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Lately, I've kind
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Lately, I've kind
Lately, I've kind of become obsessed with the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast. It all started last year, when my choir performed the junior version (which is VASTLY inferior, if still good). I was one of the narrators and also a villager; it was quite fun. Anyway, one day, out of curiosity, I looked up all the songs that were only in the full-length Broadway version and nearly had a heart attack because they were incredible. There were so many of them, too! And they were amazing! And the original cast was so incredible! And et cetera!
Then I found the actual script online via Google. And, well, I can't really describe how amazing it was. The Disney movie is great, but this is seriously awesome. And so I have the entire script and soundtrack practically memorized and am pretty much constantly watching and rewatching it in my head, on and off. Because it is just so incredibly good.
You should all watch it so that I have someone to talk to about it! Or at least read the script and listen to the soundtrack on YouTube (Make sure it's the original, because Terrence Mann's singing is amazing--but then you'll have to look up "A Change in Me" separately, since it was only added later, and be sure to find the alternate lyrics to "If I Can't Love Her: Reprise" because they're way better.), if you don't want to pay money to see it in person. And read the TV tropes page--or don't, because it kept me up past 1 in the morning. (Some of the Wild Mass Guesses, particularly the crossover ones, are hilariously absurd yet somehow make so much sense in a convoluted way. For instance, I'm now convinced that Belle's mother was totally a member of VFD. Yes, SoUE fans, that VFD).
submitted by Ima, age 14
(November 18, 2012 - 6:24 pm)
(November 18, 2012 - 6:24 pm)
The school where my dad works put on that musical last year, although it wasn't the full version. It was soooooo good!
(November 19, 2012 - 7:53 pm)
TOP!!!!
(December 3, 2012 - 12:02 pm)
I love "If I Can't Love Her" and "Home". I grew up with those songs: they were on my Princess CDs. I've never seen it, but I want to.
(December 3, 2012 - 5:18 pm)
You have no idea how excited I was right now to read this. As it turns out, the OBCR of Beauty and the Beast is the reason I'm so into musical theater. And I pretty much owe it all to Terrence Mann. Ready for the long story? You see, I was listened to a Bach piece and I became absolutely positive that it sounded like something from Beauty and the Beast that I had heard while seeing a high school version of the play. So, as anyone would do, I googled it. And lo and behold, there appeared "If I Can't Love Her" with Terrence Mann singing. After realizing that, yes indeed, this song sounds very much like the second movement of Bach's Double Violin Concerto (look it up - it's uncanny!), I became enchanted by Terrence Mann's voice. After that, there was no turning back. I looked up all the songs from the Beauty and the Beast OBCR, listened to them over and over again, and finally bought the album on iTunes. Which was a big deal for me, seeing as I do not buy albums on iTunes unless I am 110% sure I want the album. Beauty and the Beast led me to more and more shows until I became the musical theater geek I am today. However, I always hold a soft spot in my heart for BatB. It was my soundtrack as my dad and I made our cross-country road trip as well as the soundtrack for much of my eighth grade year. I ranted about the cast and the music and even my dad began to memorize lyrics. Oh my goodness, I think I even tried to copy out the lyrics to all of the songs by myself and, if you've ever heard "Gaston" or "Maison des Lunes", you will understand the difficulty of that task. Well, there you have it. The story that you probably didn't feel like reading, but if you stuck with me, I applaud you.
I did end up seeing BatB at the Pantages for my birthday, and while it was good, the beast was absolutely nothing like Terrence Mann. Also, they cut out "Maison des Lunes," which broke my heart. However, I did enjoy the dance number during "Gaston," where the villagers clanked their mugs in time to the music. It was wonderful to know all the jokes before they came and to sing along (in my head) and, really, to have such a great obsession.
So that's my BatB story and rant. I am so excited that someone else shares my passion! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go listen to the OBCR again.
(December 6, 2012 - 2:02 am)
Yeah, Gaston's a killer in the realm of lyrics.
(December 6, 2012 - 9:39 pm)
*is late because due to not visiting the CB for weeks, not counting visiting old threads, which I actually did this morning*
Yeah, Terrence Mann's voice is amazing. I've listened to I don't even know how many people portraying the Beast, including the original cast recordings from other English-speaking countries (when I found out about the cast for the movie of Les Mis, I literally went, "Hugh Jackman? Oh, he was Gaston in the Australian version of the Beauty and the Beast musical! He was good, but not as good as Burke Moses," because I actually spend my time comparing recordings like that), and none of them come close. It's a bit surprising, actually, because some of them are really good--I mean, I've heard both Terrence Mann and James Barbour as Czolgosz from Assassins, and I think they did about equally well, but when it comes to this role, there's no comparison between them because Terrence Mann just does it so perfectly.
I've also been reading fanfiction. Generally, it's listed under the movie on fanfiction websites even if it's musical-based. I've been finding some surprisingly good stories, including one hilarious crossover with The Scarlet Pimpernel, of all things. And I've copied the script into a Word document and inserted links to the songs so that I can listen at the approprate times and also inserted some screenshots from the movie where they fit and some passages from fanfiction that are so good they entered my head!canon, so that when I feel like it, I can absorb it all at once. When I don't have access to a computer, I just go over the script in my head, since I have it memorized. Random words and phrases remind me of it and are apt to put me into a reverie or cause me to make nonsensical-seeming references out of the blue. (For instance, every time I hear the words, "That's nice," I'm tempted to shout, "Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!").
...I have no regrets. Except maybe the homework I haven't finished or the sleep I've lost trying to do it at the last minute because I spent the day doing such things. But other than that, no regrets.
(December 27, 2012 - 3:59 pm)