GREENE – Fans of Disney’s animated classic Beauty and the Beast will have a chance to see the film’s theatrical adaptation this weekend on the Greene High School stage as the Footlights present their spring musical.
With performances at 7 tonight and Saturday, and a matinee at 3 p.m. Sunday, audiences will have three opportunities to see the student production of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical. Tickets, which will be available at the door, are $7 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens.
According to Amanda Boel, who co-directed the production with Nicole Cline, the show was chosen to showcase the many talents of the students involved with Footlights, particularly those who will be graduating this year,
“We have a very talented senior class,” Boel explained, many of whom have starred in numerous musicals during their high school career.
With its creative costuming, fantastic set, witty dialogue and numerous musical numbers, the Footlights production is a feast for the eyes and the ears. While on stage, the show is flawless, it was not without its challenges for its young stars. The complexity of the characters required more than the usual preparation of simply learning lines and songs.
For senior Timothy Sininger, who plays Cogsworth, one of the challenges was learning to affect a British accent. In the beginning, he said, he often switched back and forth between accents.
The accent isn’t his biggest challenge on stage, however. It’s stairs. Maneuvering in his costume, that of a mantle clock, can be difficult he said, but he loves the interaction of the costumed characters on stage.
Senior Alison Norton also had to learn an accent for her part, that of the French maid feather duster, Babette. She said she listened to CDs to perfect what she calls her character’s “floozy French” accent.
“The accent is tricky,” agreed Patrick Daniels, who also puts one on for his role as Lumiere. He used YouTube to brush up on his French, and also drew from his experience starring in the same production this past summer during a youth musical theater program at Binghamton University. While he played a different role in the summer production, he said he still was able to learn from the person who played Lumiere.
While twelfth grader Ryan Schultz did not have to learn an accent for his role as The Beast, he had his own set of challenges. Namely, mastering the complex moods of his character.
“I listened to the Broadway soundtrack to capture the inflection,” he said.
One difficulty he faced was the vocal strain created by bellowing one minute and singing the next. “It’s just really hard on the throat,” Schultz explained.
Kasey Heisler, who plays Belle, did a great deal of preparation for her role. The eleventh grader said she researched her role online and watched not only the animated Disney movie but Daniels’ summer production and the show on Broadway as well. “I tried to tie it all together,” she said.
Heisler said she likes the way that her character develops throughout the course of the play. “In the beginning, she’s lost and searching for something more,” she explained. “It’s something I think everyone can relate to.”
Despite their hard work, the young stars are quick to give credit to the crew of community members who made the production possible.
“The sets are amazing, the costumes are amazing,” said Schultz.
Heisler agreed. “We have amazing volunteers,” she said.
The Greene High School Footlights will hold public performances of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday in the High School Auditorium. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens.