Student Reviewer: Northwest Production Brings Fairy Tale to Life

By Brigitta Davis of Pattonville High School

"Beauty and the Beast," the childhood favorite of many, receives a grown-up adaptation in the stage musical. New songs, more dialogue, and alternate character portrayals intrigue a familiar audience with a more complete view of the fairytale made famous by the Disney animated movie.

Northwest High School rises to the occasion when taking on these challenges to make memorable and unique stage presentation.

To many, Disney is responsible for the revitalization of Broadway, drawing millions back to the stage with song hits and storylines made popular by high-grossing films. Beauty and the Beast is no exception to his exceptional standard.

With the iconic music of Alan Menken and lyrics of Tim Rice and Howard Ashman, the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast is one of the longest running and highest grossing stage musicals in history with wild international success.

Belle (Molly Fowler) opens the show by drawing in the audience with a pleasant disposition, embodying the bookish peasant girl, as well as the most attractive girl in the town.

Fowler’s portrayal of Belle brought a certain realism to the production, making Belle appear to be less of an innocent doe-eyed girl, and more like a real person, with sensible reactions to the trials encountered and hesitation before growing to love the beast.

The Beast/Prince (Dalton Mathis) effectively portrays a contrast between the hardened “monster” before Belles’ arrival in the castle, gradually warming up to her, much like a real person would.

Lumiere (Haley Korn), with a remarkably consistent French accent and tirelessly holding her arms in the same position stands out among the household objects.

The French accent continued throughout Korn’s vocal performance and never ruins the illusion of the candlestick.  Gaston (Brandon Janssen) livens the pace of the show with exceptional volume and energy throughout his vocal performance as well as through the dialogue.

His interactions with his idiotic side kick, Lefou (Ronald Keel) delight with their physical comedy and humorous interaction that keep the plot moving.  Chip (Molly Amsden) steals each scene as she enters, radiating joyful energy while interacting with the other household items.  

The chorus of village people in “Kill the Beast” along with most other group numbers has impressive volume and diction, drawing the majority of the energy to the production. The small ensemble of the Silly Girls (Jamie Nuckolls, Andrea Brown, Emily Reiter) draws much needed entertainment value to the village scenes.

The costumes (Abby Mayher and Libby Mayher) most memorable are the dancing plates, knives, spoons, napkins and forks. The presence of those costumes on the stage makes the magic of “Be Our Guest” come alive, as the costumes contrast with the less than eye-appealing backdrops.

The special effects (Chris Puhlmann) during the Beast’s transformation, highlighted by the smoke machine, are effective in creating an expensive looking illusion with dramatic suspense.

Distracting set change lengths, because no musical accompaniment seemed to stretch on longer than necessary, suspends the pacing energy of the show. Throughout the first act, many lines by main characters were inaudible, however the volume issues drastically improved in the second act, no longer proving to be a distraction.

The new interpretation on the characters, songs and show make for an enjoyable performance, and stays true to the spirit of the cherished fairy tale, with a satisfying end of a night with old characters feeling like new friends.

This review was submitted by The Cappies, a program that trains high school theater and journalism students as critics. The students then attend shows at other schools, write reviews and publish those reviews in local news outlets. At the end of the year, student critics vote for awards that are presented at a formal Cappies Gala.