Belle is a young, confident woman who lives in a backwards town. The Beast is a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. To break the curse and return to his former self, the Beast must learn to love and be loved. If he doesn’t, he and his household will be doomed for all time.
So goes the storyline for “Disney Beauty and the Beast: The Broadway Musical.” A talented cast will bring it to life in the Madison County Arts Council’s (MCAC) upcoming production set to take place at London High School. Show dates and times are July 18-20 at 7 p.m. and July 21 at 2 p.m.
KatieAnn Bonavita, who is new to MCAC but not new to performing, plays Belle.
“KatieAnn just really has that Belle personality–sure of herself and knows what she wants. She’s doing a great job of really giving us that character on stage,” said Jennifer Ruhlen, director.
Stan Moran, an MCAC regular, is lending his beautiful voice and acting acumen to the Beast.
“The Beast has one of my favorite songs in the show, ‘If I Can’t Love Her,’” Ruhlen said. “The Beast is a really hard role because the actor has to show a change in personality from a monster to a kind and caring, lovable creature. Stan does a great job of showing this transition.”
Also filling lead roles are MCAC veteran Aaron Gates as Gaston, the villain, and recent high school graduate Brady Castillo as Lumiere.
“Gaston is pompous and full of himself. Aaron is not that by nature, but he can portray it on stage,” Ruhlen said. “And with Brady, for a kid who just graduated from high school, Lumiere is a huge role. I think people are going to absolutely fall in love with him. He is hysterical.”
Castillo’s free-spirited Lumiere plays well against Matthew Smith’s tense and formal Cogsworth. And Sherry Holland brings a warm, comforting, motherly presence to the character of Mrs. Potts.
The cast numbers 50 in total and includes both new and familiar faces.
“Every year, we get new faces up on stage. This year is just the same. We have a ton of new people involved to go along with folks who have been with the Arts Council for a long time,” Ruhlen said.
She added, “The neat thing about community theater is that you get to meet new people and give people stage experiences. We have people who have never acted before, people who drag their spouses into it, parents who end up participating because their kids wanted to do it. It’s a wonderful experience for so many people to get to do.”
Joining Ruhlen in coordinating the show are Brynne Adkins as choreographer with assistance from Danielle Fredette, Kevin Lohr as music director, Lyndell Rising as costumer, and Bill Ruhlen as backstage manager.
Tickets for “Beauty and the Beast” are $15 and can be purchased at the door or online. Online purchases include a small processing fee. To purchase tickets, visit www.madisoncountyartscouncil.org/events.