Students of the Monroe High School Drama Club will be performing the Broadway musical adaptation of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”, based on the classic 1991 Disney animated feature, with music and lyrics by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice.
“Beauty and the Beast” tells the story of Belle, a young girl in a small French village seeking more from life. When Belle’s father goes missing, Belle searches and finds her father being held captive in a magic castle by a grizzly Beast. Belle offers to take her father’s place and remains in the castle. Belle is the sought-after prize for Gaston, the story’s villain, which leads to a confrontation between Gaston and the Beast.
Mrs. Rebecca Molenda directs the MHS production. This is Mrs. Molenda’s fourth musical at MHS, with previous credits including “Big Fish,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” and “Mamma Mia!” Mrs. Molenda stated that she is most excited for everyone to see the “finished product and how the cast and crew come together in the end.” Molenda also mentioned she is excited for the audience to see the “amazing costumes and set for this show that brings the magic.”
MHS Choir director Carli Tower collaborated with the drama club for this performance. “I am very excited to see the songs we all know and love, be put together on stage with the music, costumes, set, and choreography,” Ms. Tower shared. “The students love the songs in the show and have been so enthusiastic about the music since we started learning them!” This is Ms. Tower’s first MHS musical credit.
Mr. Jeremy Kimberlin constructed the many set pieces for this production. Kimberlin expressed this was an interesting set design. Kimberlin mentioned the castle when asked about what set piece he hopes the audience will appreciate most. “It’s a multi-layered piece with different levels, with different places for people to go. [The castle] is a massive part of the show”. Kimberlin and student crew members worked almost 240 hours on building the sets from scratch. This is Kimberlin’s fourth collaboration with Mrs. Molenda for the drama club.
Click the link below to watch a quick interview with some of the cast!
Students from the MHS Drama Club are excited to bring the magic of this show to the stage. Bailey Baker plays Mrs. Potts and mentions that her preparation for the role consisted of “lots of singing, memorizing, and cough drops”.
“Beauty and the Beast” will be performed by the MHS Drama Club on Friday, November 22, and Saturday, November 23 at 7:00 PM, and a matinee performance on Sunday, November 24, at 2:00 PM. Attendees can purchase their tickets at the door. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $5 for students/children.