Beauty and the Beast: Poster Evolution

Posted on by Thor

Beauty and the Beast opened at the Orlando Shakes on June 23, 2022. This show isn’t based on the Disney version of the fairy tale but on the original book. In this tale the relationship between the sisters becomes as important as the relationship between the Beast and Beauty.

Written by local play write and actor Brandon Roberts, this show is an interactive joy for the kids in the audience as well as for the kids at heart. The play runs through July 24, 2022.

The first poster design I did for the show was build around showing the rose that is symbolic of the curse of the beast. However this rose is only hinted at in this theater production and I am told it is more of a Disney thematic invention. That idea had to be scrapped.

A second pass at the poster involved showing a mysterious castle in an enchanted forest. In the play, children are invited onto the stage an given fairy wings. As promoted fairies they have control over the inner workings of the castle. Unfortunately the audience members seldom know how to work their magic. It creates charming and delightful moments.

So the second poster idea had a fairy flying through the forest with plenty of pixie dust illuminating the scene. I knew it was a long shot, and it didn’t fly. I liked the blue lighting and yellow illuminated title, but bottom line, I had to figure out how to show Beauty and the Beast in a way that was unique to this production. I watched last year’s production  to get a feel of what I should do for the poster and I can say, you are guaranteed to laugh when you go to this show. The author of the play is one of Rolando’s funniest actors and this production highlights that strength splendidly.

After seeing these two posters I was given photos of past productions and therefor I had an idea of what beauty and the beast looked like in the production. That   mad my job a whole lot easier. I had specifically avoided sketching the beast since his appearance could vary widely. There was a request for some more swirly title treatment, so I had fun getting lost in researching fairy tale style typefaces.

My castle research turned to interiors and the concept developed of showing the beast as a dark silhouette against a light background column of light and beauty would appear a a bright color against the castles darkness. I used the actors from the previous production but they were not re- cast. So I had a last minute request to replace the beauty I had painted with the new actresses. I also did horizontal compositions of each of the posters since most social media use is rather horizontal. This involved giving the art department the ability to isolate sections of each poster and to allow them to create horizontal versions.

Beauty and the Beast at the Garden Theater

Posted on by Thor

Beauty and the Beast with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton is at the Garden Theater through May 22, 2022.

Trapped in her provincial life, an intelligent young woman risks everything to save her father from a terrifying Beast in an enchanted castle. Belle becomes the heroine of her own story as she discovers the power in daring to be different and breaks free from the expectations of her quiet village. Filled with dancing teapots, gorgeous costumes, and theatre magic, this international best-selling sensation has been re-imagined like never before for the Garden stage.

What I love about this production, which is produced in the Don’t Say Gay and Anti-Woke Bill state, is that the theatre selected a diverse cast, including Belle, a white role in the Disney movie, instead as powerful woman of color. The show also ignored conventional gender roles or identities, as well as infused African design motifs into the elegant costuming. The wardrobe in particular was fabulously dressed and knew how to belt out the tunes. The dusters in the castle wore tight red corseted costumes as they performed their Rockettes style kick dance routines. Chip managed to steal every scene he was in riding around the stage on a small tricycle. I am delighted the the show likely ruffled a few feathers in Winter Garden.

I sketched the show from the nose bleed section shoulder to shoulder with the tech crew. I was quite relived that all the theater staff wore masks and took every COVID precaution including  clear plastic shields in front of the tech equipment. From what I saw in the lobby, the audience was mostly unmasked and the show was close to being sold out. A fog machine demonstrated the movement of aerosol particles through the theater.

Another nice touch is that the Garden Theater will present an American Sign Language-interpreted performance and a Sensory Friendly performance for families that have members (both children and adults) with Sensory Processing Disorders (SPD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and special needs.