Beauty and the Beast comes to SJHS
photo by liam froberg
If you grew up going to St. Joseph Public Schools, performing in your elementary school’s gym was a yearly occurrence. You had to sit crowded in the stands, waiting for your turn to get up on stage and say your one line into the mic. While this was a mandatory program that many of us resented, St. Joe’s upcoming production of “Beauty and the Beast” is not.
“Beauty and the Beast” is a carefully rehearsed, passionately performed display of some of the best talent St. Joseph High School has to offer. And we have a lot of it.
“The entirety of the main cast is very talented. They all have skills and they’re all good singers. They all know what they’re doing as well,” Nicholas Straw, 11, who plays Cogsworth in the musical, said.
“THE ENTIRETY OF THE MAIN CAST IS VERY TALENTED. THEY ALL HAVE SKILLS AND THEY’RE ALL GOOD SINGERS.”
The choice to perform “Beauty and the Beast” this year came as a pleasant surprise to many students, including Nicholas. “I enjoy it. It’s a good musical,” he said.
The musical adaptation of the 1991 animated film was first performed in 1994 and has become somewhat of a staple of theater ever since. The musical has had 5,461 Broadway performances and has been performed in over thirteen countries, according to broadwaymusicalhome.com.
You don’t need any musicality or background in theater to participate in the musical. All you need is the ability to apply yourself and the drive to put on a great performance. Mrs. Elizabeth Gray-Roll, who has directed the musical for the past seven years, believes you might even find yourself coming out of it as a better person.
“It helps you come out of your shell, you make some of your best friends. You learn time management, you learn how to be expressive as a person,” Mrs. Gray-Roll said.
It may be an uber-popular musical with thousands of performances in the past, but St. Joseph High School’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” is not something that you want to miss.
“People should go see the musical because you will be thoroughly entertained. You’re also supporting your school, you’re supporting your community and it’s just a win-win situation,” Mrs. Gray-Roll said. You can go see the musical on November 15 and 16.