Review: Take-charge Beauty, bashful Beast charm at Orpheum

The enchantment doesn’t stop with the objectified people trapped in the Beast’s palace and longing to become human again.

With just one musical number, the 30th-anniversary revival of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” has put itself in the rarest of companies.

Refreshed and expanded by director and choreographer Matt West, “Be Our Guest” is now a tap-tastic, 10-minute dance sequence with smooth moves, colorful costume changes and captivating vigor.

This showstopper drew a well-earned standing ovation Wednesday at the Orpheum Theatre, where the musical runs through Aug. 17. The last time a Broadway tour had such a rapturous midshow standing O was eight years ago, when the Genie showed Aladdin his dream-granting powers on the over-the-top number “Friend Like Me.”

The first Disney property to be translated into a Broadway musical, “Beauty” set the pace for a slew of strange fairy tales with familiar elements. After her father is imprisoned in a dungeon by a prince who was transformed into a hoofed and horned creature, bookish village girl Belle journeys to free him.

“Guest” is the snazziest, most arresting scene in “Beauty,” whose jazzed-up Alan Menken score is conducted with verve by David Andrew Rogers. But it’s by no means the only highlight in a musical that boasts eye-popping costumes, transporting scenic design and winning performances.

The other is “Gaston,” which is even more festive now and set in a German beer hall with twirling country lasses and fetching tap dance.

Johnson’s Belle, a bespectacled book lover who dreams of “Home,” has lots of modern touches and does everything on her own terms, including taking the lead in love. Johnson finesses the role with nuance and flair, and she’s equally gifted as a singer and actor.

She also has strong chemistry with Philippe. Although his Beast is a fumbling, emotional klutz, he is eager for his own transformation, including learning manners and vanquishing the potential stalker vibes of “If I Can’t Love Her.”

The leads share their light with a winsome supporting cast. Stephen Mark Lukas brings great pipes, comic timing and big guns to the vainglorious Gaston. In addition to slaying on his eponymous number, he is highly entertaining on “Me,” a duet with Johnson.

West’s approach to “Beauty” is not only to doll up the numbers and add more oomph to the dances and music. He also lards the show with Broadway and pop cultural references, including nods to “The Lion King” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” and, in the music, Belle evoking Whitney Houston’s iconic quaver on “I Will Always Love You.”

The brains behind “Beauty” have always signaled the themes around transformative love, wilting time and trapped beauty with a rose, prominently displayed in the production.

When: 7:30 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 1 & 6:30 p.m. Sun. Ends Aug. 17.

Where: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls.