"Be Our Guest" as Mainstage presents Beauty and the Beast, Jr.

Beauty and the Beast, Jr. will enchant young and old alike in this “tale as old as time” presented by Summer Stage Children’s Theatre, July 30 – August 1 at the Dennis Flyer Theatre, Camden County College.
In Beauty and the Beast, bookish Belle (Arden Hosier of Shamong) escapes pursuit of her pompous suiter, Gaston (Fyar Kabia of Gloucester Township) only to find that her father, the eccentric inventor Maurice (Cameron Dubrow of Voorhees) is trapped in a castle by a horrible Beast (Dylan Odri of Lumberton). Belle does not know that the Beast is really a prince who’s under a spell. Upon learning that Maurice is ill, Belle convinces the Beast to exchange her freedom for her father’s.

“Though Belle is kind and pretty like other princesses, I really like portraying her because she’s sassy and stands up to the Beast,” said Hosier.

Soon after her arrival at the castle, Belle discovers magic within its walls as a candelabra, Lumiere (Harrison Smith of Cherry Hill); mantle clock, Cogsworth (Andrew Bank of Gloucester Township); wardrobe, Madame De La Grounde Bouche (Katherine Trauger); feather duster, Babette (Madisyn Bejo ofHaddon Heights) tea pot, Mrs. Potts (Devon Hosier of Shamong); and tea cup, Chip (Nate Smith of Wenonhah) speak, sing, and dance. These animated items that were once human servants help Belle and the Beast recognize their feelings toward each other. However, Gaston learns about the Beast and rallies his sidekick, Lefou (Rachel Scillari of Pine Hill) the townspeople against him in a final attempt to win Belles heart. When it appears that Gaston has killed the Beast, true love prevails and Belle’s tears transform the Beast back into a prince and the servants into human beings.

“Gaston is very comical and the things he does are opposite of what I would do. It’s been a great experience for me to go outside of myself in playing Gaston. My director, Claire has been amazing in helping me with this,” said Kabia.
Director Claire Berger likes the lessons taught through Beauty and the Beast. “This ‘tale as old as time’ is all about looking within for beauty, which is an important lesson in today’s world,” said Berger. “It’s also a big show, with big musical numbers, which is a challenge, but also what I love about it!”

Summer Stage’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. is sponsored by Precision Power Wash. Performances take place July 30 and August 1, 7:30 p.m. and August 2 10:30 a.m. in the Dennis Flyer Theatre, Camden County College, Blackwood, NJ. After each performance, the audience has the opportunity to meet the cast in the courtyard to the left of the theatre. There are also Thursday morning performances for groups, which are sign-interpreted. In addition, on Friday morning’s performance, children who arrive dressed as a prince or princess receive $1 discount per ticket purchased at the door. For more information, visit www.mainstage .org or call (856) 227-3091

In addition to Beauty and the Beast Jr., the remaining Summer Stage season includes Broadway for Kids, August 6-8; the Video Film Premier, August 8, 7p.m., which features films created by students; and Broadway Dance, August 10, 2 p.m., an afternoon which celebrates dance and Broadway Music presented by students of the Summer Stage Broadway Dance Program. Ticket prices are $10 for children under 12/senior citizens and $11 for adults. For the evening Mainstage production, Mainstage presents Les Miserables, school edition, July 26 – August 2. Tickets are $15 for children under 12/senior citizens and $18 for adults. To purchase tickets visit www.mainstage.org or call (856) 227-3091.
The sets for Summer Stage 2014 are sponsored by AP Construction. McDonald’s of Blackwood and Hurffville sponsor the Children’s Theatre Season.