It’s that time of the year again, Mount de Sales and Mount Saint Joe unite on the stage to dazzle us all with their portrayals of some of the most iconic Disney characters.
At the beginning of the first act the curtains open up to the first number in the center of the town. Belle; who is played by Emma Romeo. Right away wows us with her powerful yet gentle vocals. The townspeople joining in create a perfect opening to this classic. Not too much later we meet Gaston; who is played by Michael Stromberg. Michael in the first act, did a great job of encapsulating Gaston’s macho, but not so humble persona. While Gaston may not have wooed Belle, he might just impress the crowd instead. Cogsworth, who is played by Stephen Kirby, and Lumiere, who is played by Connor Hurley, created my favorite part of the first act. Stephen and Connor bounce off of each other well, and incorporate the humor and sarcasm that make us love these characters. Now the Beast, played by Alexander Scott, while on the stage, draws the interest of the crowd with his ferocious voice and stalking presence.
The second act is where everything begins to pick up, we get to see the Beast perform his first number, it played a bit flat at first but Alex is able to bring it back home to kick off Act II. Once again in Act II, Kirby and Hurley’s humor brought airiness to an act which craves it. The cast as a whole brought the house down when they performed their rendition of the popular Disney song “Be Our Guest”
Overall the entire cast was wonderful, Emma Romeo, who portrayed Belle, looked very comfortable in her very first MDSA-MSJ lead role. Alexander Scott who was the Beast was the perfect counter to Emma’s Belle. With the delicateness of Belle’s character to the stomping and roaring of the Beast, it created a nice production. The pit band was outstanding, bringing to life these iconic songs. Mr. Jeffrey Hosier did a fantastic job ensuring the band was able to transport us to the world of Disney. I highly recommend everyone to go see this play, everyone involved worked endlessly to put out a great show and it absolutely shows on stage.
“Beauty and the Beast” will be presented on Friday, February 3 at 7:00pm; Saturday, February 4, at 2:00pm & 7:00pm; Sunday, February 5, at 2:00pm in the Mount Saint Joseph Fine Arts Auditorium. Tickets are $10 at the Box Office. Remember to follow @MDSDrama on Twitter for more information.