In spite of kidney surgery to remove 15 stones, I was able to finish the set for Beauty and the Beast on time. With a great deal of help from parent and student volunteers, who painted the set pieces with their base coats of color, I was able to do the detail work and managed to finish a couple days before we opened!
If you have an opportunity to see a performance of this delightful show, I encourage you to do so. The costumes alone are worth the price of the ticket. Laurie Gansen, our costumer, is the most talented woman I have ever met. The costumes are breathtaking. Several people thought we rented them from a theatrical costume company.
No!
Laurie makes our costumes from scratch. And they are spectacular. The gown for the dresser transformation is easily good enough to be in a Hollywood production. In fact, it boggels my mind, what Laurie would be able to create with a substantial budget. This production required 60+ costumes with a budget of 1500 dollars. That’s 25 dollars per costume. Since we had done this show 11 years ago, we had several already created which helped tremendously with the budget. But that is still a very tight budget for the magnificence of the costumes required for this show.
The costumes for Cogsworth and the dresser were reworked for this show. Lumiere is wonderful with light-up candle hands. Mrs. Potts and Chip are equally charming. I get choked up every time Chip is on stage, as my second daughter played Chip in our first production 11 years ago…
The students have worked tirelessly to bring the magic of the Disney movie to life. Our sound and lighting special effects are especially stunning, thanks to the brilliance of Paul Prins. Paul Connelly, our director and correographer, has done a wonderful job bringing out the best in our kids. Holly Isreals, our musical director, has once again provided us with the very best in musical theatre.
Our next show is Friday, the 9th of December, at 7 p.m. Then again on Saturday, December 10, at 2 p.m. and at 7 p.m. Please join us for this magical theatrical experience!
Purple Whimsie 