COLUMBUS, Ohio — Starting this weekend, Pickerington Community Theatre invites you to be their guest as they take the stage with their production of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast."
The beloved musical tells the classic tale of a Belle, a young villager who may be the only hope for a cursed prince and his castle full of staff-turned-household-items.
"This show has a lot of moving parts and there's a very, very high level of expectation," said Director Chris Gallaugher. "This show is so popular both in the animated version and the Broadway version that we know going into this that we would have to meet some pretty high expectations."
One of those expectations would be to cast the perfect Belle, Beast and fan-favorite villain Gaston.
Gallaugher praised the pool of potential performers in central Ohio and reassured that, not only were the leads spot on in their portrayals, but the ensemble was filled with top notch talent.
"Approaching the character of Belle is king of daunting," said Mackenzie Leland of her part in the production. "Like, I think a lot of little girls dream of playing a Disney princess, but, as an adult, I've grown to appreciate more and more her brains and wit and I have loved getting to know her character through the musical."
One aspect of Belle's personality that Leland has been able to embody off-stage is the character's love for reading.
In the lead up to the play, she has had the opportunity to host multiple storytimes at the local Pickerington library and Barnes and Noble, reading in character to little listeners.
Kyle Roby who embodies the titular Beast enjoys the process of finding small moments along the way that he can use to illustrate the cursed prince's turn from heel to hero.
"In the beginning I'm just angry and yelling at everyone," Roby explained, "but he slowly creeps his way from being a villain-type to becoming the hero where Gaston kind of takes the opposite journey."
"This is my fourth show with PCT and I keep coming back because of the professionalism of the crew and of the staff," said Ben Marteney who takes on the role of Gaston, a narcissist who develops into the real villain of the story.
Unlike the character he expertly portrays, Marteney has nothing but respect and admiration for his fellow cast mates.
"Our goal - all of us backstage, onstage - is for the audience to leave the show thinking [they] just saw a professional Broadway show. We have a talented cast; we have a dedicated crew and everybody does their job, works hard, and you're going to be impressed."
Pickerington Community Theatre's production of "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" runs through July 23rd. Showtimes and ticket information can be found on their website: http://pickeringtoncommunitytheatre.org/.