Rachel Cahoon as Belle brings out the softer side of Justin Calhoun, who plays the Beast, in Toby’s production of the beloved Disney musical 'Beauty and the Beast.' Performances are through June 16. Photo by Jeri Tidwell Photography

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The current production at Toby’s Dinner Theatre is the family-friendly Beauty and the Beast, based on Disney’s 1991 animated film (which itself was based on an 18^th century fairy tale of the same name).

Featuring the voices of Angela Lansbury and Jerry Orbach, the Disney movie made $331 million at the box office and was the first animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. (It lost to The Silence of the Lambs.)

With songs composed by Alan Menken, the film was a natural to be remade into a Broadway musical. It became the first of several Disney blockbuster musicals, opening in New York in 1994 and closing 13 years later.

In 2017, Disney released a live-action version of the animated film starring Kevin Kline, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci and Emma Watson. The remake also did well, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 2017. Disney went on to create restaurants and theme park rides based on the story, too.

Transformative power of love

The tale of how Belle, a young woman in a French village, transforms a bitter Beast into a loving person continues to interest audiences today.

A haughty prince mistreats a witch, who casts a spell on his castle, turning him into a menacing, furry beast (played by Justin Calhoun) and all his servants into physical objects. In order for the Beast and the castle’s other captives to return to human form, he is told he must fall in love.

Enter Belle (Rachel Cahoon), who is held captive in the Beast’s castle because she trades her father’s freedom for her captivity. Meanwhile, the uber-macho Gaston (Patrick Gover) wants Belle as his wife.

Belle and the Beast become friends, but time is of the essence. There is a magic rose losing petals, and when all the petals have fallen, it will be too late for the spell to be broken.

In Toby’s production, director and choreographer Mark Minnick hits all the right buttons. The music is live, performed by a small orchestra on an elevated platform out of sight of the audience. The orchestra never overwhelms the voices.

The music here, directed by Ross Scott Rawlings, is terrific. In “Be Our Guest,” 15 actors are on stage, all with superb voices that can be heard from the last rows. Cahoon and Brandon Bedore (who plays Monsieur D’Arque) are stand-outs.

Of the 14 songs in the show, I especially liked “Human Again,” when many of the cast members sing about being freed from the curse.

The costumes by Janine Sunday were magnificent. Each outfit was better than the last.

If there was someone in the cast I felt a bit sorry for, it was Chip (played by Dylan Iwanczuk). The poor lad is stuck in a teacup costume for most of the show: The only body part showing is his head. He looked happy, though, singing along with the troupe.

A respite from reality

The set, with lighting by Lynn Joslin and scenic design by David Hopkins, transforms you to another time and place.

We seek out entertainment — be it sports, movies, theater or books — to escape from the real world. If your chosen entertainment venue is good, that mini-vacation works.

This is what Beauty and the Beast does at Toby’s. Your attention is either on the castle or the town, and nothing else seems to matter.

You don’t have to worry about eating, of course, because this is a dinner theatre, and dinner (or brunch) are included in the ticket price. Note: Your servers are also actors in the play, and your tips are their main source of compensation.

There were quite a few children in the audience, and this is a perfect show for them. Some of the really young ones even called out to the actors on stage, which always gets a laugh from the audience. Just be advised, parents, that the evening performances let you out at about 10:30 p.m.

Beauty and the Beast runs through June 16. Toby’s is located at 5900 Symphony Woods Rd. in Columbia. Advance reservations are required.

Performances take place Tuesday through Saturday night at 8 p.m. (doors open for buffet at 6 p.m.) and Sunday night at 7 p.m. (doors open at 5 p.m.). There are matinees on Wednesday and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (buffet brunch for matinees opens at 10:30 a.m.).

The pre-show all-you-can-eat buffet consists of a salad bar, veggies, pasta, baked fish, a carving station, shrimp, chicken, meat loaf and a dessert bar in the lobby. Specialty drinks and desserts are available for an extra charge.

Tickets are $79-$86 for adults and $60-$63 for children 12 and under, depending on performance.

Those 65 and over may attend any Tuesday or Wednesday performance for $67.15. Tickets may be purchased from the box office at (410) 730-8311, or online via Ticketmaster for an extra service fee.