Beauty and the Beast

I distinctly remember sitting in a Florida movie theater waiting to see the new Disney film, Beauty and the Beast. The Disney Renaissance wasn't in full swing yet. The company's animated films had been a bit hit or miss for more than a decade, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I saw that evening was the first animated film ever to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar (and the only animated film to receive the honor before the Academy's switch from 5 nominees to 10). To call it magnificent would be to undersell it. Every aspect of the film is impeccable, and I left the theater utterly enthralled.

The tale of Beauty and the Beast doesn't start with Disney, of course. It starts in 1740 with the publication of Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's La Belle et la Bete. While those familiar with the animated movie will recognize many elements of the tale like the rose, enchanted castle, and Belle's romance with the Beast, Bete's version includes many more details. Belle, for instance, has many brothers and sisters, and her father is a down-on-his-luck merchant instead of an inventor. Belle is also is a fairy princess and faces many obstacles after discovering the Beast's true form before she can marry him.

Disney considered making an animated version of the tale as early as 1937, but didn't get around to making a serious effort until 1987. In 1989 after several abortive attempts to create a script, Jeffery Katzenberg enlisted Robert Wise, Gary Trousdale, Howard Ashman and Alan Menkin. The quartet created the version we now know and love, borrowing heavily ideas like the enchanted objects and Gaston from a 1946 French film, and the movie was released in 1991 to universal acclaim.

In 1994, Disney adapted their movie into the Broadway musical you'll see tonight. I chose this show for our spring musical for a couple of reasons. The first is that I simply love it. It is one of my all-time favorite stories. The second is that after the colossal undertaking that was Sweeney Todd, I felt we needed a little bit of an easier show to produce. To my surprise, however, though the music is indeed easier (in my estimation no mainstream musical is more challenging than a Sondheim musical), the rest of the production has been immensely challenging. The costumes, the props, the set, the space limitations of Babcock theater, lighting, and sound have all over the course of the last six months proven much more intricate than I or the cast expected. The kids, however, have risen to the challenge, and I am proud of each and every one of them. We sincerely hope you enjoy the Stagedogs production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast!

Performed in Babcock Auditorium, April 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th

Cast

Belle

Amy White '25

Beast

Dylan Tallardy '25

Gaston

Josiah Vargas '24

(The Enchanted Objects)

Lumiere

Natalie Francese '26

Cogsworth

Felicity Orlando '26

Mrs. Potts

Sadie Howell '26

Arianna Godena '24 (Understudy)

Babette

Indiana Hurley '25

Madame de la Grand Bouche

Arianna Godena '24

Lillyana Isbell '27 (Understudy)

Chip

Tristain McGuire '27

Forks, Knives, and Spoons

Ariana Godena '24

Rachel Gomez '25

Indiana Hurley '25

Lilly Chandronnet '26

Noah Dulac '26

Ocean Lombard '26

Meghan MacDonald '26

Fiona Doyle '26

Savannah Giuliana '27

Emma Isaacs '27

Gargoyles

Cassidy Araujo '24

Lillyana Isbell '27

Wolves

Ava Lauria '25

Nolan Tripp '26

Fiona Doyle '26

Meghan MacDonald '26

(The Village)

Maurice

Hope Spaulding-Tefft '25

Lefou

Noah Dulac '26

La Filles

Alaina Tripp '24

Bella Thrasher '24

Ocean Lombard '26

Emma Isaacs '27

Monsieur D'Arque

Ashley Franeski '25

The Bookstore Owner

Ava Lauria '25

The Baker

Lillyana Isbell '27

The Villagers

Cassidy Araujo '24

Alaina Crudden '25

Rachel Gomez '25

Lilly Chandronnet '26

Fiona Doyle '26

Meghan MacDonald '26

Nolan Tripp '26

Savannah Giuliano '27

Crew

Production Stage Manager

Caitlin Pucci '24

Stage Manager

Paul Albamonti '26

Lighting Board Operator

John Santiago '25

Sound Board Operator

Roan Doyle '25

Stage Crew

Jorge Sarmiento '24

Bryan Wreford '25

Nicolina Walsh '26

Maya Parker '27

Lexi Yemma '27

Ziyan Zheng '27

Set Design and Construction

Schane Tallardy

Set Decoration

John Tedeschi

Luke Adams '25

Felicity Orlando '26

Natalie Giulmette '25

Celeste Renna '25

Luke Adams '25

Maya DeRosa '25

Ginny Royce '26

Jace Symmington '26

Hope Spaulding-Tefft '25

Maya Parker '27

Ava Laurie '25

Olivia Sposato '25

Abigail Caracciolo '24

Choreographer

Alanna Defelice

Chorus Captain

Sadie Howell '26

Dance Captain

Ocean Lombard '26

Fight Captain

Paul Albamonti '26

Costumes Provided by

Theater by Design

(Made possible by a generous grant from the Westerly Education Endowment Fund)

Additional Costume Design and Construction and Costume Management

Kathy Tallardy

Melissa Tallardy

Special Beast Makeup and Hair

Emmalee Bettez '24

Keira Poquette '25

Property Construction and Management

Nancy Chambers

Maurice's "Contraption" and Chip's Cart Originally Designed a Constructed by

Sam Casey '26

Alexander "Rex" Fagan '24

Rocco Falcone '24

Liam Kolb '25

Ryan Rumsey '26

Sam Smestad '26

Brady Smith '26

Mat Taylor '25

Robert Walshe '26

Maurice's "Contraption" and Chip's Cart Modified by

Schane Tallardy

Videography

Thomas Alabamonti

Graphic Design, Printing, and Animation

Chris Kelley

Poster Design

Abigail Caracciolo '24

Production Assistants

Lilly Chandronnet '26

Caden Chicas '24

Nolan Dulac '26

Sandra Ghattas '24

Kiro Johnson '26

Robert Pont '27

Hope Spaulding-Tefft '25

Ziyan Zheng '27

House Manager

Melissa Tallardy

Directed by

Ryan D. Zemanek, M.Ed.

Scenes

Scene 1

The Village

"Belle"

Scene 2

Outside of Belle's Cottage

Scene 3

The Woods

Scene 4

The Castle - the Sitting Room

Scene 5

Outside of Belle's Cottage

"Me"

"Belle (Reprise)"

Scene 6

The Castle - The Dungeon and Belle's Room

"Home"

"Home (Reprise)"

Scene 7

Gaston's Tavern

"Gaston"

"Gaston (Reprise)"

Scene 8

The Castle - Belle's Room and the West Wing

"How Long Must This Go On"

Scene 9

The Castle - Belle's Room and The Main Hall

"Be Our Guest"

Scene 10

The Castle- the West Wing

"If I Can't Love Her"

---INTERMISSION---

Scene 11

The Woods

Scene 12

The Castle - the Sitting Room and the Library

"Something There"

"Human Again"

Scene 13

The Castle - the West Wing

Scene 14

The Castle - The Ballroom and the West Wing

"Beauty and the Beast"

"If I Can't Love Her"

Scene 15

Outside of Belle's Cottage

"A Change In Me"

"The Mob Song"

Scene 16

The Castle - the West Wing Tower

"Transformation"

"Beauty and the Beast (Reprise)"

Disney's

Beauty and the Beast

Music by

Alan Menken

Lyrics by

Howard Ashman & Time Rice

Book by

Linda Woolverton

Originally Directed by

Rob Roth

Originally Produced by

Disney Theatrical Productions

Incidental Music and New Vocal Arrangements

by Michael Koserin

Vocals Originally Arranged by David Friedman

Dance Music Arrangements by Glen Kelly

Orchestrations by Danny Troob

Disney's Beauty and the Beast

Is presented through special arrangement with Musical Theatre International (MTI).

All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI

ANY VIDEO and/or AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS PRODUCITON IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED

Special Thanks to:

The administration of Westerly High School

Sara Ferry and the WHS music program, which has nurtured the musical talents for most of the cast!

and especially

The parents and families of the cast and crew!

WEEF

This show was made possible in large part by a generous grant from The Westerly Education Endowment Fund. The cast and crew wish to sincerely thank them for their contribution to our show. Please check out their website: WEEF for more information about the important work the fund does for education in Westerly.

Beastly Makeup!

Senior Emmalee Bettez and junior Keira Poquette designed The Beast's (Dylan Tallardy '25) look for our show. The process was a time consuming one with Dylan in the chair for the initial makeup test for more than three hours. Both young women are part of the WHS cosmetology program at WHS.

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