After 1991’s Beauty And The Beast asserted itself as one of Disney’s greatest achievements, the story found new life as a Broadway stage production just three years later. Though not a critical success, the show nevertheless sold like gangbusters, soon transferring to the West End in London and, in due time, community theaters across the world. Here’s the thing, though: Beauty And The Beast is not easy to stage, if for no other reason than that there’s a giant goddamned beast in it. There’s a reason Dan Stevens’ Beast is digitized, rather than practically costumed, in the new live-action version.
Unfortunately, digitization doesn’t lend itself to live theater, especially not community theaters operating on shoestring budgets. As such, that’s led to some interpretations of the titular beast that were, well, out of their depths? Established a few years ago, a hilarious blog titles Low-Budget Beasts compiles and celebrates these inadvertent wardrobe malfunctions, describing itself as “a tribute to all the low-budget Beast costumes featured in productions of Beauty And The Beast.” Each example is accompanied by clever commentary from the curator, who seeks to highlight some of the more curious choices, such as football shoulder pads, medical scrub pants, or baseball mitts.
You can see a ton more over at the full website.
