Beauty and the Beast

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "Beauty and the Beast" by Ashman, Menken, Rice & Woolverton

Date: Sun, Feb 4, 10:32 PM

Quicktake on BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

     For their annual musical, the Wheelock Family Theatre has added to the current crop of "Beauty and the Beast" productions. The cast is made up from a number of returning professionals, a variety of local theatre students, and a few WFT participants, plus guest artist Douglas Jabara as the Beast. Angela Williams, seen previously in "The Sound of Music" plays Belle, while Christopher Chew who sang Von Trapp gets to be comic as Gaston. Mansur plays Belle's Father while Gary Ng gets knocked about as LeFou. The magical inhabitants of the Beast's castle include Robert Saoud as Lumiere the Candlestick, Chip Phillips as Cogsworth the Clock, Lisa Korak as Babette the Featherduster, Jeanine Belcastro as the opera singing Wardrobe, and Gamalia Pharms as Mrs. Potts, who gets to sing the title song.

     Director Jane Staab relies on her professionals to develop the drama, while she manages a large ensemble who play the villagers, the magical dishes and tableware, etc. IRNE winning choreographer Laurel Stachowicz puts them through their paces for the Act I finale, "Be Our Guest," which might be more impressive with a bit of food. She does pull off the final battle with plenty of slapstick. Conductor Steven Bergman and a professional ensemble provide strong support from the pit. Anita Fuch's multilevel set on wagons is solves the complex staging for the castle with three wagons but seems a trifle under-decorated. Stony Cook's lighting creates all the necessary moods. The production is definitely a first-rate introduction to live music theatre, if a mite too long for some of the younger set.

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"Beauty and the Beast" by Woolverton, Menken, Ashman & Rice, Feb. 2 - Mar, 4

Wheelock Family Theatre, 200 The Riverway

Boston, (617) 879 - 2300
Wheelock Family Theatre