With dozens of students coming out for parts in Madison Junior High School’s musical production of “Beauty and the Beast Junior” the theater program will stage not only the musical but a pre-show prior to the main performance.
Musical Director Lindsay Bullock said 90 students came out for parts in the musical with the final number of performers being 80 after some students dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
As an after-school extracurricular activity, participation in the musical is volunteer. Bullock said that makes the student involvement even more amazing.
It’s the biggest turnout she’s ever had for a junior high production. In fact, there’s not enough room on the stage for all 80 students so, in order to give all students a chance be involved, there will be a 15-minute pre-show with a choral medley of Disney songs with those same students will also performing in the finale of the musical.
“I don’t believe in cutting them because we’re in junior high and we’re building a program” Bullock said of the Madison Consolidated Schools theater department, “My job is to build them up. I don’t cut kids from the production.”
The Junior musical is a shortened one-hour, 15-minute adaptation of the original Broadway production, Beauty and the Beast.
The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.
Performances will be at Madison Consolidated High School’s Opal Sherman Auditorium on Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets at the door are $10 for adults and $7 for students. Tickets are also available online at https://our.show/beauty at $8 for adults and $5 for students.
“I’m super excited,” said Bullock. “I hope people come and support these kids because they’ve worked really hard.”
The musical stars include Owain Kelsey as Gaston, Suzannah Bailey as Belle, Adavious Gigax as the Beast/Prince and Maya Bullock at Lumiere.
For Gigax, Bullock and Kelsey, the roles provide challenges in that the characters are different than themselves. Gigax as the Beast becomes a big, hairy monster while Maya Bullock as Lumiere becomes a candle stick. And Kelsey takes on the role of Gaston, depicted as a narcissistic, self-centered and selfish individual. “This one is a little off my personality which I really like because I feel like it’s more challenging, and helps with my acting in general,” Kelsey said.
Even as roles cause them to take on different personalities, Maya Bullock said, “Once you get into costume you really do feel that character and feel more connected to that character, and helps you to act a lot more to that character.” She said the audience will likely feel the same way. “You see the show really come together and it’s amazing, it’s magical.”
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