Stage Prophets to present Disney's Beauty and the Beast

BY KIRK STARRATT

kstarratt@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

They’ve undertaken several elaborate productions in the past and now St. Joseph’s Stage Prophets are preparing to present Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

The Stage Prophets, a youth group from St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Kentville that involves over 80 youth performers from Windsor to Berwick, has been busy memorizing dialogue and making costumes and sets with the help of Rosie Browning from Mermaid Theatre. It’s quite a time commitment for the participants.

They’ve presented such productions as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables and Children of Eden in the past and they’re ready to take on the challenge of Beauty and The Beast. It’s a family play that will appeal to young and old and delivers an inspiring message that reminds us that beauty lies within each of us.

Christie McManaman, a Grade 12 student at Horton, is playing the role of Cogsworth, who is transformed into a clock. She said the characters share qualities or have connections to the objects into which they’re transformed.

She said director Mary Hanneman chose Beauty and the Beast and the play shows the inner beauty of beings. McManaman said she has been part of past productions including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables and Children of Eden. She said a feeling of community comes from the young people pulling together to put on successful productions and she finds it quite inspiring.

“I absolutely love theatre,” she said. “I can’t see myself being anywhere else.”

McManamam said there’s a lot of pressure involved, especially considering that there is a movie version of the production. She said the younger performers tend to be quite particular when it comes to how certain characters are portrayed, and with the appearance of costumes. However, she said they’re trying to meet and exceed any preconceived expectations.

Have to nail the characters

Hannah Stewart, a first-year student at Acadia University, said this production is perhaps the most well known of any she has been involved in to-date since Disney produced it as a movie before it was performed as a Broadway musical.

In terms of capturing the essence of the characters, “you have to nail them and you can’t take them in a different direction because they’re so well known,” she said, and people have certain expectations.

Stewart said she plays Mrs. Potts, a teapot. She has a son named Chip, a teacup, and she’s a very warm, loving character. Stewart has performed with the Stage Prophets in Les Miserables and Children of Eden and said the productions gain momentum and seem to get bigger and bigger.

Stewart, a vocal performance major, said theatre is what she’s looking to do with her life. She enjoys the experience of being onstage and said it’s a big thrill to her.

“It has been a big part of my stage experience,” she said about the Stage Prophets. “It has played a huge role in my life decisions.”

Beauty And The Beast plays at Acadia University’s Festival Theatre, Wolfville, Friday, May 16; Saturday, May 17; and Sunday, May 18. Showtime is 7 p.m. all three days with a 2 p.m. matinee added Saturday, May 17.

Tickets cost $15 and are available at the Acadia Box Office and Box of Delights in Wolfville, M&M Meats, New Minas, and Designer Café, Kentville.

Major sponsors include Lars Nichols ScotiaMacLeod, Canadian Tire, Clinic Pharmacy, Needs, Direct Digital Office, White’s Family Funeral Home and Wolfville Home Hardware, who donated the labour for the castle set.

Linda Woolverton wrote the original book, Beauty And The Beast. The music for the production is by Alan Menken and the lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice.