 Unless one has
been living under a very large rock, everyone on Planet Earth knows the story
of “Beauty & The Beast.” What makes
the musical shine on its own merit, away from what tonight’s fellow audience
members referred to as “the cartoon,” is the ability the show has to bring to
the characters the humanity that isn’t possible on film. Belle’s now famous “Home,” Beast’s pained
“If I Can’t Love Her,” and the lovely Maurice/Belle duet “No Matter What” are
all Broadway’s enticements into a deeper world from the simple “girl meets ugly
guy” formula.
At Northglenn
Youth Theatre’s opening night of the show, many things fell into place just
perfectly. Set designer glenn g.
grassi’s icy palace was unexpected and lovely, with just the right amount of
sparkle. Particular elements of the
design were quite well thought out, including the portrait of the Prince (just
the right amount of “creepy”, but still beautiful) and Beast’s oversized
chair. Many of the costumes were
stunning - Lumiere, Wardrobe, Cogsworth and Babette in particular. As a whole, the music direction, by Glenn
Dennis, is right on target. The cast
knows every lyric and the musical components come together nicely. The addition of the flute, by Linda
Luchtenburg, added much and was especially appreciated.
Use of the
group’s space was well-conceived. The
show is a technical director’s, costume designer’s and director’s nightmare. Ideally, it is produced on a stage the size
of a football field, and it seems no one has that luxury. Where the group struggled with opening
night glitches - the Prince/Beast transformation accidentally happened in full
view of a third of the house, Cogsworth’s handle fell off (but was deftly saved
by quick-thinking actors and, in the end, was hysterical), the curtain was
caught on a set piece leaving the castle in view when it wasn’t quite planned
that way - the show will polish up in subsequent performances.
 Here, the
cast’s principal performers included Ethan Knowles as the Beast, who has a
lovely singing voice. Unfortunately,
his fully covering mask makes it very difficult for his voice to be heard well
and truly shine. Janelle Orsborn plays
the famous Belle with her usual innate ability for solid timing and
inflection. Brandon Lopez as Gaston is
larger than life as his side-kick, Alex Millinazzo, is appropriately
goofy. Drew Meile has a nice turn as
Maurice, Belle’s father. Stewart
McPherson as Cogsworth, Brandi Hadfield as Mrs. Potts and Kayleigh Brooks as
Babette all do solid work in their roles.
Christopher Bowman plays Chip, Jordan Manchego is Monsieur D’Arque and
the trio of Silly Girls is played by Amy Fuhrman, Lauren Johnston and Ashley
Ziegler. And then there are Carrie
Buechner as Madame de la Grand Bouche (aka Wardrobe) and Michael Ochoa as
Lumiere, who are really acting in another show altogether - their “big”
performances really kick both of these characters into life with a whole new
dimension of fun and personality. They
were the delights of this production.
Congratulations to
Director Kimberly Jongejan and all of the crew on this production, the 15th
anniversary of the Northglenn Youth Theatre program and the virtually sold-out
run of “Beauty & The Beast”. You
made it through “the tale as old as time”!
Performs April 24 - May 3, 2009.
Tammy Franklin
National Youth Theatre
~ Cast ~
Belle:
Janelle
Orsborn
The Beast:
Ethan
Knowles
Maurice:
Drew
Meile
 Gaston:
Brandon
Lopez
Lefou:
Alex
Milianazzo
Mrs. Potts:
Brandi
Hadfield
Lumiere:
Michael
Ochoa
Cogsworth:
Stewart
McPherson
Chip:
Christopher
Bowman
Madame La Grand Bouche:
Carrie
Buechner
Babette:
Kayleigh
Brooks
Silly Girl #1:
Amy
Furhman
Silly Girl #2:
Lauren
Johnston
Silly Girl #3:
Ashley
Ziegler
Monsieur D’Arque
Jordan Manchego
Ensemble
Kevin
Lucero (Narrator, Wolf, Crony, Mob)
Logan
Snodderly (Villager, Crony, BOG, HA)
Dalton
Royer (Villager, Crony, BOG, HA)
Ryan
Bowman (Villager – Baker, Crony, BOG, Mob)
Noah
Trichie (Villager, Crony, BOG, HA)
Spencer
Spotts (Villager – Candleman, Crony, BOG, HA)
Michael
Martinez (Villager – Egg Man, Crony, BOG, HA)
James
Bachman (Villager – Bookseller, Crony, BOG, Mob)
Heather
Taylor (Beggar/Enchantress, BOG, Mob)
Mitchell
Dailey (Wolf, Crony, Mob)
Johnathon
Torres (Wolf, Crony, Mob)
Isaac
Sprague (Villager, Crony, BOG, HA)
Johnnie
Sloan (Villager, Crony, BOG, HA)
Josh
Kregg (Villager, Crony, BOG, Mob)
Abigail
Orsborn (Villager, BOG, Mob)
Heidi
Cole (Villager, Bog, HA)
Emma
Tocci (Villager – SCG, BOG, HA)
Shelby
Grasser (Villager – Milkmaid, BOG, HA)
Claire
Wood (Villager – Lady w/ Baby, BOG, Mob)
Savannah
Hoeben (Villager, BOG, Mob)
Katelynn
Luchtenburg (Villager – Hat Seller, BOG, HA)
Katie
Fletcher (Villager – Baker’s Wife, BOG, HA)
Kyle
Steeno (Villager – Fishman, Crony, BOG, Mob, US for Lumiere)
Blakeley
Wood (Villager – Lady w/Cane, BOG, Mob, US for Mrs. Potts)
Rylee Caldwell (Villager – Aristocrat Lady, BOG, HA,
US for Belle)
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