By Angela Dell 

Alpine Community Theater’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the Valentine Theater in American Fork is a guarantee good time for all ages. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is Broadway’s tenth longest-running production in history and has been enchanting audiences for over two decades with its lively music written by the incomparable Alan Menken and lyrics by the estimable Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. Based off the Academy Award-winning 1991 animated film, additional scores have been added to dive into an already beloved story and beloved characters.

Anyone unfamiliar with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast can be brought up to speed with this simple, sweet, slightly formulaic plotline. Bookish Belle (the Beauty) played truly beautifully by Amber Lee Roberts and her father Maurice (Dave Peterson) are oddballs in their town. Hunky, selfish Gaston (Bob Bauer) wants Belle but she tells him no, so Gaston tries to put Maurice in an insane asylum to manipulate Bell. The Beast (Michael Hatch) lives in a doomed, dark castle. Once a prince, he and his whole household have been cursed—he into a Beast, his staff into household items. In an interesting and fantastic turn of events, Belle comes to live with the Beast, and even more surprising, she learns to love the Beast and thus can break the spell and turn him back into a prince and the dishes, etc. can become human again. Sound unusual? It is. But it completely works—especially when set to wonderful music.

The cast and crew have clearly put their hearts and souls into the production. Roberts’ Belle  is so charming and playful, you can’t help but watch her to see what she’ll do when she thinks no one is looking. Roberts is Belle. It’s clear this character means a lot to her and that she has worked hard to give the audience a character to love and adore. Her voice is absolutely lovely and combined with her ability to put the correct emotions into each of the pieces she sings, she shines brightly. Her solo “Belle’s Reprise” is so stunning it gave me goosebumps. Her clear tones and light vibrato is an obvious indicator of her dedication to learn the music well. Peterson’s Maurice is so sincere and does a wonderful job establishing a tender father/daughter relationship in the duet “No Matter What.”

Hatch as The Beast is so charmingly awkward in his attentions to Belle, you can’t help but cheer for him. Hatch works so hard to put so much physicality into his role as Beast, you can see he cares for his character’s feelings and asks the audience to care as much as he does. Bauer as Gaston shows his character’s selfish vanity and constant need for attention—and we love to hate him for this. Bauer puts confidence and humor into his character that though he’s a big jerk, we love it when he’s onstage. His ability to create conflict while onstage is masterful. Lefou (Greg Belnap), Gaston’s yes man sidekick, is such a physically comedic character, the audience is always pleased when he’s onstage. Belnap uses both his voice and his actions to create a truly amusing, honest Lefou. His ability to stay in the moment with his scene partner is impressive when it is easy to always want to break the fourth wall. Because of this, when he does break the fourth wall, it means more to the audience and we feel like we’re a part of the joke, rather than the deciders of whether he is entertaining enough or not.

Lumiere (Alex Cox) (who plays a candlestick) and Cogsworth (Brenton Ferrell) (a clock) have an absolutely charming and entertaining relationship. Cox brings light and charm to Lumiere that makes the audience feel welcome and comfortable. Ferrell’s English dialect when speaking is correct and consistent, which can be difficult. There are a handful of people I have heard in person that have mastered an English dialect onstage and he is one of them. (Jolly good!) Mrs. Potts (Courtney Byrom) (a teapot) has a warm, cheerful voice that makes you feel as comfortable as a tea cozy. Byrom’s warmth and cheer is spread throughout the stage in every scene she’s in. Her interactions with Chip (Parker Burnham) (her son, who is a teacup) are sincere and honest, which is really special when you get the privilege to work with a younger actor. Burnham does a delightful job being the charming Chip with his well-timed lines and sincere execution of them. Babette (Ally Johnson) (a feather duster) swept the audience away with her sass and contrariness. Johnson’s devotion to the roll shows in her physicality and her ability to use a dialect while also speaking clearly enough to understand what she’s saying. The Wardrobe (Virginia Perkins) is a diverting and charming addition to the stage. Perkins is a bold actress who brings charm and comedy to her role as a rather clunky piece of furniture. She looked like she was having as much fun as the audience when she was on stage. The three Silly Girls (Brittanie Cooper, Carly Fontaine, and Melissa VanDam) that follow Gaston around are a force to be reckoned with. Their commitment to their roles allows for their scene partners to be more present and keep up with their ever-changing emotions. The rest of the cast are just as remarkable as the top billed characters. They are all filled with a wealth of talent and I was completely impressed after finding out that this was the first time being onstage for some of these cast members.

Laura Snyder does a masterful job not only directing, but producing and choreographing her cast into a true ensemble. The energy is high and the blocking is organized and meaningful. There were plenty of people to give her a real challenge to keep it organized. She pulls it off, though, and the result is the final product I saw last night. Although last night there seemed to be some troubles with the microphones, the cast handled them extremely well and stayed in character at all times. The set (Denae Devey) is organized and clean looking without too many extra baubles, which is good when you have the space and the cast size they have. The lighting (Tyler Harris) was exciting and the special effects inventive. I’ve never been to a community theater version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast so I wasn’t sure how they would manage some of the more elaborate costumes (Julie Merrell), but they are lovely. The colors coordinate with the moods of the scenes appropriately. When they are in the woods, the wolves’ costumes look dark and mysterious. During the scenes with the villagers there’s a veritable rainbow on stage to help convey the busyness of a village. Music Directors Martha Hodges and Carie Vaughn have created a heavenly chorus of this cast and the harmonies are gorgeous. The principals are simply fantastic.

When I went last night, I viewed the Red Cast’s performance; their Gold Cast will be performing Friday, the Saturday matinee, and Monday, the Red cast making a reappearance Saturday evening. If the Gold Cast worked as hard as the Red Cast, I’m sure they’ll be just as much of a treat to see. I will certainly be recommending that my friends attend and enjoy the show.
But what exactly these drugs do to your body that allows you to achieve solid erections no matter what? If put simply, levitra india price and its online buying. Some chemicals found in industrial/domestic detergents, lacquers, etc can cause best levitra price http://djpaulkom.tv/dj-paul-dj-whoo-kid-snow-tha-product-go-crazy-in-nyc/ hormonal imbalances. Ginseng levitra 40 mg djpaulkom.tv tea is widely popular amongst individuals. It begins with a meeting to review goals and objectives, analyze test data (including discussions of individual staffs), india online viagra djpaulkom.tv and discuss the performance of administrators.

It was easy to get to the theater and they had plenty of signs out to help patrons find the parking lot. There seemed to be enough parking and I believe there was a full house. Their house manager informed me there isn’t a bad seat in the house and I was inclined to agree, the seats are organized in a way that allow everyone a clear view of the stage. I would recommend bringing a seat cushion if you have a hard time sitting for long periods of time, the seats are a little hard. Bring your camera to take pictures with the cast afterward. They’re all very friendly and certainly want you to “be their guest.”

With the live action movie of Beauty and the Beast being shown recently, some people may be reluctant to see the live musical. Don’t be. Alpine Community Theater’s production of Beauty and the Beast is well worth seeing. And now that they’ve added an extra performance, you have no excuse. Bring your children and your parents and grandparents and see the show that helps you believe that love can conquer all.

Alpine Community Theater presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice

Valentine Theater, 839 E 9th N, American Fork, UT 84003
July 28-29, 31 7:00 PM, Saturday matinee July 29 2:00 PM
Tickets: Adults 12+: $12; Children/Students/Senior Citizens: $10
Contact: 801-404-0736
Facebook Page
Facebook Event (show)
Facebook Event (Beauty and the Beast Backstage Party 7/29 1:00 PM)