'Beauty and the Beast' gets an anniversary makeover on ABC
For the holiday season, and to mark a milestone for the classic Disney movie, “Beauty and the Beast” is going hybrid.
In the style used for a 2019 television staging of “The Little Mermaid,” new live-action sequences will be combined with portions of the animated film in the ABC special “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” Thursday, Dec. 15. Technically, it's the 31st anniversary of the 1991 classic that included the voice of the late Angela Lansbury among others ... but the saga of Belle and the prince cursed to be the Beast has stood the test of time, with the Disney variation earning Oscars for the title song and the overall score.
A large and diverse cast has been assembled for the live-action parts of the new rendering, led by Oscar and Grammy winner H.E.R. as Belle and Josh Groban as the Beast. Also on board: the much-honored Rita Moreno as the narrator, Shania Twain as Mrs. Potts; Martin Short as Lumiere; David Alan Grier as Cogsworth; Joshua Henry (“Hamilton”) as Gaston; Rizwan Manji as Le Fou; Jon Jon Briones as Maurice; and Leo Abelo Perry as Chip.
Variety-show veteran Hamish Hamilton, who also guided the aforementioned “Little Mermaid” revision, is directing the new “Beauty and the Beast.” Co-star Grier says it was significant to move from a rehearsal studio to the Disney lot, and he reports that the set looks “really great, beautiful and impressive.” He relates the experience to live telecasts of “The Wiz” and “A Christmas Story” that he was in: “It's all kind of within the same realm, but this (new production) is definitely unique.”
Though Grier enjoys being in the new cast of “Beauty and the Beast,” he hasn't necessarily gotten to work with everyone. He explains, “Josh Henry's stuff is kind of separate from Martin (Short) and me. My scenes are mostly with Martin and H.E.R. and Shania Twain. And I love Martin; that's really why I did this project. When they called, I said, 'If Martin's really going to do it, I'll say “Yes” today.'”
A 2020 Tony Award winner for “A Soldier's Play,” Grier has had an active year, having also co-starred in Hulu and FX's limited series “The Patient” and filmed the musical version of “The Color Purple” that's due in theaters late next year. However, he knows “Beauty and the Beast” is its own creature.
“The technical parts are probably the most challenging,” Grier notes. “It's a huge stage with dancers, little kids, technicians, everything ... and I'm trying not to be in the way. 'Be Our Guest' is a big number, but it looks really cool, and what the director and choreographer have shown us is really exciting.”