Martin Short and Shania Twain were like kids in a candy store when they got their hands on this Disney classic. While playing Lumiere and Mrs. Potts, the pair went all out on their take on “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast, making for an infectiously fun singalong on one of the most iconic Disney tunes. Short opened the song on Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration, and he hammed up his performance while playing the flamboyant French maître d’, making for a cheeky rendition that hit all the right notes.
At 2:25, Twain made her appearance as Mrs. Potts and stole the whole show as the castle’s head housekeeper. Twain’s smoky contralto sounds just delectable here, and she matches Short’s energy by having a lot of fun with the performance. You can really tell that she genuinely loves getting a chance to sing on Beauty and the Beast. The Music Man also has to say that the team pulled all the stops out for the production at the anniversary event, making for one memorable celebration of the Disney classic.
When ABC uploaded the “Be Our Guest” duet to YouTube, it proved to be quite a hit, gaining two million views on the platform. Viewers gave plenty of praise for the performance and added comments such as “This is what I hoped the movie would be. Thank you Broadway and all the performers for this amazing concert” and “Martin Short as Lumiere is perfect! I think people forget he’s a performer first and foremost and he nailed this song!”
The Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration was a real star-studded affair, as Josh Groban and H.E.R. also sang “Beauty and the Beast” at the event. This duet proved to be hugely popular, gaining 4.8 million views on the ABC YouTube channel. The performance not only included some flawless harmonies, but H.E.R. really shone with her show-stopping guitar solo in the bridge, which was a really clever twist on the old Disney favourite.
“Be Our Guest” was written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who penned the music and lyrics respectively. The Music Man readers may recall that the song originally appeared in the 1991 Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast. “Be Our Guest” gained a reputation as a showstopper among critics and was nominated at both the Academy Awards and Golden Globes. In the years since its release, it has been frequently ranked as one of the finest musical numbers in the Disney canon.