Every lady deserves one evening where
they feel like a princess.

…whether it be in a pretty ball
gown,

a fancy feast,

or receiving a library full of
books.

In true Belle-fashion, I was the
princess for the evening,

and have none other to thank than
my friends.

The evening started at Ocean
Prime. I had previously commented that I had never had dinner there before, [I
left out the fact that two ex-boyfriends promised dinner there…and they
didn’t follow through] so dinner here meant more to me than I think these gentlemen
knew…

We all thoroughly enjoyed
everything brought to the table.

Filet, Blackened Snapper, Lobster
Mashed Potatoes, 10-layer Carrot Cake…

…to name a few.

Ray, Ritchie & Ryan treated
me to the nines.

I am grateful to have such amazing
friends in my life. 🙂

As you may know, I have been
visiting the Straz for years; I started attending on field trips and now you’ll
find me there for my love of music & the theater. And I definitely did not
mind being escorted by these three!

All four of us are big Disney
fans, so I knew each of us would enjoy…and sing along. We all know the story,
beautiful Belle is the odd one out, her father the inventor, the Beast keeping
her captive, the households items that come to life, love prevails and everyone
lives happily ever after. However, I am happy to say that there were
differences in Beauty and the Beast on Tour; they’re refreshing, light hearted
and humorous additions to the storyline I grew up watching.

Before I go any further, the cast
is phenomenal. Belle is gorgeous and portrays the book-loving princess very
well. Le Fou and Gaston almost steal the show. Lumiere is hilarious. Cogsworth
is just like he is portrayed in the original; talking very timely and
replicating a metronome. The feisty feather duster is the still the flare in
Lumiere’s eye, and makes her presence known as she flirts across the stage.

…it’s a show for everyone.

All of the characters are lovable
for the kids.

Quite a bit of humor for the
adults

[ including some adult humor,
thanks Disney 😉 ]

And the sights! The costumes are
impeccable, and let’s just say that “Be Our Guest” was right out of
the Disney movie.

Some of the songs are different;
they kept the classics, in which all of us sang along quietly.

Le Fou’s role is HUGE — and I
loved it! I always enjoyed his silly, yet naive personality in the film, and
was happy to see him have a bigger role in this show.

the. best. part. of. the. show:::
the bar scene. Everyone joins in with Gaston & Le Fou with clinking of beer
mugs and dancing. Imagine synchronized swimming, but with clinking of the mugs
and jolly bar folk. It was awesome.

Another awesome part…Belle has
sass! Not joking here…she calls out the Beast when he is being a bully,
stands up for herself, and shows true wit in the sticky situation of being held
captive in the castle.

Lastly, the Beast’s humor got an
upgrade! He is quite comical, and let’s it show when he has to push his ego
aside.

As you tell by now, I loved it.
Funny how a movie I was watching 24 years ago still struck so many heart
strings, I still could sing every word, and the library scene still gave me
goosebumps. They did a phenomenal job keeping the original in tact, but added
just enough to keep you entertained & loving every second.

{ Thanks again to these three
handsome guys for making my evening a special one }

Beauty and the Beast is currently
running from now, until Sunday May 10th. Take your Momma for Mother’s Day! You
can visit HERE for more ticket and schedule information.

*As a member of the Tampa BayBloggers, I did receive the opportunity to attend Beauty and the Beast at the
Straz Center. in exchange for my review and social media love. All opinions are
my own.