Beauty and the Beast Directed by Phil Murphy November 4 - 26

Record-Eagle Review,Mo' Pictures

Special Thanks

Dean Bull Clock Repair

Ed Girrbach

Stone House Bread

Studio 101

Traverse City West High School

Northern Fire & Safety

Christine Hubert, Antigues as Railroad Place

Jill Beauchamp, Riverside Shakespeare

Alan Bluhm

Candle Factory

Mary's Kitchen Port

Derek Woodruff, Hibbard Flowers

OTP has a beauty of a musical
'Beauty and the Beast' runs 3 more weeks
by Nancy Sundstrom, Record-Eagle

TRAVERSE CITY -- Last year at this time, TC Central High School staged a first-rate production of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" that produced rave word-of-mouth, sold-out crowds and added performances.

This past weekend across town,Old town Playhouse launched its version.  My advice?  Get your tickets immediately, because the same results are anticipated.

What a treat it is to have two very different theatrical entities in this community stage their own wonderfully enchanting productions.  Each is quite unique, capitalizing on individual strengths and the overall quality of the source material, most of which is well-known to young and old alike.

 Where one of the primary charms of Central's show was its gifted young cast, this one utilizes the diverse talents of some of OTP's best actors and performers, some of whom are veterans and others who are relative new comers.  It is a completely winning effort all the way around, especially under the sure hand of director Phil Murphy ("Gypsy," "City of Angels") and the efforts of an impressive technical crew who make this every bit of the extravaganza it should be.

 But, oh, the cast, starting with the title characters themselves.

 Andrea DiGregorio, who is making her OTP debut, is a luminous Belle, the young woman who longs for a life of excitement outside of her small French provincial village.  She discovers that, and more, when she offers herself in place of her father Maurice (Steve Morse), who has become imprisoned at the castle of the Beast (Tom Czarny), who was turned into a hideous creature under a witch's curse and can now only be transformed back to the handsome price he once was only by true love.

DiGregorio is the complete Belle package; she is lovely to look at, has an effortless singing voice, and captures all of the heroine's spunk, integrity and compassion.  She is everything one would want and expect.

 Czarny as the Beast, though, is the true surprise.  One of OTP's most accomplished actors, he is well-regarded for his skill at Shakespearean and other classic material, and less known for appearing in musicals.  His considerable dramatic range gives Beast an enormous amount of texture and depth, creating one of the most moving interpretations of the character I've ever seen.

 Blessed with an expressive voice that can roar while being tinged with his own fear and self-loating, he uses it in song to convey torture to tenderness.   His movements about the stage are physically splendid.

 The primary supporting players also shine in their roles, creating one of the most impressive and consistent ensembles ever gathered on the OTP stage.  The standouts begin with Nancy Brick (Mrs. Potts), who is too seldom seen on OTP's stage but has played a number of major roles there, and whose beautiful rendition of the title song had more than a few people in the audience wiping away tears.  Steve Stenman couldn't be more perfect as Gaston, as is Phil Callighan, who brings his impeccable comic timing to Lumiere.

 A few of the other players deserve mention for serving major roles onstage and off, those being Sherry Brehm (Babette/dance captain), Rob Stow (Cogsworth/vocal director) and Morse, who also provided art and set design.

 It's just hard to leave a number of others out, so look for the performances of Cynthia Van Manaan (Bouche), Allixandria Geiger (Chip), Dan Jablonski (D'Arque) and Tony Lezon (LeFou).

 The major ensemble compiled for this show aren't slackers, either, and the large and challenging production numbers, especially the signature ""Be Our Guest, " sparkle with fine singers, dancers and expressive faces.

 This is a wonderful technical production, as well.  Musical Director, Joe Rice, has a superb orchestra; the infallible Kathy Verstraete may have outdone herself with costumes; and the sound by Gary Bolton and lighting by Jacqui Jones couldn't be more seamless and effective.

 As the song says, "Beauty and the Beast" is "a tale as old as time," and with the evident magic that this show creates and leaves the audience warmed with and charmed by, we can be thankful that is has returned in such capable hands as this.