Nearly a decade has passed since "Beauty and the Beast" -- or, as its producers call it, "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" -- made its 1994 debut on Broadway, where it's still playing. In theater terms, that's at least a lifetime and a half. The national touring production first seen here in 2001 is making its second appearance in Pittsburgh through Sunday as part of the PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series. Although slightly reduced in scale and splendor from the Broadway and original touring productions, the musical gives an audience its money's worth, even with a top price of $60. There's a cast of some 30 performers and an orchestra of 15, plus the conductor, and it continues to offer lavish and imaginative costumes, some elegantly creepy castle columns and other detailed scenic elements, and a solid story that's well told. Many of the scenes are dark to the point of obscurity. Offsetting that are a range of pyrotechnical effects -- fireballs, sudden explosions and explosive champagne bottles. The live musical has its roots in Disney's 1991 animated film. And for us old-fashioned purists who still read books, there's the original tale collected by Charles Perrault in the late 17th century that might have roots in stories dating to the second century. Alan Menken's music and Howard Ashman and Tim Rice's lyrics embellish that tale, moving the drama along and supporting its comedy, romance and spectacle. Whether it's the peppy "Be Our Guest" extravaganza sung by dancing flatware and cheese graters, the lovely "Beauty and the Beast" theme song, or the winsome "Human Again" longings of the castle's staff, which is slowly morphing into inanimate objects, the score offers lyrics you take pleasure in singing joined to tunes you want to hum. The audience knows that the Beast is a handsome and selfish prince cursed by a witch he offended, even if heroine Belle doesn't. But that doesn't make their journey any less entertaining for adults or the myriad youngsters who flock to this live drama. There's plenty of adventure, dramatic tension and derring-do as a spunky young woman discovers the shy and uncertain young man hidden beneath a hideous exterior -- redeeming him and his servants and maybe learning a few things about herself in the process. The wolves that inhabit the scary forest aren't nearly as intimidating as their Broadway counterparts. And the climactic fight near the story's end isn't quite as perilous or well-executed as the original. But they're still formidable challenges and audience attention-getters. There will always be those who complain about some of the musical's cartoonish characterizations. Yes, Marc G. Dalio's braggart Gaston cuts a broad swath through the tale. And his repeated punching of Aldrin Gonzalez's witless Le Fou -- accompanied by amplified sound effects -- becomes tedious and increasingly brutish over time. This would be a dark tale were it not enlivened by Rob Lorey's randy Lumiere sparking the comedy with his over-the-top puns; the dithering of Andrew Boyer's fussy, prissy, increasingly rigid Cogsworth; and, as Babette, Tracy Generalovich's flighty, flirty giggles and posturing. Besides, it's unreasonable to complain that people slowly turning into candelabra, clocks and feather dusters are acting more like animated characters than real people, especially when many of their concerns are deeply human. Roger Befeler's roaring, insecure Beast, as always, strikes me as the ultimate teenager with his hold-my-hand-I-can-manage-on-my-own ambivalence. He's particularly touching in the dining room scene. Jennifer Shrader appears to be a slightly more mature Belle, which makes it easier to understand how she learns to manage the Beast. Jamie Ross offers a solid, low-key and amusing performance as her father, Maurice. "Beauty and the Beast" never will be mistaken for a Sondheim musical. Nor need it apologize for that. You can equally argue that its journey is formulaic or eagerly anticipated, its ending predictable or dependable. It's well-loved and familiar, the dramatic equivalent of comfort food, served up by creators and performers who take pride in the quality of their creation. The PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh presentation of "Beauty and the Beast" continues through Sunday at the Benedum Center, Seventh Street and Penn Avenue, Downtown. Performances: 8 p.m. through Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $22 to $60; $26.50 for student rush tickets for the Tuesday and Wednesday performances from two hours before curtain time for those holding a valid student ID. Details: (412) 456-6666.

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