JULY 5, 2018 // 11
“If you read this script, and the actual
lines, there is so much more relevant
turmoil in this show than I could have
ever imagined,” she said. “That’s why I
hopped on board so strongly.”
Stage manager Kristen Gadzik
agreed the stage production is markedly
different from the 1991 animated film,
with which many people are familiar
and likely to associate the story. The
characters are the same, but there are
additional songs — several eloquent
and thought-provoking pieces that focus
on characters’ development — and the
themes are more obvious in the stage
production, Gadzik said.
One example is the “Mob Song,”
when Gaston galvanizes the French
townsfolk to kill the beast, with lyrics
such as, “We don’t like what we don’t
understand, in fact it scares us, and this
monster is mysterious at least.” A mob
mentality grows. Terrified by Gaston’s
description of the Beast, the crowd is
convinced of its own self-righteous-
ness, by virtue of being the majority.
Flood believes the song was particularly
relevant.
“I feel like we have a lot of segrega-
tion because we don’t understand other
people,” she said.
She also finds it interesting to analyze
the character of Gaston — who makes
derisive and marginalizing comments
about women throughout the show — in
light of the #MeToo movement.
PHOTOS BY COLIN MURPHEY
A dance routine from ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Fresh takes on old roles
From the get-go, Flood and Gadzik
encouraged the cast — composed of
nearly 30 actors, elementary-aged to el-
derly — to disregard how the characters
are portrayed in the animated film and
to discover their own motivations and
depictions, rather than imitations.
“All I care about is what is in the
script and how it makes you feel,” Flood
told her cast.
Gadzik thought it would be difficult
for the cast to separate their ideas about
the Broadway musical from the animat-
ed version, but the actors embraced it.
Ensemble members constructed back-
stories for their characters to add depth
and convey the show’s themes to the
audience. The leads, too, are approach-
ing their roles with fresh eyes.
“Everyone’s been really receptive to
how the story is actually very different
in the Broadway version,” Gadzik said.
Flood agreed, adding they have two
women playing the part of Belle, and
“they like that I don’t want them to play
just the typical Disney princess.”
Natasha Beals, left, and Lindsay St. Clair take the stage during a rehearsal.
Both actors playing Belle, like most
of the cast, are relatively new to the
stage, or at least the Peninsula Associa-
tion of Performing Artists.
Flood — who assistant directed “She
Loves Me” last summer alongside vet-
eran director Barbara Poulshock before
taking on the head director role this
summer — was surprised how “people
came out of the woodwork” for “Beauty
and the Beast” auditions.
“It’s fun to see so many people who
are learning so much and taking so much
in stride,” she said.
Coming to fruition
With the infusion of fresh blood,
Flood sees potential for the association
to do a greater quantity and diversity of
shows and events in the coming years.
The group focuses on presenting a sum-
mer musical, a fundraiser for the local
American Legion chapter, and various
workshops.
“Beauty and the Beast” presents a
refreshing blend, not only of theater
newcomers and return participants,
but of age groups and other demograph-
ics.
This environment, a hallmark of
community theater, benefits everyone
involved by providing an opportunity
for them to “socialize and get out of
their own comfort zone and peer group,”
Gadzik said. It also motivates the theater
regulars to reevaluate old traditions and
practices that are taken for granted to
make sure they’re still relevant.
Both Gadzik and Flood are happy to
stage a musical showcasing the talents
of several people from the community.
“There are a bunch of people on the
Peninsula who are artistic who don’t
have the opportunity to be creative and
be onstage,” Gadzik said. “Being able to
promote that on the back end is incred-
ible.”
As opening night approaches, she
said, “I am getting excited to see all this
hard work we’ve been putting into the
show come to fruition.” CW