It's a tale as old as time, retold this week in the special way of the Kelly Road secondary school drama department.
Drama teacher Dave Murguly is leading his cast and crew through the songs and dialogue of classic Disney tale Beauty and The Beast, complete with ballroom staircases and period costumes. They did their first run-through for a live audience on Monday, entertaining some of the elementary children from the schools that feed into KRSS. The laughter and outbursts of delight were frequent.
It was an especially pleasing response for Murguly who happened to know that some of the main cast members are placed on the autism spectrum. It's irrelevant which they were, though, because each one of them blended seamlessly, sending a strong message via the performing arts just how capable people are no matter which form your personality takes. You might look like a cup, a saucer, a candlestick, but inside is a spellbinding person.
Part of demonstrating capabilities is for the students to discover their own talents and abilities. Murguly called on four of the young performers to take on the choreography of the dance numbers.
Many of them have dance instruction in their personal background so it was simply focusing those talents in ways they might not ever have tried without Beauty and The Beast.
"I encourage the kids to get involved in the creation side," he said. "I don't think it's the best use of our experience if I do everything when they have all these skills of their own."
Two of the students Murguly turned to most were Aidan Holoien and Bailey Jamison, who acted as assistant directors and other key peer leaders. The class was made up mostly of Grade 9 kids so the influence of older students like these who have multiple plays to their credit helped bridge the gaps of knowledge and expectation.
"My favourite part is all the set changes. So many set changes in this play," said Jamison. "The castle turns into a jail, a bar, a village, yet the castle is always there. It's interesting to see it be one thing, but with a few twists and turns it becomes something else, but it's all one piece collectively. It's layer upon layer and sometimes half the cast is hidden in different hidey-holes ready to pop out when they need to be in a scene."
There is musical skill built into the cast as well, with past experience in instrument, vocal and dance lessons. The role of Belle has become an iconic part with the likes of Paige O'Hara making it a household character in the 1991 Disney animated version and now Emma Watson in the new live action version.
Other stars who have held the part in various adaptations over the years (it was originally a novel by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve first published in 1740) include Rebecca De Mornay, Vanessa Hudgens, Josette Day, Susan Sarandon, Linda Hamilton and many others.
At KRSS the role was shared between two young actors who alternate from performance to performance: Ellie Prendergast and Lauren Iwanciwski. They said they considered themselves sisters and delighted in sometimes practicing the lines simultaneously, giving their cast-mates an "in stereo" rehearsal experience.
They each sing in the District 57 Tapestry Singers youth choir, so they had a strong personal relationship even before Belle.
Two of the cast members are in Excalibur Theatre Arts as well, so there was some relieving comfort when it came time to do the many dance routines. The highlight of these is Be Our Guest when the anthropomorphic kitchenware comes to life and dances for dinner.
Another with some prior singing experience was Chealynn Niessen who played Mrs. Potts and was called upon to sing the most recognizable of all the play's songs, the theme made mega-famous by Celine Dion.
"I've been singing it my whole life. Belle was always may favourite Disney princess so I've always known that song," she said.
"Having past experience helps," said RJ Polson who plays Lumiere the living candlestick. "I was in a couple of school plays when I was in elementary school at Glenview, and I took some singing lessons. Then I got into drama when I came here. It all helps."
Dominic Gudmunson said there was no way to truly prepare for what he had to endure, however. As Beast, he had to wear a full hairy face mask and still project his voice to the audience.
"It's sweaty and smelly in there," he said. "It takes me 30 minutes to get dressed and I have to yell all my lines or the audience can't hear me enough."
The first run of Beauty & The Best for the general public is tonight at 6 p.m. as part of the Kelly Road Fine Arts Day where many performing arts, visual arts and food are put on display, along with the entertainment contributions of the school's feeder elementaries.
Following this special event, the play will be performed on Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. then Saturday at 1 p.m.
All performances are in the KRSS multipurpose room. Tickets are available at the door.
