DEKALB, IL, February 8, 2024 – To open their 2024 season, Stage Coach Players (SCP) will be producing the classic fairytale musical Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast is the story of an unkind prince who has been magically transformed into an unsightly creature as punishment for his selfish ways. The production will open on February 29, 2024, and run for one weekend at the historical Egyptian Theatre in downtown DeKalb.
The musical is directed by Jan Kuntz (All Shook Up) with John Feken as musical director. Beauty and the Beast is based on the Academy Award-winning 1991 Walt Disney film and the French fairy tale, written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve published in 1740. The play centers around Belle, who loves unconditionally and stands by those she loves. She is an avid reader who dreams of adventure.
A selfish prince has been turned into a beast by an enchantress and his servants into household objects after the prince refuses to offer her shelter from a storm. He is warned that the spell can only be broken if he learns to love another and is loved in return before the last petal falls from an enchanted rose. When Belle’s father, Maurice, gets lost in the forest, he seeks refuge in the castle that belongs to the Beast. The Beast, however, imprisons him for trespassing.
When Maurice’s horse returns with her father, Belle sets out to find him. He is locked in the Beasts’ dungeon, and Belle offers to take his place in exchange for her father’s freedom. As a captive in the castle, Belle becomes friends with the servants, Lumiere, the candelabra, Cogsworth the clock, Mrs. Potts the teapot, and her son Chip, the teacup.
Belle wanders into a forbidden part of the castle, finding the enchanted rose. The Beast catches her and forces her to flee the castle. In the woods, Belle is ambushed by wolves, but the Beast rescues her, becoming injured. Belle nurses his injuries and over time they begin to fall in love.
Despite receiving less than enthusiastic reviews, Beauty and the Beast opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on April 18, 1994, before it moved to the Lunt-Fontaine Theatre in 1999. It ran on Broadway for thirteen years and 5,461 performances, becoming the tenth-longest running production in history. It was nominated for nine Tony Awards, but only winning for Best Costume Design. The original cast featured Susan Egan and Terrence Mann as Belle and Beast, respectively. Popular songs from the production include, “Be Our Guest,” Beauty and the Beast,” and “Belle.”
The cast includes Amy Jackson as Belle, Adam Schofield as the Beast, and Max Mollenkamp as Gaston, all making their SCP debuts. Other principles in the cast are Stewie Simons (The Addams Family) as LeFou, Grant Milam (Something Rotten) as Lumiere, Patrick Murphy (Bright Star) as Cogsworth along with Terri Crain Goodman (Sweeney Todd) as Mrs. Potts. Lara Crowley (Clue) is Madame de la Grande Bouch, Ellie Schier as Chip, Valarie Milbrath (Love, Loss & What I Wore) as Babette, Jacob Richeal as Maurice, Bailey Wood (Elf) as the Enchantress, Paula Tsiagalis (Young Frankenstein) as the Narrator and Isaiah Panke (It Shoulda Been You) as the Young Prince.
The ensemble includes Summer Arwood, Emily Axen, Joe Baumgart, Riley Belick, Lori Brubaker, Arabella Carlson, Melody Challand, Rebekah Challgren, Katie Feeley, Renette Ferns, Susan Foster, Adam Hagedorn, Paula Howlett, Nicholas Ivanoff, Kaitlin Jacobson, Katie Johnson, Alyssa Landshaft, Joel Ledbetter, Aaliyah McCormick, Caroline Menzer, Maddie Mormino, Nika Morton, Donna O’Hagan, Kasey Pennington, Riley Powers, Angel Radloff, Andrew Russo, AJ Smith, Karlie Waldrep, Emelie Walton, and Olivia Woodruff.
The production also includes a children’s ensemble with Tatum Crouch, John Hollar, Ava Lamere, Rosie Landshaft, Maisie Schnorr, Iris Wiles and Chloe Williams.
Not only is Beauty and the Beast a magical tale, but the musical is also filled with positive messages. One of the messages director Kuntz treasures is that true beauty lies within a person. “Belle is the true quintessential princess as she is intelligent, loves to read, and sees past the façade and into a person’s heart. There is a lot to admire in her.”
SCP and the Egyptian Theatre have partnered often in the past to delight audiences with fantastic musicals. Some of the cast, like Terri Crain Goodman, have performed on the Egyptian Theatre stage before. She called performing on the stage at the Egyptian Theatre stage a thrill. “Because of the history that surrounds you and the majesty of the space.” Crain added, “It’s a wonderful hall to sing in and I’m excited to bring my character to life in this fabulous space for our audiences!”
For other cast members like Amy Jackson, this will be their first time on the Egyptian stage. “This will certainly be the grandest stage I’ve ever performed on, and Stage Coach’s team of designers are upping the game. I couldn’t believe our previews of the special effects. This is the right location to tell a tale as old as time!”
Kuntz said she hopes audiences will find the magic in this show. “Be Our Guest” will be filled with surprises and magic as will the transformation scene at the end of the show.” She added, ” True beauty is not on the surface; true beauty lies within the person, and we see it with our hearts.”
Beauty and the Beast is sponsored by Bill White’s C.A.R. Hospital in DeKalb.
Performances for Beauty and the Beast are February 29 thru March 2, 2024, with a curtain time of 7:30 p.m. along with matinee performances on March 2 thru March 3, 2024, with a curtain time of 2:00. All performances will be held at the Egyptian Theatre located at 135 N. 2nd Street in DeKalb. Tickets are available through the Egyptian Theatre website or call the Egyptian box office at (815) 758-1215. Tickets for adults are $25 each or $37 for premium seating. Tickets for children 12 and under are $15 each or $27 for premium seating.
For more information about upcoming productions and auditions, visit the SCP website at www.stagecoachplayers.com.
