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 Dan Folino as “The Beast” |
| “Best of 2007” recap in The Cleveland Scene, 1/3/08 by Christine Howey “memorable” “a superlative production” |
| review excerpts from The Cleveland Scene, 12/5/07 by Christine Howey “hasn’t lost any of it’s charm” “the small fry stay glued to their seats” “lively staging” “bright choreography” “can still bring a tear” view complete review |
 Natalie Welch as “The Little Girl” and Natalie Green as “Belle” |
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view the ’05 & ’06 company lists and biographies, pictures,
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 Ron Cuirle as “The Bookseller” and Natalie Green as “Belle” & the Townspeople |
| excerpts from The Cleveland Plain Dealer Friday Magazine “2do – Family Activities,” 12/7/07 “wonderfully polished” view complete article |
 Bernadette Hisey, John Riddle & the Townspeople |
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Cast of Characters (in order of appearance) Young Prince – John Riddle Understudies |
 Zac Hudak as “Lefou” and Josh R. Noble as “Gaston” |
| review excerpts from Cool Cleveland, 12/11/07 by Marcus Bales “a lot to love” “so many fine performances” “even stronger” “crowd-pleasing” view complete review |
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 Bob Abelman as “Maurice” |
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“Best of 2007” recap in The Free Times, 12/26/07 view complete article review excerpts from The Free Times, 12/19/07 “Beloved” “Broadway has come to the Beck Center in the shape of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” “wonderful performances” “The town scenes, for example, are spectacular and reminiscent in both scenery and staging of the years when the Metropolitan Opera used to come to town” “the creative team of Fred Sternfeld, Larry Goodpaster and Martín Céspedes have made it a triumph” “a sure crowd-pleaser” “The young families were fully engaged throughout the nearly two-hour performance and rose to their feet unanimously at its end” “Awesome performances are turned in by all the principals” view complete preview excerpts from a “Holiday Preview” in the Free Times, 11/21/07 “superlative cast” “delighting fresh audiences” “lushly colorful production and eye-popping special effects” view complete preview excerpts from another Free Times preview, 11/28/07 “all-star team … put the show together” view complete preview |
 Aubrey Kristen-Fisher as “Babette” and Bob Abelman as “Maurice” |
| review excerpts from the Norwalk Reflector, 12/4/07 by Aaron Krause “A triumphant final ‘Beast'” “splendid production” “magical, jaw-dropping and breathtaking” “talented, vivacious cast” “directed with the right mix of humor, enchantment and sensitivity” “tenderness prevails” “you might start crying” “If you take your child to see one show this holiday season, make it the Beck Center’s ‘Beauty'” view complete review |
 Douglas Collier as “Cogsworth,” Bob Abelman as “Maurice” and Larry Nehring as “Lumiere” |
| excerpts from the Free Times Holiday Calendar, 12/14/07 by Anastasia Pantsios, Associate Editor “popular” “spirited performances and powerful voices” “perfect holiday fare” view complete article |
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| review excerpts from West Life, 12/19/07 by Art Thomas “captivates children and adults alike” “significant show” “complex demands …meets all of them in spades” “first-rate cast” view complete review |
 Tracee Patterson as “Mrs. Potts” and Miles Sternfeld as “Chip” |
Some comments from our audience … I saw this Sunday’s performance and I have to say that it was amazing!!! Well done by all of you. This was my first theater experience and you exceeded my expectations. Great job on the preview! So goooood. I loved the production the first two years and this year was even better. How did you do that? Is this a professional touring production? These actors can’t possibly be local. Stunning! My children were mesmerized the entire time. I’ve never seen that happen before. I thought I was coming to a children’s show and it was so much more. It was hilarious and so moving! I want to tell you how much we enjoyed the show. It was an amazing performance. Honestly — I thought it was unbelievable! The sets, the costumes, the talent — It was FANTASTIC. Thank you so very much!!!! Have a great holiday season. …went last Sunday—we took our niece. Our intention was to go for her—after all, it’s a kid’s show right? I couldn’t wait to stand for the final ovation. What a show—the voices, acting, staging—everything was phenomenal. It was fantastic!!!!! I would go back there for a show anytime. We loved it. What a great evening!!!…The show was fabulous. All four of us enjoyed the show, but it was great to watch it through my granddaughter’s eyes. Thanks for giving us a memory that will last a lifetime. WOW! I simply wasn’t prepared for the extraordinary show we saw tonight. Absolutely a beautiful production in every respect. Please tell the cast that we were blown away by the performance. Congratulations. You did a brilliant job. I LOVED the show!! So wonderful in every way…the performances, the special effects, (especially that last one! how did you do that??) the spirited cast…it was just great. I can see why it is such a huge success every year. The thought of sitting in a theatre for that long was horrible, but I was going to do it for the girls. The show started and I was as mesmerized as they were. If this is what “theatre” is like, then I’m definitely going to come to more shows, that was so cool. Wow – I don’t know what else to say. Wow.
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This year’s production is presented in loving memory of
Natasha suffered from a rare disease called Alagille Syndrome (AGS) which affects the liver, heart and other systems of the body. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this disorder. Treatment for some patients includes life-saving organ transplants which Natasha received in August 2004. Once the cast learned of Natasha’s illness, an outpouring of support for her battle began. Several Beauty cast members went to Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital to perform for Natasha and the other patients. Sadly, Natasha passed away this past summer. She is survived by her parents, Timothy Rader and Julie Metzger and younger brother, Joshua. Natasha’s father, Tim also suffers from the same genetic disease. He is still awaiting a liver transplant. The Beck Center would like to extend our sincere condolences to the Metzger/Rader family and dedicate this performance in her memory. |
| ABOUT THE PLAY: Disney’s first musical brings to life the beloved “tale as old as time” with a burst of theatrical magic. Already a legend as the sixth longest-running show in Broadway history, “Beauty and the Beast” was nominated for nine 1994 Tony® Awards including Best Musical. For a synopsis of the story go to this link: http://disney.go.com/disneytheatrical/beautyandthebeast/story.html |
