“Beast Jr.” is a real beauty

Playhouse 395’s “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” is in its final weekend at Bishop Union High School. In the cast, from L-R, are: “Gaston” (Nic Hilton), and  “Girly Girls” (Brett Gosorn, Olivia Hamilton and Victoria Yount). (Photo: Robert Hardin/Courtesy Playhouse 395)

Playhouse 395 scores another hit

By Rebecca St. Marie

“I would never kill the beast,” a four-year-old shouted out loud just as the villagers are about to storm the beast’s castle.

You know a play is good when someone in the audience gets so caught up in the action he actually shouts at the actors or laughs so hard she snorts, as another audience member did. Both audience members in these cases were related to me, my son and my mother, who together span a pretty big age range. When including myself, my six-year-old daughter, my nephews and ‘tween nieces, we just about covered all the major demographics.

And the consensus: Playhouse 395’s youth theatre production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast was a big hit.

We went to the matinee last Saturday full of excitement. A boy my daughter goes to school with, and adores, would be playing Lumiere, a man turned into a candelabra when an enchantress puts a spell on a whole castle and transforms a prince into a beast.

From the opening scene the kids were mesmerized. Most kids know the Disney movie, based on a French fairytale, so expectations were high, but from the start the attention to detail in the scenery and costumes didn’t disappoint. And then the beautiful misfit Belle, played by Abigail Francis, a junior at Bishop Union High School, came onto the stage, and stole the show.

My daughter’s eyes lit up when Belle started singing with a strong, lovely voice that really sounded like the Belle she knows from the movie. Bit by bit, as the characters were introduced and story unfolded, the play just got better and better. Gaston, played by Nic Hilton, another BUHS junior, proved to make his boorish character both funny and devious at the same time. His athletics astounded the audience and brought great cheers. Belle’s father, Maurice, played by Nathan Morrison, a seventh grader at Round Valley School, provided classic slapstick as does Lefou, played by Billy Stinnett, a BUHS junior. The village scenes were lively and fun, with lots of interesting characters and plenty of singing.

Once in the castle the fun continued. Lumiere, played by Christopher Molina, an eighth grader at Round Valley School, had an adorable French accent and brightened the room. The other furniture all added something special to their roles: the perfect curmudgeon Cogsworth, sweet and motherly Mrs. Potts, spunky Chip and the high-trilling Madame. The Beast, played by Kevin Sprague, a mere freshman at BUHS, was the perfect balance of an angry beast and clumsy young man transformed by love. The castle scenery had some great touches, such as the real human hands holding candles along the wall or chains in the prison scene.

During a few scary moments I had to hold my kids’ hands, but it wasn’t cover-their-eyes terrifying. When the fight scene finally came, it was my son’s eyes that lit up (and his voice too). Fortunately, added humor lightened this part, which in the movie is pretty dark. The characters running around chasing each other was hilarious, and the audiences’ reaction made it even more exciting. At the end, a few adults, myself included, even teared up.

With the direction of Deb Nielson, a great production crew and talented actors, the whole performance was inspiring.

Thus, we left the theater with as much excitement as we started, which, as many parents know, is not always the case. We are planning to spend next Saturday at the matinee as well, catching this great show before it’s gone.

The final shows are this weekend on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m. at the Bishop Union High School Theater.