taken with Frozen Fever, the hotly anticipated animated short that precedes Cinderella that is premised on Elsa throwing the perfect birthday party for Anna. Perfect for Mei in fact, who just celebrated with her own Frozen party! I thought it was ok though all the little Frozen fans probably lapped it up! Frankly it just felt like an extended music video of the new song penned for this clip. Even Mei asked me why “Elsa kept singing”! We enjoyed seeing our favourite characters again but I think I’d wait for a proper sequel to Frozen (which I loved), which should hopefully not take too long!
Beauty and the Beast
What both of us agreed was a treat though was Beauty and the Beast, the musical which just started its run at the MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands.
Based on the 1991 academy-award winning animated film, this musical first premiered on Broadway in 1994 and still ranks as one of the longest-running and highest-grossing Broadway shows of all time. As part of their 20th anniversary celebrations, the original Broadway creative team has been reunited to bring this acclaimed production to over 12 countries for a first-ever international tour, which arrived on our shores to open on Saturday night.
Beauty and the Beast ranks as one of my favourite animated movies of all time, and having grown up listening to and singing the songs repeatedly, I was really excited to be able to catch this musical, with the added bonus of being able to enjoy it with my daughter in tow. She was beside herself with excitement from the night before when we did some “revision”, reading through the story again so that she would better understand what was going on.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast tells the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town who is a little different from the rest. She loves books and has no interest in the village stud, Gaston, who is himself determined to marry her as she is the prettiest girl in town. Not far away lives the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress. Only if the Beast learns to love and be loved in return would the curse will be broken and the Beast transformed back to his former self. As time is running out, Belle and the Beast cross paths and from their initial distaste for each other blooms forth an unlikely friendship which turns to love.
Having such fond memories of the original animated film, I was naturally concerned that some of the magic would be lost in translation. But from the moment the curtains were raised to reveal Belle and her town, I knew my fears were unfounded. It was as if the cartoon had jumped unto stage, but in vibrant living colour.
The lovely Hilary Maiberger, who plays the part of Belle looked just the part, and her voice! Beautiful and clear, it was strikingly reminiscent of the original Belle in the animated film. Much of the opening sequence would be familiar to anyone who has watched the animated film before, but with the added element of energy brought by the live cast. The chorus (playing the townsfolk) was fun and invigorating and it was at once obvious how the dreamy bookish Belle didn’t fit in. I particularly loved a dance sequence that they did with metal mugs to the song “Gaston” which was quite a treat in its execution! Gaston himself was convincingly played by Adam Dietlein. Mei was very tickled by the ladies who flitted around him and kept asking me why they kept falling over!
Before the show I wondered if the enchanted objects would be accurately portrayed as I feel that they carry much of the charm of the show. On stage they are quite obviously people, but Lumiere the candelabrum, Cogsworth the clock and the rest of the group managed to carry it off admirably. Lumiere (Hassan Nazari-Robati) in particular was the crowd favourite with his French accent and little shimmies. My daughter loved Cogsworth (James May), whom she adorably referred to as “Clocksworth” whom she pronounced as “very funny”.
Beauty and the Beast turned out to be a surprisingly good show for kids. I was worried that it might be a little scary for the young ones, especially those like my daughter who are a little sensitive. Mei cries at EVERY show when she perceives it to be scary or exciting or sad or intense. She’s even cried at multiple screenings of Frozen, which she loves by the way. This could be in part because my kids don’t watch much TV at all, just as an occasional treat. So I was worried she might be scared at Beauty and the Beast and prepped her beforehand that some scenes might be a bit scary. Maybe it was because we were sitting some distance from the stage but she enjoyed the show and didn’t cry at all. Her favourite song was, surprisingly, “If I Can’t Love Her”, sung by the Beast before the break, and not one of the more popular tunes like the more visually spectacular and fun “Be Our Guest“. I think she has good taste for the emotional. “If I Can’t Love Her” is one of six original songs written for the musical production and I dare say the overall production is better for it.
One would not ordinarily think of Disney princesses as good role models of kind yet strong women, but like Cinderella, I love that you can see that Belle is a girl who longs for more than “her provincial life” and is not afraid to stand up for and do what she believes, yet always exuding gentleness and kindness. No surprises then that our mummy and daughter pair really enjoyed this performance! On the way home, I realised that it was Mei’s first musical. I think there could not have been a better one for her than this tale as old as time.
Beauty and the Beast is playing at the MasterCard Theatres till 3 May 2015. Do yourself a favour and don’t miss it!
Beauty and the Beast
Ticketing and Show Information
Season 21 March to 3 May 2015
Venue: Grand Theatre, MasterCard Theatres, Marina Bay Sands
Performance Times: Tuesday to Friday 8pm; Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 1pm & 6pm
Ticket Prices: $65 through to $190
Booking through Internet: Marina Bay Sands Ticketing or Sistic
Booking by Phone: +65 6688 8826
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