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Prescott High School’s production of Disney’s Beauty and
the Beast opens with a nice nod to the Oscar-nominated animated film that
gave birth to the stage production. Impressive sets by Debbie Hammer
(who also put together the elaborate costumes) help begin our tale with a
series of beautiful stained glass windows reminiscent of the images during the
prologue of the movie as the curse is leveled on a prince, and the stage is set
for a beauty to find a beast in an enchanted castle.
Directed by Prescott High’s Louisa Nelson and Matthew
Kiesling, the show is double-cast, but the same beauty and beast star in
each with Carly Jonovich and Dyson Posey as the title characters.
Both give outstanding performances in their roles. Carly is not your average
Belle, infusing her with a refreshingly original personality filled with high
emotions whether she’s completely caught up in a book, disgusted by the brutish
Gaston, touched by her kind father, getting in the face and pushing the Beast
when he’s rude, falling in love with the Beast he’s nice, or in her quiet
despair when it appears she’s lost him. She also likes food, enjoying her meal
and the entertainment of Be Our Guest, and quick to fawn over Lumiere
when he suggests they can’t just feed her crust of bread and water.
How could she fall for a Beast who would try to starve her
if she doesn’t dine with him? It’s easy to do, with Dyson Posey giving
the Beast life using great movement and posturing, and especially with his
terrific nervous awkwardness as he begins to fall in love with Belle – so
excited that he forgets to take a waiting, eyes-closed Belle with him to go see
the library. His courtship with Belle is both amusing and touching.
But there’s another guy who wants Belle. Not so much for
love, but to bear his six strapping baby boys. The role of Gaston is divided up
between two strong and fun performances by Caleb Chunglo and Jacob
Clark who toss Belle around (and get her in head locks) as they propose
marriage, and who have to fight off not only the wild affections of the Silly
Girls, but some of the town’s Silly Boys as well (which make the Gastons quite
uneasy in the well-done Gaston musical number). Gaston’s sidekick LeFou
is played alternately by Cody Desjadon as a super sissy with a
high-pitched voice when hit, and the remarkably versatile Ethan Posey with
great physicality and expressions and a need to get sympathy from others. They
try to jump into Gaston’s arms for comfort, but to no avail.
Then there are the enchanting castle occupants. The
easygoing candle Carl Vanderpool and humorously demonstrative Ethan
Kirschbaum light up the Be Our Guest and other scenes as Lumiere. Isaac
Benson-White and Nolan Sturdevant are good wet blanket Cogsworths,
both unsuccessful but determined to bring the Be Our Guest scene to a
quiet end in their own subtle ways so as not to upset the master (until
Cogsworth himself gets carried away and joins the kickline). Breanne DeMenna
and Nicole St. Germain are amusing as opera-obsessed Wardrobes. Ellie
Gibbs and Hannah Palazzi are men-obsessed feather dusters. Brittany
Reed and Audrey Roberts are cute little cups as Chip, the playful
son of Mrs. Potts played by Chelsea Tipton as a sweetly motherly Mrs.
Potts and Caroline Marolf as an amusingly emotional Mrs. Potts who isn’t
afraid to curse silently under her breath when things don’t go well for Beauty
and the Beast, and who trembles with emotion when she explains to a dejected
household that it wasn’t enough for the Beast to fall in love – that Belle has
to learn to love him in return.
Elsewhere, Billy Reed is the quirky inventor
Maurice, gentle and loving father to Belle in both casts. The ensemble shines
as gossipy, and later angry/frightened, villagers, as well as an assortment of
enchanted objects in the Be Our Guest and Human Again scenes.
It’s a cast especially full of seniors putting on their last of many shows at
Prescott High School, and they finished up their closing performance with an
enchanting triumph.
Performs April 16 - 18, 2009
Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre
~ Cast ~
~ Belle Cast ~
Narrator: Caleb Campbell
Belle: Carly Jonovich
Gaston: Jacob Clark
LeFou: Ethan Posey
Maurice: Billy Reed
Cogsworth: Isaac Benson-White
Lumiere: Ethan Kirschbaum
Babette: Ellie Gibbs
Mrs. Potts: Caroline Marolf
Chip: Brittany Reed
Beast: Dyson Posey
Wardrobe: Breanne DeMenna
D'Arque: Alex Benavidez
Silly Girls:
Ali Baker
Kelli Bunch
Chelsea Ghan
Alex Harlan
Sarah Krogshede
Addie Robertson
Jennie Tutone
Chorus:
Olivia Bedard
Tyler Boonstra
Pat Brewer
Hannah Burcham
Caleb Campbell
Caleb Chunglo
Willa Cowan
Cody Desjadon
Brionna Friis-Pettitt
Kassie Gibson
KC Kisnter
Maddie Kloss
Lizzie Marolf
Julianne Moore
Ariel Nepsky
Hannah Pilazzi
Kristen Pizzuto
Siena Quinn Kane
Audrey Roberts
Nicole St. Germain
Nolan Sturdevant
Jessica Tally
Chelsea Tipton
Carl Vanderpool
Alyssa Vargha
~ Beast Cast ~
Narrator: Caleb Campbell
Belle: Carly Jonovich
Gaston: Caleb Chunglo
LeFou: Cody Desjadon
Maurice: Billy Reed
Cogsworth: Nolan Sturdevant
Lumiere: Carl Vanderpool
Babette: Hannah Palazzi
Mrs. Potts: Chelsea Tipton
Chip: Audrey Roberts
Beast: Dyson Posey
Wardrobe: Nicole St. Germain
D'Arque: Alex Benavidez
Silly Girls:
Ali Baker
Kelli Bunch
Chelsea Ghan
Alex Harlan
Sarah Krogshede
Addie Robertson
Jennie Tutone
Chorus:
Olivia Bedard
Isaac Benson-White
Tyler Boonstra
Pat Brewer
Hannah Burcham
Caleb Campbell
Jacob Clark
Willa Cowan
Breanne DeMenna
Brionna Friis-Pettitt
Kassie Gibson
Ethan Kirschbaum
KC Kisnter
Maddie Kloss
Caroline Marolf
Lizzie Marolf
Julianne Moore
Ariel Nepsky
Kristen Pizzuto
Ethan Posey
Siena Quinn Kane
Brittany Reed
Jessica Tally
Alyssa Vargha
Directors: Louisa Nelson and Matthew Kiesling
Musical Director: Matthew Kiesling
Technical Director: Tracey Mason
Choreography: Summer Hinton
Stage Manager: Lyndsie Aquilina
Set and Stain Glass Design: Debbie Hammer
Lights and Light Design: Jerica Widdison
Costume Design: Debbie Hammer
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