Like many other Saint Vincent College students, I walked into the Performing Arts Center this weekend to experience a fantastic performance of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” The cast did a great job bringing their characters to life and transporting us all to Belle’s world. The show was familiar to many of the audience members, and Saint Vincent did a fabulous job bringing the story to their stage. Their voices, costumes, and energy made it a musical worth seeing.
Any patron could easily see how much time and rehearsal it must have taken to execute “Beauty and the Beast” as well as these SVC students did. Their dance numbers were expertly choreographed and performed, the set changes took place seamlessly and quickly, and no actor hesitated for a second when delivering a line. Jessica Brinker, who saw the show twice, said she was “so proud of her friends for how hard they worked” and that “it all paid off, it seemed like everyone watching was having a great time.” The production brought in many families from the area in addition to their crowd of SVC students, prompting them to offer a time for children to take photographs and talk with the actors after the show.
The actors came from many different backgrounds, many different majors, and (in the case of the adorable baby they included in the performance) many different ages… but this didn’t prevent them from coming together to perform an amazing show. According to sophomore Rachel Seamans “[the cast] became like a family” as they were bringing Disney’s story to life; she had “never been in a musical before so it truly was like magic watching it all come together for the final show. The cast spent so much time together” to make it a reality, which no doubt resulted in those close bonds she mentioned.
Every person, from the main characters to the ensemble, deserves a standing ovation for their performances in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” this weekend. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought it was a professional production. The applause they received for their work was well-deserved, and I’ll be looking forward to watching more of their shows in the future.
Want to check out some photos of the show? https://www.flickr.com/photos/saintvincentcollege/albums/72157665775230548
Cover photo courtesy of the Saint Vincent College Flickr