Broadway in San Antonio: Beauty and the Beast

Such an amazing event!
The Magic of Disney comes alive in this musical. This is definitely worth checking out. It’s an adaptation of Disney’s version of the story. The Majestic is such a great place to see it. I love that theater! It’s such a fantastic setting to see a play.
The sets were amazing, and the production crew really did a fantastic job! The sets were all quite intricate, and beautifully designed. The transitions from scene to scene were seamless, as the sets were all on wheels and gargoyles would come to life and push them around to create a new scene within the castle, or how the tavern turned inside out to convey going from inside to outside. All of the characters were spot on– right out of the cartoon. They were so animated! The costumes are beyond stunning, and spot on from the movie. I couldn’t quite figure out how they did Chip’s costume– the tea cup. It’s a floating boy’s head on a cart! The actors and actresses sang and danced with elaborate moves– the whole thing was quite stunning! All of the actors were quite animated, and really were great fits for the part. They held pretty true to the cartoon version, but they made some fun adaptations for the stage. The music isn’t prerecorded– there’s a live symphony there! They were great! The musicians were spot on! They had extended versions of all the songs from the movie, and the «Be Our Guest» number was absolutely delightful! They even shoot streamers out of champagne bottles for the finale, which really got the crowd going!
It was really cool seeing all the kids attending this production– so many of them were dressed like Belle in their evening gowns and tiaras! There were some beasts there too, but not in costume!
I learned that if you look up at the ceiling of the Majestic, the stars that you see are placed according to the positioning of the real stars in the sky on the night of the Majestic’s opening!

I’m so lucky I was able to go to this event! Beauty and the Beast was nothing short of magical and the Majestic was the best place to see it in. Fining Evie was easy and painless as she was standing right outside the theater. The line to get in the theater was long and they didn’t open the inside doors until 30 mins before the show, which doesn’t make sense to me but they were still able to get everyone seated. My guest an I were inside but then went next door to get coffee before the show started. The line wrapped around the building but was moving pretty quickly. I’m glad they had this event on a Downtown Tuesday night but knew better than to park in the garage by the majestic as it is not free when there is an event on Tuesday. I choose street parking which is free after 6pm. Once inside and seated the show started and I was transformed to Belle’s world. The sets were gorgeous and the music as amazing. The players were top notch and I enjoyed the show very much! The audience, filled with families and youngsters was great and I loved seeing the little girls in their princess dresses! This Beauty and the Beast was more of a comedy than I remember the movie being but was perfect for the little ones so as not to scare them too much. I would definitely attend another event at the Majestic and another Broadway in San Antonio show. I actually have season tickets!
Thanks Unilocal for an always great time!

OMG!!! Jai was totally right about that gas-​passing villainous person who ripped a putrid fart in the middle of the enclosed area where at least 100 people were patiently waiting to get into the theater itself. I felt like I was in some sort of evilly twisted chamber slowly filling up with noxious nerve gas! Not that this was any fault of the venue, or cast, or producers, or whoever besides the culprit themselves… but I digress.
On a good note however, that was most definitely our chance for a grand exit to the bar area. Note: only 2 alcoholic bevvies per person and they pour them with those annoying alcohol-​stoppers like the ones you find at airport bars & lounges. Prices are also pretty average and they appeared to have snacks also. I felt exceedingly awkward at first, sipping on an adult beverage while surrounded by children and the older, older crowd — but then I saw that an array of the play-​goers that evening were indulging in wine, cocktails of various sorts, and beer. So I thought to myself «Why not!?»
And shall we go off on another tangent? Let’s just say that the seats are preeetty darn close to eachother. Like, I could (regrettably) smell the axillae of the sleeveless-​shirt wearing person seated next to me. The person that I am, I (normally) give them the benefit of the doubt so I chalked it up to being that (a) it’s effen hot in SA and (b) walking around downtown for long periods of time can get messy rul quick and © it was an opportunistic time to scoot just that much closer to my honey and away from odors.
So, why then with all this doom & gloom mentioned above, did I give this event a 5-​star rating? Quite easily, the PERFORMANCE above all else and of course because it was gratis, duh, because if it’s free then it’s for me! When I heard that the RSVP for this event would be open at 8am I thought to myself «Hey, that’s what time I go in to work, this’ll be fun motivation for me to get into the office on time!» so special thanks to the pleasant ladies of the Majestic marketing team and Lindsay for making this truly magical treat possible! It was a very exciting honor for me to finally visit this beautiful gem of a theater in the heart of downtown San Antonio. All of the actors were absolutely superb and the stage effects, props, and lights were placed very well. The vocal abilities of every single actor really shined through in their whimsical and sometimes moving performances. My favorite character was Lumiere for sure! He was just as funny as the cartoon character, if not funnier. I just can’t stress how professional the entire performance was. I did hear a little bit of distortion whenever 2 actors would sing close together, but nothing that was too distracting.
Just a few tips for first-​time Majestic-​goers like me: the Houston St. garage will be crazy packed so expect delay or walk somewhere close by and have a drink or dessert while the crowd dies down. For the ladies, there may be long wait-​times at the restroom during intermission, but it does appear that the theater gives extra time for people to return to their seats. If you’ve got balcony seats, your elevator will open up to the left and if you are seated on the ground level, you can access the theater both from the doors to the right and from the bar area as well. Either way, ushers are available to happily assist you in finding your way.
All in all, I had an AMAZING time, we had great seats (from what I heard from other Unilocalers, their seats were also great) and in a heart-​beat I would most definitely take advantage of the next great show that comes to the Majestic!

When I got the email that said I had to RSVP at exactly 8 in the morning, you best bet my tail was on it! I was RIGHT THERE in front of my laptop with my fingers ready to hit the button. Nervous tick… eye twitch… that was me alright. When I got the confirmation that I was in, I was very excited!
Aside from the traffic at the Houston Street parking garage a few steps away, and aside from all the excited kids that I tried ramming out of my way to get to the box office, everything was spectacular! I got there a few minutes early (gaw, what’s wrong with me?) and saw fellow Unilocaler, Curt C., waiting outside. We finally caught up with Evie for our tickets. We were handed our envelopes of two tickets each and my partner in crime and I made our way inside.
The wait to seat took awhile. And of course, it didn’t help when someone decided to FART in the middle of the crowd. The smell wafted and yes, it was awful. My partner in crime & I decided this was our que to go to the bar. We caught up with fellow Unilocalers, Joey P. & Joe A., and chatted with them as we waited to be seated. Everyone at the Majestic was nice — guiding you and ensuring that the guests were comfortable as well as not impeding on other guests’ ability to access the restrooms and bar area.
Finally got in and again, we were constantly being asked if we needed help in finding our seats or if we would like a playbill or had any other questions. Like the Empire Theater, the Majestic is… well… MAJESTIC! The architecture is stunning — if you appreciate complex & historic designs, then this is your place to find your jaw dropped to the floor because it is absolutely gorgeous!
Now for the show:
The iconic rose from Beauty & the Beast was displayed perfectly on stage as everyone was getting settled in. The initial look of the stage designs was great… like somehow you KNEW you were in for a treat. Then came the time for the show to start and from the very first moment everything started, I was in awe. Jillian Butterfield brought real life to Belle (who also happens to be one of my favorite Disney princesses by the way) and Cameron Bond as Gaston was excellent while Emily Jewell brought a Julie Andrews feel to the story as Mrs. Potts (which I loved!) Throughout all the scenes, I found myself feeling completely immersed in the story as well as quietly singing along with the songs I knew.
The sets were amazing — the flow from one scene to another was seamless. There was definitely depth to each without overdoing the look and quality. And of course, everyone kept wondering how Chip (the teacup) was carted around in a seemingly ‘empty’ cart yet there was a boy talking and singing with everyone. But my partner in crime thinks he figured it out — he reminded me of a certain movie that did sort of that same thing as an illusion to the audience and I’m more than convinced that’s what it was. :P I especially loved the bottles of champagne and the cork popping done in the «Be Our Guest» number. Huge streamers shot out into the audience and it absolutely brought a dramatic effect to the end of that scene! The sound effects were on point and the Beast’s roar could be heard for miles.
The costumes were impressive with a lot of detail to illustrate to the audience who they were, what they were portraying such as the salt & pepper shakers, the silverware, & especially Lumiere with the dripped wax on his head.
I was extremely lucky to have scored free tickets to this show and I don’t believe I’ll ever forget just how amazeballs it was! I would LOVE to have an opportunity to do it all again that’s for sure!