“Beauty and the Beast”
When:
7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, March 4-6
Where: Aronoff Center for the Arts, Jarson-Kaplan Theatre, 650 Walnut St., Cincinnati
Cost: $14.50. Call (513) 621-2787, or visit www.cincinnatiarts.org. According to the Cincinnati Arts Association Web site, seating for the Saturday performance is "extremely limited."
FAIRFIELD — Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle — and that castle is at Cincinnati’s Aronoff Center, as Cincinnati Christian Schools in Fairfield presents “Beauty and the Beast” starting Thursday, March 4.
The show is the school’s spring musical, which is staged every year at the theater. “Beauty and the Beast” wasn’t Director Wayne Beaver’s first choice, however.
“I had been pressured to do this for years and I resisted,” said Beaver, calling the play “fluffy.”
But after a much more difficult show last year, Beaver decided a change of pace was in order.
“Disney shows don’t have a lot of drama, but we did ‘Les Miserables’ last year, which was dark. It (‘Beauty’) is actually a very nice show,” he said.
The show they’re performing is based on the Broadway version, which has more songs and story material than the 1991 film, which was a touchstone for some of the young actors.
“It’s a lot of fun to be any sort of magical, enchanted creature. I grew up with the story, and now I get to re-enact it. And I get to sing the title song,” said Kelsey Simmons, a senior who plays Mrs. Potts.
Senior Alli Grahl, who plays Belle, said performing in this show is “a dream come true. It’s awesome just to be the princess I’ve always wanted to be.”
Freshman Josh Stothsang was lucky enough to land the role of the Beast, but he’s finding it a balancing act — literally.
“It’s kind of nerve-wracking because I’m the only freshman in the high school that gets to perform a big role. One of the things I have to do is wear stilts that put all this pressure on my toes, but I’ve gotten pretty used to it,” Stothsang said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.
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