The production features a couple of great leads. Carly Richardson is the beauty Belle with a gorgeous voice to match, very reminiscent of Tony nominee Susan Egan. She infuses her character with a warm demeanor, which doesn’t extend to Gaston (after he gives her his portrait as a pre-wedding gift, she promptly throws it down the well). She also delivers a thoughtful and genuine solo of A Change in Me. As the Beast, Steve Casillas is able to reveal an impressive amount of character from underneath his long, greasy strands of hair and from behind his grotesque mask. He makes a big entrance, jumping down from a six-foot castle ledge to intimidate his unwelcome guest. Even more intimidating is when he pulls Belle’s castle room towards him (the set hadn’t come out all the way), truly proving that he is the master of the house, and you challenge him at your own risk (which Belle proceeds to do). His slow transformation is believable, humorous, and touching – from his excited high-five with his friends after his first dance with Belle to his trembling when he releases his prisoner  -- thereby releasing his best chance for a new life.

The colorful supporting cast is led by Timothy La as the super-egotistical Gaston who can hold up a row of falling men with one finger but can’t seem to get Belle to marry him despite his sincerely pompous, primeval proposal. The smothering affection he gets from the rest of the town, notably the “silly girls,” is just about all he can handle, doing his best to get out of their clutches, needing their affection but bored with it at the same time, and sometimes almost nervous about his crazed fans (he’d probably get restraining orders if he didn’t see it as a sign of weakness). But he’s never as nervous as his ultra-nervous little sidekick Lefou (Ricky Stafferi).

Then, of course, there are all the enchanted members of the castle household. Charlie Gott is the lively candelabra Lumier played with amusing voice, style, and wit. His counterpart is the stuffy Cogsworth the clock, with Matt Marberry offering an original and hilarious take on the character – his waddling walk, girlish voice when nervous, laughing so hard at his own bad “if it ain’t baroque” joke that he can barely breathe, punching the Beast playfully after his big date, fussing over the “spot” mentioned in Be Our Guest when he thinks he sees it on the butt of a pepper shaker, pulling an unsuspecting person out of the audience to show Belle one of the castle’s many interesting features during his tour, moving his hands up and down his clunky clock body while trying to convince everyone he’s kept his figure. Taylor McCadney is a hoot as a washed-up operatic wardrobe with a mighty temper, Anna Hayes sings a nice rendition of the title song as Mrs. Potts, and Ariel Swainston is the jealous feather duster Babette who shoos Belle away from Lumier with some feathers to Belle’s bemused face. And the whole cast comes together for a huge and extravagant production of the dinner feast in Be Our Guest.

Performs January 31 - February 9, 2008.

Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre

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