Cultural Event Report

Cultural Event Report: Attending a Performance Jessica Brown Professor Lafferty Hum 111: World Cultures I September 5, 2012 Event Name: Beauty & the Beast Musical Event Date & Time: August 10, 2012 Event Location: James F. Dean Theatre, Summerville, SC For this cultural event report I decided to attend a musical performance. This was a play of the classic movie Beauty and the Beast. This is the first time I have ever attended a live musical and I had an overall good experience.The one thing that I don’t really like is a lot of singing but the acting was extraordinary. The cast was dressed in beautiful brightly colored costumes. The main characters of course were Belle, the Beast, Gaston, and Belle’s father, Maurice. The main thing I did throughout the play was compare it to the actual movie and there were differences but the main plot was the same. I attended the performance with my sister, my kids, and my niece. The kids really enjoyed it, especially the talking teapot s!My first impression when entering the theatre was that it was rather small which I expected. The tickets were only $6. 00 for students and children under 3 were free. All the seats were full also. I didn’t really expect people to dress up in nice clothes, and everyone just had on mostly jeans and shirt, nothing fancy. The lighting was good on the stage and I could hear the cast loud and clearly through the speakers. One thing that I didn’t like was the microphones that the cast used.They were rather large and it would have been nicer for them to have a microphone that was a little less revealed. There were about 15-20 cast members in all. Some people seemed to look a bit more comfortable on stage than others. The effect on the stage, while they were singing, was great. My favorite part was in the beginning when the Prince was turned into the beast because he was turning down the woman who turned out to be a beautiful enchantress. It was a good lesson of karma and how true beauty is within and it’s not always about what’s on the outside.The crowd was very respectful to the performers by being quiet during the show. There was a small intermission of about 20 minutes. The play lasted a total of 2 hours. During the intermission there was a small concession stand that had candy, drinks, and popcorn. The show proceeded shortly after. During the part of the performance when Gaston and the Beast are fighting Gaston does stab him. It was kind of sad when Belle thought the beast was dead, but then he transformed back into the Prince.It was a happy ending and the final song was amazing. The singers had very beautiful voices. After going to this performance it makes when want to go see another one to compare and contrast each aspect. I would like to go see a drama written by Shakespeare. It would be a great experience to see actors portray people from a different era. While watching this musical I also thought of movies that involve the same issues, such as the Princess and the Frog and the Hunchback of Notre Dame.When the show had ended the performers were each introduced as they came back onto the stage. Also, we were able to meet and greet with them before we left. The briefly discussed their history with acting and singing and how long it took them to prepare for the show. Everything about the performance was good and they knew how to keep the audience’s attention which is important. I am glad that I was able to attend the show. References Beauty and the Beast, the Musical. James F. Dean Theatre, Summerville, SC. August 10, 2012. Live Performance