The first thing to remember about the Lee Road production of “Beauty and the Beast Junior” is that it’s not at Lee Road. In keeping with recent years, the show is at the high school. And with a cast of 90 students, the kids will have no trouble filling the high school stage.
The next thing to remember is that the start times are unusual. At a reduced price, the public can attend the dress rehearsal at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17. On the next day, there are performances at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The 11 o’clock start time is real. It’s not a typo. Last year’s show started early because snow was predicted for later in the day. The change made the day shorter for the cast members. Their families liked the idea of a morning performance. So the show’s producers decided to keep it.
If you go to the high school in the morning, make sure you arrive in time to see the opening production number. All of the fourth-graders are on the stage. And you’ll be surprised by the number of strong voices in the cast.
Many of the songs are familiar. During a mike check at the Jan. 11 rehearsal, the kids were asked to name their favorites. The youngsters came up with an array of titles — with “Be Our Guest,” “Beauty and the Beast” and the “Mob Song” receiving the most support.
Livi Perrone of Riverside Theatre Arts is directing the show. Susan King is a producer. We asked her how the show was chosen.”We liked the message,” she said. “It’s about recognizing inner beauty and the importance of including everyone. The villagers want to torch the castle [with the beast inside]. But Belle sees that he’s kind and gentle.”
Many of the cast members saw the high school production of “Beauty and the Beast” a few years ago. They like the junior version and they hope that you will too.
CAST
Sky Appleton, Brielle Ayuso, Merideth Babcock, Amelia Bellamy, Lucca Berardinelli, Violet Blanco. Juno Brooks, Isaiah Burks, Charlotte Cangemi, Fiona Carty, Logan Cascino, Ella Cascino, Sofia Castro, Mckenna Chatfield, Alex Conklin, Lillian Conmy, Joseph Contreras, Joselynn Contreras, Maisy Coutant, Claire Creech, Eden Daigle, Coral De Leon, Maximus De Leon, Lucy Dietsch. Joseph Doty, Joseph Duffy, Chloe Duffy, Emily Dumlao, Shea Fern, Jackson Fogarty, Edylene Goodglass, Everett Goodglass, Joey Grammerstorf, Linnea Granland, Ava Halvorsen, Daniel Hayes, Matthew Hoyt, Andrew Hurley, Emma Ireland, Samantha Jachens, Quinn Johnson, Cameron Jones, Leah Jones, Sophia Kelly, Karlee King, Olivia Koch, Alaina Larmon, Brianna Longinott, Fiona Lynch, Liam Lynch, Chiarra Marasco, Carmine Marasco, Brielle Martinez, Zoey Martinez, Olivia McCloskey, Eamon McCracken, Sinead McGrail, Riley McVeigh, Grainne Murray, Tiana Negron, Abigail Neset, Juliana Norton, Sarah Pagano, Olivia Papageorgiou, Aidan Pellot, Mary Perusomala, Percyrusomala, Emmy Peterson, Hannah Peterson, Lucy Pummer, Joaquin Query, Makayla Riccardi, Teagan Rourke, Megan Santos, Elizabeth Schlegel, Michale Schroeter, Alexander Singh, Kayla Slattery, Tyler Slattery, Sienna Stramiello, Adrian Thompson, Ella Thompson, Maria Tucker, Molly Violetti, Aidan Ward, Emily Whitney, Molly Wilcox, Katchlyn Woeltjen.
