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By Bill Van Tassel
The students at Hall-Dale High School, under the directions of Mel Bills and Deb Large, gave life to the inanimate objects in their performance of “Beauty and the Beast,” the weekend of Jan. 11-13.
After a curse is lowered on the Prince and his castle, not only does he become the Beast, but his household goods and the utensils become animated.
When I say animated, I mean animated. Whether through perfect typecasting or simply the enthusiasm and skill of the students, the clock, Cogswort, and the candlestick, Lumiere, as well as Mrs. Potts, the tea kettle, were made believable and often hilarious.
Particularly funny was the flirtatious Frenchman, Lumiere, played by Maggie Brown and her anxious, plotting partner, the British Cogsworth, played by Tessa Reeves-Ahn. Like many others in the cast, the comedic duo obviously enjoyed performing and they got into their parts. The two girls, like a few other students, have enjoyed some experience with community theater and performing centers such as like Johnson Hall.
Other students, including Georgia Howe (Belle/Beauty) Kieran Dionne (Beast) Hadley Hayward (Mrs. Potts) and several other players have been in the school’s chorus and band. Howe portrayed a gentle and sweet Beauty and had a fine voice that mirrored those same qualities. Dionne has been active in Hall-Dale’s theater since middle school, is in jazz band and choir, and has attended USM’s Southern Maine Theater Academy.
Hayward was doing her first show, but has been singing in the chorus and jazz choir. The freshman noted in the show’s program notes, “I wasn’t sure how shows all come together, and it’s been so much fun adding all the costumes and props and seeing it all so beautifully fall into place.”
Adding to her sentiments, the show did come together. The set, though simple, was more than adequate and the stage crew with the help of the players made all the scene changes seamless and nondistracting. The leads had their lines down and were delivered with the correct emotions, gestures and stage business. This was indicative of expert guidance from Bills and Large. The lighting and sound were fine by high school standards, the background music from Disney was great and cued perfectly.
Ralph Birgfeld in the part of Belle’s would-be suitor, Gaston, was a hit with the audience. His muscled-macho persona had them in stitches for most of his appearances on stage. His delivery of humorous lines made him strangely endearing. It was kind of sad to see a dominant player in the musical have to die at the tale’s end.
PHOTO: Tessa Reeves-Ahn, left, is the choclk and Maggie Brown, the candlestick, Lumiere, in Hall-Dale’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” Jan. 11. (Bill Van Tassel photo)
