Fun fact: The story of Beauty and the Beast was originally published in 1740 as “La Belle et La Bête,” a French tale written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Gallon de Villeneuve (now, that’s a mouthful!) Oddly enough, there weren’t any talking clocks or candelabras involved in that iteration. Two and a half centuries later, Disney turned it into the animated classic most modern audiences are familiar with. It has also been adapted for the stage, and for the next couple of weeks, you’ll be able to see this version performed by the Music and Drama Club at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Glenn Dale, Maryland.
Beauty and the Beast starts out as the story of lovely young Belle (the French word for beauty, incidentally,) and her attempts to escape the unwanted overtures of the bombastic and narcissistic Gaston – who is doing everything in his power to persuade, cajole, and otherwise harangue her into marrying him. The tale takes a turn when Belle’s father gets lost in the woods and is captured by a horrible beast – a creature who had once been a handsome prince, but had crossed paths with the wrong witch. She put him under a spell that disfigured him and turned him into the monster he has now become. This spell affects his entire household in fact, transforming his servants into a variety of ambulatory household appliances. When Belle realizes her father is missing, she goes looking for him, finds this enchanted place, and begs the Beast to imprison her instead of her father, so that he can be set free. Somewhat reluctantly, the Beast agrees – and that’s when the real magic begins to happen…
Directed by Katrina Jackson and produced by Christine Smit, this massive undertaking involves almost 50 cast members, including young children – not to mention the orchestra, who through necessity are ensconced away to an entirely separate space, only occasionally appearing to the audience via flat-screen monitor. When the show begins, you see the sheer number of actors on the stage versus the space available, and you brace yourself for potential catastrophe. Fortunately, the movement in Beauty is masterfully coordinated by no less than three choreographers – Julie Rose, Trisha Randazzo and the director herself. Huge musical numbers like “Belle” and “Be Our Guest” are carefully orchestrated to avoid any collisions – among actors, set pieces – or costumes. This feat alone is impressive.
(A quick note: some of the roles have been double cast, so please be aware that if you see the show, you may be watching different actors than the ones mentioned here.)
Playing a household appliance could leave any actor saying, “But, what is my motivation?” However, Jim Pasquale, as butler Cogsworth, who has become a walking, talking (tocking?) clock; Michael Silber as Lumiere – castle maître d’ – a candelabra who makes feather duster, née French maid, Babette (played by Ashley Greeley,) go wick in the knees; and Kathy Nieman as head housekeeper, Mrs. Potts – who probably not coincidentally has been turned into a teapot – are able to handle this state of affairs with flair. Pasquale and Silber play off each other beautifully.
As Cogsworth, Pasquale is serious, short and squat, while Silber as Lumiere is longer, leaner, and more lighthearted – attributes that add to the comedic quality of their interactions. The sizzle of chemistry between Silber and Greeley is blush-worthy. Greeley makes you smile whenever she shakes her plumage. Nieman has a lovely singing voice, and is a master of maternal instinct as she gently tends to her son, Chip (adorably played by the young Spencer Ying,) who has been transformed into a teacup on a rolling table.
Gaston’s whipping boy, er, assistant, Lefou (which is the French word for fool,) played by Linda Pattison, spends much of her time onstage bumbling around and looking confused, thoroughly and hilariously living up to her character’s name. As Belle’s eccentric father, Maurice, Michael K. Heney is appropriately and amusingly befuddled and bemused. He has a warm, fatherly chemistry with Christa Krosner, who plays Belle. Krosner is wonderful as Belle – delicate and gentle in the beginning of the show, becoming stronger and more determined as the plot progresses. She also has a lovely, light soprano voice that perfectly suits her role.
And then there’s the Beast himself, portrayed by Dariush “Dash” Samari. Though Samari is relatively inexperienced, he does a fine job of moving through his character arc from anger to kindness, successfully winning the audience’s affection – and Belle’s, of course. Though the least obvious person in this show to admire is Gaston (played by Brendan Hurst,) in this production, you’ll love to hate him. The barrel-chested Hurst looks like he was born to play the exceedingly handsome (at least in his own mind) boor. He has an amazingly strong baritone voice, a good sense of comic timing and is powerfully commanding whenever he takes the stage. He really steals the show. Then again, an argument could be made that it is the cherubic Spencer Ying, aka Chip, the teacup, who truly steals the show – along with everybody’s hearts.
Turning a small boy into a teacup takes a bit of stage magic, but this production seems to be chock full of that. When Ying first appears as Chip, all you can see is his sweet face peeking out of the dish. The rest of him is presumably sitting (or standing) inside the wheeled box the cup rests on, and the table is simply rolled on and off the stage as needed. This solution is simple, but elegant. There is also a tall, multi-sided structure on casters that when turned and moved around the stage helps to create a variety of locales. Since the majority of the set is unchangeable, this is helpful. The aforementioned flat-screen monitor aids in that capacity as well, projecting images that further establish the scene.
Because there are so many characters that turn into objects, some of them large and unwieldy, the costumes themselves almost take on a life of their own. This is incredibly apparent during the “Be Our Guest” scene, in which there is no shortage of odd characters to dress – napkins, dishes, flatware, champagne bottles, a sugar bowl and creamer – even a broom and dust pail. To add to the difficulty, not only do the costumes have to look like the thing they represent, they also have to be comfortable enough for the actors to sing and dance in. However, without a doubt, costume designer Kim Weaver and her crew meet every challenge with incredible, undeniable success. They deserve major kudos for their excellent work overall and are the true stars of this production, at least in this reviewer’s opinion.
Final thoughts: Beauty and the Beast is a lot of fun to watch and very visually appealing. It’s definitely a good way to spend a few hours. So, if you would like to see a show that’s both enjoyable and appropriate for the whole family, you know what I’m going to say. Be our guest. Be our guest. Please be our guest…
Running Time: Approximately 2.5 hours with one intermission.
Beauty and the Beast plays through November 11, 2018 at MAD Music and Drama Club — Barney & Bea Recreation Center | 9998 Good Luck Road in Glenn Dale, MD. Tickets are available at the door or in advance online.
