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I’m going to be frank here and say I’m usually biased toward loving musicals. Plays and music and dancing by themselves are alright, but if you combine the three together, you get a true experience. And I’m happy to say that this year’s musical did not disappoint.

When schools put on a production of a story as well known as “Beauty and the Beast,” it can sometimes be difficult to find the balance between keeping the magic of the story alive while also making it original. However, I believe that everyone involved in the musical did an incredible job in maintaining this balance.

First off, the music itself was fantastic. The large orchestra played with great rhythm, tone, and emotion throughout the play, and the singers had beautiful voices that reflected their unique interpretation of their characters while also keeping true to this beloved tale. I particularly enjoyed how this version of “Beauty and the Beast” included a couple songs not featured in the movie.The “Be Our Guest” song was the most memorable, seeing everyone dancing around in that sort of organized chaos reminded me of the movie.

What truly brought the whole Disney experience to life though were the amazing lighting, sets, and costumes. Between the professional costumes and the wood carved stairwell, everything looked clean, polished, and professional. I also enjoyed the projector that displayed scenes that helped differentiate scenes. The lighting did a great job reflecting the mood, especially in the final scene. It was, however, the harness and smoke that stole the show. During the opening scene and the transformation scene, both the witch and beast went up on a harness, adding a certain magical effect to the show. Luckily the fire alarm wasn’t set off when I went.

Second only to the music were the acting and the dancing. I’m a sucker for accents, and the actors had fabulous accents that they kept up throughout even the most difficult of songs. Lumiere’s French accent and Babette’s sultry accent were a couple of my favorites. The actors also had some great timing that set off a number of laughs.

My only critique is that some parts of the acting may have been a tad melodramatic. As for the dancing, although it wasn’t overly complex, everyone was well synchronized, and it looked great put together. Nonetheless, the experience as a whole was wonderful.