‘SNL’ and Anna Kendrick Pay Tribute to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ With the Opening Monologue
There was no way 'SNL' was going to get 'Pitch Perfect' star Anna Kendrick to host without giving her a big musical number, and the show got it over and done with early on. In her opening monologue, Kendrick talked about her musical theater roots and how good it felt to be on a New York Stage of any kind before breaking into a fantastic parody of "Bonjour" from Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast.'
It was the first and more successful of the episode's two Disney-themed sketches (perhaps Kendrick is a fan?), taking Belle's big opening number and transplanting it from a French village to the behind-the-scenes world of 'SNL.' Kendrick sings the lead, but the rest of the cast provides perfect back-up, capturing every beat of the original song and skewering themselves in the process. Even the spoken segments get reworked, with a conversation about library books becoming a discussion with Taran Killam about how his waiter role with no lines is the best part of the night. Despite Kendrick's enthusiasm, the other cast members gripe/sing about not being paid all that well.
It all culminates in a brief appearance by 'SNL' creator Lorne Michaels, who pops in and pops out as a visual gag with no lines. Pretty much everything about this is wonderful and makes us wish Kendrick hosted a weekly musical revue show. Get on that, NBC.