“Beauty and the Beast” Goes to Toronto this Month!

Beauty and the Beast first made its Broadway debut in New York, where it took up residency for nearly 13 years before traveling to Toronto for a brief stint, where it was extremely well received. Now, the show has returned to Toronto, where it will be playing at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts until July 22.

The show is a touring production with music written by Alan Menken and lyrics written by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. The score still includes all of the beloved numbers including Be Our Guest, and of course, the ballad that takes its name from the title of the play. And, when Emily Behny steps forward as Belle to sing her solo numbers such as A Change in Me and Home, her voice is forceful enough to carry the notes throughout, yet sweet enough to be reflective of the character.

The Beast in the story is played by Dane Agostinis, who has a lot of presence on stage; but has also been said that his voice could use more projection and toning. Still, he’s the lovable Beast he’s supposed to be, and when he and Belle appear on stage together, the audience is still very much rooting that they’ll somehow find a way into each other’s hearts.

Other major roles in the play are taken up by Matt Farcher, who plays the egotistical Gaston; Julia Louise Hosack, who plays the maternal teapot; James May, who plays the snooty candlestick Cogsworth; Jen Bechter who plays Madame de la Grande Bouche; and Michael Haller, who plays Lumiere. All of them make up a lovable cast that is easy to believe, and fun to sing along with!

Once the show, put on by Dancap Productions and directed by Rob Roth, leaves Toronto, it will head to Hershey, Pennsylvania. To see if it will be in your city after that, you can view the Beauty and the Beast ticket page at Stub.com.

Categorized in: Theater