Local hit ‘Beauty and the Beast’ catches Disney Theatrical’s eye

It’s not every day that a Central Florida theater production captures the attention of New York City creative types. But by putting a new spin on a tale as old as time, one show this summer did exactly that.

Director Roberta Emerson was pleasantly “shocked and stupefied” when Disney Theatrical Productions got in touch about her production of “Beauty and the Beast,” staged at the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden.

“I was like, ‘who?'” she recalls. “Why would they reach out to us?”

The answer to that question was found in the performers. People of different races, people with different gender identities, people with different sexualities, people with different body types. In other words, a “Beauty and the Beast” for everyone.

In New York, David Scott, the director of theatrical licensing for Disney Theatrical Productions, had seen a photo of Da’Zaria Harris as Belle. He wanted to know more so arranged a call with Emerson and Joseph Walsh, then the theater’s artistic director.

He found out there was a second part of the show’s inclusive mission: To frame the oft-told story through the lens of a young Black girl.

“It became very clear that they don’t get a lot of people who redream the show that way,” Emerson says.

Scott booked a flight.

“I was inspired to take a trip to see the show,” he wrote via email.

Scott doesn’t take a trip like that very often. Even with the constant stream of Disney productions around the world, he would visit only about a dozen in a typical pre-pandemic year, according to a Disney Theatrical spokesman.

In Emerson’s vision for “Beauty and the Beast,” the show opened with a young Black girl getting ready for bed, playing with a doll and filling her imagination with “Once upon a time …”

The critically acclaimed director was inspired by her own love of the 1991 animated film — and her love for her children.

“It’s been my favorite since I was a little girl,” Emerson says of Disney’s Oscar-nominated movie, “but I never saw a place for myself in it.”

Growing up in a more inclusive world, Emerson’s children feel differently.

“My daughters actually see ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and think ‘I could be Belle,'” she says. Framing the play through the eyes of a Black girl meant Emerson “was able to reclaim it and see it in the world my daughters see.”

When Scott arrived, he liked what he saw.

The theater “brought the piece to life in a meaningful and delightful production that showcased Orlando’s talent pool of actors, designers and production staff,” he wrote. “In particular, Harris’s performance of ‘A Change in Me’ not only brought down the house but brought a new understanding to Belle’s emotional Act II transformation.”

Audiences felt the same about the production, which sold out nearly all its performances.

A few patrons weren’t pleased that the bodies onstage didn’t precisely match their cartoon counterparts apparently not understanding concepts such as “imagination,” “storytelling” — and possibly “humanity.”

“I’m always braced for that type of reaction,” Emerson says. “We got those, but they just weren’t as loud. The overwhelming support was louder. I’m grateful to this community for that.”

Any complaints, of course, came from adults. Children know how to see with their hearts.

“Little Black girls experienced representation that will never leave them,” Emerson says. “Cute little blond, blue-eyed girls looking up at Da’Zaria … they also saw Belle, they saw a princess.”

Scott interviewed cast members and creatives while in Florida and produced a short docu-film to keep a record of the experience. He said the effect of such an inclusive piece of art can have repercussions beyond the stage.

“Their production illustrated that theater can entertain us, but also inspire us to be better individuals within our own local communities,” he wrote.

While Emerson appreciates the attention received by the production, she also views it as a sign that there is still inclusivity work to be done.

“It shouldn’t be that revolutionary,” she says. “It bothers me that it’s revolutionary. It irks me. I think we as a community can all move forward, but it was most gratifying to see that many people coming together.”

After all, there’s a reason a tale as old as time endures.

“It is a fairy tale,” Emerson says. “It’s about everyone.”

Find me on Twitter @matt_on_arts, facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Want more theater and arts news and reviews? Go to orlandosentinel.com/arts. For more fun things, follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.