An arrogant prince has been punished with a curse, turning
him into a hideous beast and the rest of the castle’s household into animated
“things.” The only way to break the spell before it becomes permanent is for
the Beast to fall in love with someone, and have her to fall in love in return.
Ten years later, time is growing short and the cursed inhabitants are feeling
helpless. For who could ever love a beast?
Hopefully a beauty named Belle, the heroine of Disney’s
Beauty and the Beast that Rising Curtain put on this summer in Arvada,
Colorado. Ariel Ellis, despite having the same name as The Little
Mermaid, had apparently been preparing for this role for quite some time,
with the program including pictures of her as a young girl with a Belle
birthday cake and tucked into Beauty and the Beast bed sheets. All those
years of preparation paid off as Ariel infuses her character with a truly
remarkable personality and a natural feel for both the comedy and drama of
Belle. Her big and furry leading man is the Beast, Isaiah Farago, who is
especially effective when playing off of Belle. It’s clear from his clumsy
dinner invitation to Belle, his reactions as Belle administers to his wounds,
and when she’s reading the story of King Arthur to him, that she is the one who
can save him from a life of misery.
Then there’s the man who thinks he’s the leading man.
Tony DeWitt is a hoot as the vain, cocky, and hopelessly lost in himself
Gaston, using his posture and voice well. Tony and Ariel are a riot in his song
about Me as he asks Belle to marry him. Jared Jenkins is his
silly sidekick LeFou, and the silly girls who chase after Gaston are played
energetically by Amanda Jenkins, Janelle Sidars, and Amanda
Wittek. Andrew Long is the fun and flirty Lumiere who meets his
match in the funny and flirtatious feather duster Babette (Rachel Irvin).
Geoffrey Lohr is Lumiere’s straight man as the stuffy and proper
Cogsworth. Elsewhere, Claire LeBorgne lends her nice, motherly voice to
Mrs. Potts, Cole Franklin is her cute, little boy Chip, Bethany Krebs
is the amusing, opera-singing Wardrobe, and Joe Barros is Belle’s father
Maurice.
Although the opening production has many long breaks
between scenes that can take one out of the show, the breaks are usually softened
by musical interludes by the accompanist. Overall, Director Tammy
Franklin’s show is very successful with some fine costumes (Kay Nice)
and terrific performances telling this tale as old as time.
Performs through June 11, 2006.
Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre
~ Cast ~
 Belle: Ariel Ellis
Beast: Isaiah Farago
Gaston: Tony DeWitt
Lumiere: Andrew Long
Cogsworth: Geoffrey Lohr
Mrs. Potts: Claire LeBorgne
Chip: Abigail Orsborn or Cole Franklin
Maurice: Joe Barros
LeFou: Jared Jenkins
Babette: Rachel Irvin
Madame de la Grand Bouche: Bethany Krebs
Silly Girls:
Amanda Jenkins
Janelle Sidars
Amanda Wittek
Monsieur D'Arque: Jonathan Lowe
Enchantress: Jaclyn O'Hara
Beggar Woman: Hannah Jenkins
Young Prince: Robert O'Hara
Narrator: Torrey Jenkins
Wolves:
Laura Alexander
Nick DeWitt
Mar Farago
Amanda Jenkins
Hannah Jenkins
Torrey Jenkins
Janelle Lowe
Jessica Miller
Sean Moritzky
Jaclyn O'Hara
Janelle Orsborn
Kelly Oury
Christopher Yoshimura
Household Objects & Townspeople:
Laura Alexander
Nick DeWitt
Laurel Ellis
Mar Farago
Hannah Jenkins
Torrey Jenkins
Janelle Lowe
Jonathan Lowe
Jessica Miller
Sean Moritzky
Rebecca Mortizky
Jaclyn O'Hara
Robert O'Hara
Janelle Orsborn
Kelly Oury
Ashley Rehder
Summer Ward
Christopher Yoshimura
Director: Tammy Franklin
Choreographer/Assistant Director: Gail DeWitt
Musical Direction: Selena Long
Technical Direction: Eric Franklin
Head Costume Designer: Kay Nice
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