The audience was singing “Be Our Guest” long after the curtains closed on this year’s musical production of Beauty and the Beast. The drama team performed 12 shows for students and the larger community in the Little Theater.

The Preperations

Despite what the audience saw, there were many other components that went into the show from behind the scenes. One sophomore in particular, Macey Kern, had the very important job of stage manager.

“The stage managers have to make sure everything’s running smoothly,” Kern said. “We have to make sure all of the actors know where their props are, all of the crew members know how to work the fog machines and the dry ice machines, and most importantly we have to keep everyone sane.”

Many people didn’t realize the amount of time the cast and crew put into the show to make it what it was.

“I think once I counted it all up, I actually had spent 78 hours working on cueing the show,” said sophomore and lighting designer Kyle Munden. “All of the lighting that you see during the show, is cued. So everytime you see the lighting change, that’s a cue that we have made. There are over 200 cues in this particular production.”

The amount of time spent working on the show was similar when it came to building the set.

“Stagecraft builds the set for the most part, but I came in for about 3 or 4 weekends before the show to help out,” Kern said. “It’s a very long process.”

Whenever the show was going on, there were several people who were working behind the stage or up in the tech booth to make sure everything ran smoothly.

“There can be up to six people in the tech booth at a time during the performance, while there are about 12 crew members backstage.” Munden said.

However, there are two very important crew members who aren’t either backstage or in the tech booth.

“I was in the audience for most of the shows,” junior and student choreographer Maya Vitug said. “This is the first time I’ve choreographed so it’s fun to help people develop the characters, but there were some challenges because we didn’t have a lot of time to rehearse.”

Another important crew member was conducting the pit.

“I am the assistant student conductor,” junior Hollis Hagenbuch said. “I get to work with the cast while listening to them

through a speaker and I also get to work with the pit at the same time. So I really enjoy the collaboration between both.”

The audience and cast had various expectations, but director Don Johnson only expected the actors to do what they rehearsed, everything else is unknown.

“Every performance is different, it’s the live art,” Johnson said. “Sometimes we have to warn our kids to not put it on autopilot, you have to keep pushing, keep thinking because that’s when things happen.”

There were many challenges felt by the directors during the rehearsal time.

“Trying to get 50 people on one stage and doing one thing can be difficult at times,” said Baker Purdon, music director for the musical. “Trying to get the work done after school also is difficult after we’ve all had a full day of school and we’re all already exhausted.”

Despite these challenges, the way that the cast and crew treat each other adds to the performance aspects onstage and adds to friendships off the stage.

“This year if you walk down the hall everyone’s nice to each other,” Edens said. “Everyone talks to each other. There are no cliques between people because everyone is family.”

‘Beauty and the Beast’ has been a notable Disney classic for years. From first graders to staff members, the story of Belle and the Beast is well known.

What We Thought

The stage, at first, was dark. Then suddenly lights are narrowed to a small part of the stage where we see the Beast before the curse. In the prelude of the musical, it all seemed very Disney.

The cast and crew of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ were able to transform the small Little Theater into multiple locations.

“We really have to build everything and involve the audience and make the audience a part of the show as the townspeople basically,” director Don Johnson said.

There were gargoyles as props, and as the people to rotate the props. Small details like that created a “they thought of everything feeling” when the musical finished.

It was evident the cast felt comfortable with each other and their lines, as little nerves were seen as the performance wore on.

“We are all really upbeat, so we all get along really well,” freshman Jake Islas said. “We work hard and do everything to the best of our ability.”

Belle, played by junior Molly Day, was an easy character to relate to.

“I [looked at] a lot on recordings and videos to try and see how people portray Belle differently because I [wanted] to make the character something I can connect with,” Day said. “I’m a little more sassy than the traditional Belle, mostly because that’s how I am in real life. I feel like it adds to the character and makes the relationship between Belle and Beast a little different.”

The Beast, played by Weston Brown, had a strong persona with an even stronger voice. Using a voice modulator, the Beast’s voice was able to sound as frightening as he looked. He commanded the stage when he was there, however balancing out Belle’s softer side.

LHS lost seniors last year who had wonderful singing voices. However, according to senior Berit Nuetzmann, “This year had awesome new talent both vocally and character wise.”

The side characters added a lot of the silly personality which may have been lost in the seriousness of the Beast, or the determination of Belle. Lefou, played by sophomore Jonathan Edens, had mastered physical comedy as he was pushed around by Gaston, played by Nehemiah Devanney. Gaston was a beautiful egomaniac, who no one wishes their son to become, but hopes their child will have as much talent.

The “Silly Girls” were fun to watch. Lumiere, played by Jake Islas and Cogsworth, played by Joe Galetti, seemed to understand who the candle and clock truly were. Babette, played by Josie Wilkerson, Mrs. Potts, played by Mckenzie Greenwood, and Madame De La Grande Bouche, played by Alana Pendergraft, all had captivating performances that created the desire to know not only their characters but the actresses off stage.

The ability to have both good acting and good music creates an entertaining and well developed musical.

“Beauty and the Beast really meshed both components to create a great show,” Nuetzmann said.