‘Beauty And The Beast’ Opens Wagon Wheel Season
WARSAW — Love is in the air at Warsaw’s Wagon Wheel Center of the Arts Theatre as “Beauty and the Beast” opens the 2016 summer season.
She’s a beauty.
He’s a beast, or is he?
It seems a young prince refuses to shelter an enchantress and she puts him under a spell as a beast until he finds it in his heart to love another and that love is returned or until a rose she leaves at the castle loses its last pedal.
Elaine Cotter is Belle and Joey Birchler is the beast. They are perfect together as a couple getting to know each other even though he’s growling. Both show extraordinary talent during this popular musical.
The prince’s staff has also been put under a spell. There’s Lumiere, the candle stick (Keato Echoff), Cogsworth, the clock (Scott Fuss), Mrs. Potts, the teapot (Lottie Prenevost), Chip, a tea cup (Parker Irwin), Madame De La Grande Bourch (Kira Lace Hawkins) is an opera singer caught in the spell. Babette (Lexi Carter) is the maid whose hands are covered in black fur and there are more characters from a rug to plates and cups and forks and spoons. All are to be congratulated for jobs well done. Echoff and Fuss keep the audience in stitches and Prenevost and Irwin work well together as mother and son.
In town, Gaston (Charlie Patterson) has decided to marry and he wants Belle even thought beautiful women cling to him as he ventures through the town. Belle wants no part of a marriage to Gaston. His friend and sidekick, Lefou (Barrett Riggins), wants to help and they chase Belle throughout most of the evening. Belle’s father, Maurice (Andy Robinson) is an inventor whom many say has lost his sanity, specially after he ventures into the forest and encounters the beast. Cameron Mullins is Monsueur D’Arque, who has been hired by Gaston to see Maurice is put out of the picture in hopes of enticing Belle to marry him in order to save her father. These supporting actors all show their talent and the audience quickly relates with Riggins as he tries to please Gaston in any way he can.
Members of the ensemble are Gabrielle Bradley, Aria Braswell, Jennifer Dow, Evan Duff, Erica Durham, Kayla Eilers, Caleb Fath, Josh Fisher, Briely Gargis, Andrew Hawblitzel, Olivia James, Noah Kieserman, Laura Plyler, Avery Remocaldo, Sophia Schlitt, Tom Sweeney, Raven Thomas and Sean Watkinson. All are talented and it shows throughout the performance.
There are many scenes with most cast members on stage at the same time and director and choreographer Scott Michaels has found a way to make it all work. Songs like “Be Our Guest,” “Gaston” and “Human Again,” are fun to watch. They are spectacular and full of energy and prove to be audience favorites as do “No Matter What,” featuring Cotter and Robinson, and “Beauty and the Beast,” sung by Prenevost as Cotter and Birchler danced.
It’s a Disney story. There are no surprises. It’s a family show and opening night found many young people in the audience. Some performances are sold out and but there are still seats left for others.
For tickets or information call (574) 267-0841 or online at wagonwheelcenter.org.