BEAUTY AND THE BEAST; Hale Center Theater, Orem; through Aug. 4; (226-8600); running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (one 15-minute intermission).
OREM — "Beauty and the Beast" tells the tale of a beautiful girl forced to stay in a cursed castle with a master who has been transformed into a beast due to his ingratitude.
Only true love can break the spell.
The spell also transformed his servants into objects — Lumiere, the candlestick; Mrs. Potts, a tea kettle; and Chip, a small cup with a chip in it, among others.
Add the Disney flavor to the fairy tale and excellent acting from the local cast, and the Hale Center Theater stage is transformed into an imaginative production.
With a cast of more than 50 performers, about two dozen each night, it's interesting to see what the theater company can do on its tiny theater-in-the-round stage.
(The theater brought the play back after a successful run two years ago.)
Director David Morgan, musical director Kathryn Laycock Little and choreographer Marin Leggat (who has since moved to work in New York City), have all returned, along with most of the production staff and many of the actors. An exception is the theater's new resident hair and makeup designer, Stacey Williamson, who comes to Orem from the Cirque du Soleil show, "O," which currently runs at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
The parts are double-cast with actors assigned to a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday.
On opening night Rachel Lynn Woodward was cast as the heroine Belle. Her performance is excellent.
She played opposite Greg Hansen, who was a convincing Beast. Opening-night jitters weren't apparent as the cast comfortably assumed their roles. Notable opening-night performances were also found in Brian Monson as Lumiere, John M. Daly as Cogsworth, Tracy Whitlock as Mrs. Potts and David Burton as Gaston.
The actors' timing with their humor was excellent, while the costuming was both colorful and delightful. The presentation of Jaden Kenny as a cup is fascinating. Only his face shows as he's transported on and off stage on a cart.
Among the outstanding performances is the enchanted objects' rendition of "Be Our Guest."
The 1991 Disney film version won Academy Awards for Best Song and Best Original Score and was nominated for Best Picture. Several songs not in the animated film version were added to the stage production, which has run for 13 years on Broadway in New York, the sixth-longest running production. It closes in July.
E-mail: rodger@desnews.com