Beauty and the Beast
Where: Great Basin College Theatre
When: Thursday, March 19, 7:00 pm, Friday, March 20, 7:00 pm, Saturday, March 21, 2:00 & 7:00 pm
Tickets are $12.00 for adults and $8.00 for students/seniors and will be available at the door.
What does our community have in common with a small French provincial town?
Nothing you say. Well, for one week in March the stage at the Great Basin College Theatre will be transformed into a quaint French village with a style all its own, a rustic tavern where a larger than life character boasts about his hunting skills, a dark and spooky wood, where wolves lurk waiting to attack and a castle full of enchanted objects that is home to a prince turned beast. The story is familiar, yes? That is the plan as the Overland Stage Theatre Company brings to life Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Like the Beast, this story has gone through a transformation from the original fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve in 1740 to an animated Disney movie to the most recent live action version staring Emma Watson as Belle. Nestled in the middle is a Broadway musical which opened April 18, 1994 and ran for 5,461 performances, the tenth longest running show in Broadway history.
While the theatre here in Elko won’t be able to boast more than four performances, they will be just as exciting as were the thousands of shows performed in New York City. Audience members will immediately recognize Belle as she strolls through town and captures the attention of Gaston, a boorish brute who decides he’s going to marry her. Anticipation will grow as the audience looks forward to meeting Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts and Lumiere, who long for their lives to return to normal after an enchantress puts a spell on the castle. The Beast will trample his way into the hearts of the audience as the story unfolds, turning him from a less than desirable housemate to a tender and cherished friend.
Audiences will enjoy the music they’ve come to know and love. They will hear the likes of “Belle”, sung by the entire cast at the opening of the show, the raucous tavern song, “Gaston” which will fill the theatre with laughter and familiar characters. The very popular “Be Our Guest” will enchant audience members as the cast comes to life as napkins, flatware, salt and pepper and other objects. Mrs. Potts will charm the audience as she sings the much loved theme song “Beauty and the Beast”.
The cast is a combination of long time and more recent Elko theatre performers and will be rounded out by some new faces gracing the Elko stage. Cast members range in age from young Hartman Goulding, an elementary school student who plays Chip, to seasoned performers of a more mature age. Other well-known characters include Brent Goulding as Beast, Bethany Headley as Belle, Kameron Marin as Gaston, Laura Cedebaca as Lefou, Aubrey Broyles as Mrs. Potts, Mikayla Bates as Cogsworth, Nikolas Mierins as Lumiere, Jillian Bisiaux as Babette and Meryn Haro as the Wardrobe. Many other talented cast members round out the ensemble, playing multiple roles and filling the stage with wonderful music and visuals.
While Elko may not have a dark and spooky wood or an enchanted castle, we certainly have a style all our own, some larger than life characters and tender stories of love and friendship. Overland Stage Theatre Company invites you to bring your family and share in this story of redemption, understanding and kindness.