MILWAUKEE — It’s a tale as old as time, but it’s coming to Milwaukee with a new twist.
Milwaukee Ballet opens “Beauty and the Beast” on Thursday at the Marcus Performing Arts Center. The ballet runs through May 22.
It’s one-of-a-kind, premiering right here in Wisconsin back in 2018. This is the first rendition of the ballet, and its second run. “Beauty and the Beast” is the brainchild of Michael Pink, Milwaukee Ballet’s artisctic director.
“Disney is the king… you think of the huge success that they have with their particular stories that they tell. ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was obviously on the long list of titles that I wanted to just explore,” he said.
While he looked toward the Disney classic for inspiration, Pink noted he doesn’t try to reproduce storylines too close to the Disney version. Rather, he said he finds the most interesting parts of the story and transforms them into a ballet, attempting to appeal to dance rookies and veterans alike.
"I’m trying to create a piece that has potentially a lot more depth than perhaps people would be used to,” Pink said. “I try and bring a level of theatrical integrity to the works, that I hope will engage more members of our audience and leave a different impact on people.”
A major change audiences are sure to notice is the absence of Gaston.
“That character is purely fictitious. He’s not in either of the original stories — [he is original to Disney],” Pink explained. “I don’t feel we need that because I wanted to empower Belle.”
But the cast is still large. In fact, Pink added some characters in, giving Belle two sisters, who are pursued by twins in the village, adding an expanded view of Belle’s world to the ballet.
But much of the ballet, Pink admitted, remains true to the fundamental elements of the fairytale, which of course would not be complete without the Beast.
Parker Brasser-Vos, a leading artists at Milwaukee Ballet, takes on the iconic creature. He previously danced as one of the suitors, special to the ballet.
This time around, he’s gotten to explore both new levels of physicality and artistic expression in his leading role.
“It’s been incredibly, incredibly meaningful to me… It’s different for me; I consider myself a very kind of classical dancer. But like I said, in this production, he’s not just what most people would expect of a beast. He’s not just a fuzzy animal or like a wolf or a bear,” he said.
The depth of his character has allowed him to explore dance at new levels. Typically, ballet is supposed to look effortless, but the Beast doesn't require that, allowing him to bring a genuineness to hi scharacter. Brasser-Vos said he dug deep to realize the level of pain the Beast endures from the curse he is under, which is portrayed by a recurring rose motif.
“In my costume, which was created by the Milwaukee Ballet costume department, there’s these amazing details of these vines that are constricting his body. And literally, anytime he acts in a way that is selfish, the curse punishes him by kind of constricting him,” he said. “So finding that movement where he’s actually being suffocated by the vines, which then also have thorns with so it’s a little bit of a darker version, that adults I think, can appreciate.”
“Beauty and the Beast” is not only a tale of redemption for the Beast, who must learn to put others before himself, but it’s also a heroic triumph for Belle, who is able to see the good in others. Dancers and the creative team are hoping audiences are moved by the “authentic” fairytale they put on stage this week.
Beyond the whimsical elements of the fairytale, it’s an intense storyline, complemented by an original “cinematic” score from Philip Feeney. Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra plays it live.
“Over time, if he doesn’t find the love of his life, if he doesn’t find someone to see him as he really is, that will kill him. And so the ballet has a high stakes for his character for sure,” Brasser-Vos added.
“If [the Beast] shouts and screams and demands that [Belle] loves him, it won’t work. So there has to be a true element of her falling in love with him for the right reasons,” Pink said. “And that’s the real crux of this story. And of course she does, and he turns back into this charming prince— the prince that he always should have been in the first place.”
The production also featured 64 students from Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy.They’re not overly star-struck seeing professional dancers at rehearsals every day, as Brasser-Vos doubles as a dance teacher for some of them. But for him, dancing with his students makes “Beauty and the Beast” all the more special.
“They’re very smart, very intelligent, very funny, very enthusiastic. Their energy gives me inspiration,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll see them crowding around doors or windows to peek into rehearsals. And it reminds me what I felt like when I was at age.”
It’s not uncommon, he explained, for older students to join the company down the line. He’s seen many of them grown on and off the stage, gaining confidence along the way.
After all, that’s what “Beauty and the Beast,” and ballet, is all about: Being the best version of yourself.
For more information on “Beauty and the Beast,” click here.
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