Darick Pead as Beast and Hilary Maiberger as Belle. Photo by Joan Marcus
The musical Beauty and the Beast is based on the Academy Award-winning Disney animated film. It follows the story of Belle—a beautiful, young woman who has a hard time fitting in in her small village, because she would rather read books than socialize—and the Beast, a hostile, self-loathing creature, as well as a talking teapot, candelabra, and clock. Initially, Belle is thrown by the bizarre castle and its occupants, but the audience knows the secret of the castle immediately. The Beast and all of the animated objects within the castle are actually a prince and his servants, all under a spell as punishment for the prince’s callous actions towards an Enchantress.
On Friday, November 1, 2013, the hit Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast comes to the Fox Theatre and runs through Sunday, November 3. Friday night is Kids’ Night at the Fox and this is the perfect show for it.
“It really is a great gateway for children to come experience a professional production,” says Darick Pead, who plays the Beast. “It allows them to have a professional experience without it being too much over their head, because they’ll have a great time. When my nieces and nephews saw it, my brothers and sisters said, ‘The coolest part was watching my kid. I didn’t think that they were going to be into it, but they totally were.’ So it’s really cool for kids, but it is just as much an experience for adults.”
Pead adds, “There is a lot of stuff for kids because obviously it was a cartoon that was made into a musical, so there has to be a lot that kids can identify with. That doesn’t mean that things are not serious. One of the amazing things about this show is that these characters are not just a candelabra or a clock. These characters are humans that are turning into these objects over time and they’re about to die. It’s as if these people have cancer and are dying of cancer because of what the Beast did. It’s that serious.”
The musical, though it has these dark undercurrents, is just as often vibrant and whimsical. Between the exhilarating dance numbers, the stirring, familiar songs, and the elaborate costumes, the children are sure to have a wonderful evening, while older audience members will feel like kids themselves, with memories of their first encounter with the movie Beauty and the Beast.
“On top of all that, I truly believe that this is the best Belle you will ever see,” adds Pead. “I think Hilary Maiberger is absolutely fantastic. She’s just everything that you’d want and expect in a Belle. Also, it’s just nice to act with her every day and every night, and get that opportunity and that gift that I get to be on stage with her. Hassan Nazari-Robati who plays Lumiere, and James May who plays Cogsworth, and Kristin Stewart who plays Mrs. Potts—these are all the people that I get to work with who are amazing.”
The large cast of the show—about 30 people, 60 including the crew, orchestra and understudies—are more like a family than coworkers, which makes performances more exciting, fresh, and believable. If the actors on stage are having fun, the audience is having fun.
“I really love being backstage with everybody and having our little handshakes and stuff we do before shows, all of those different rituals we do,” Pead says. “It’s really fun to be a part of that and have that connection with each person in the cast.”
Though the cast members have genuine friendships offstage, the chemistry onstage is not a given. Almost every character wears an elaborate, and oftentimes, large costume that can be difficult to work with.
“Madame de la Grande Bouche (Roxy York) has a humongous costume,” say Pead, though his own costume is no walk in the park, either.
Between the makeup and the fur, he says, “It’s crazy…and hard. It’s not that bad, because it’s nice to have something to hide behind, to make you feel ugly, so it’s a little easier to act like the Beast, but it’s also difficult because it’s like putting on a snowsuit in the middle of summer. As soon as you walk out in front of those lights, you start sweating, and you don’t stop sweating until the show is over.”
Pead says it is also a challenge because “sometimes you feel you need to be subtle, but subtlety might not work that well with the costume on. Yet you can’t be too indicative. It’s a hard line to balance.”
While working hard to show that chemistry and singing their hearts out, Pead says the actors also “have to keep it fresh, as if it’s the first time.” He continues, “There’s this really cool quote I heard once, that helps me out with that: for somebody in the audience, it will be their first time with a Broadway show, and for somebody in the audience, it will be their last. For me, it makes it that much more crucial, to make sure that you’re totally present in that moment. That’s what I love about having audiences. They are the ones that give you the lifeblood of the show.”
Performances of Beauty and the Beast are November 1 at 7:30 p.m., November 2 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Novemeber 3 at 1 and 6:30 p.m. For more information on Kids’ Night, visit foxpacf.org/knaf.aspx. To purchase tickets for the musical, visit fabulousfox.com.
