With a musical invitation to “be our guest” crowned with a show-stopping, tap-dancing solo by 9-year-old Max Naidl, the summer production of “Beauty and the Beast” will no doubt fill the house at the Hamilton Playhouse this weekend.
Naidl is one of 58 children, kindergarteners through high school seniors, participating in the week-long summer camp focused solely on producing a full-fledged youth musical in five days.
“Every year, these kids amaze me,” said denise rose, executive director of Hamilton Players and director of the youth show. “After only two full days of rehearsals, three-fourths of the kids are virtually off-book. They’ve memorized their lines and the words to the songs while I’m still trying to remember their names – I try so hard and continually apologize. Obviously, there’s a lot of patience involved.”
To her advantage, rose has designed the youth summer program to rotate through three Disney productions with familiar songs and scenes.
“I knew we were going to do ‘Beauty and the Beast’ this year, so I’ve been practicing the songs for awhile in case I got the part, even though I didn’t know for sure,” said Madison Smits who will be playing the part of Belle. She is from California and spends several weeks every summer in Hamilton with her grandparents, Lynn and Paula Smits. She will be a senior in high school this fall and has participated in the Hamilton Players’ theater camp since sixth grade. “I knew if I practiced, it would make these five days less pressured,” she said.
This summer’s “Beauty and the Beast” completes rose’s strategic three-year rotation of junior Disney productions. Last year, the kids performed “Aladdin” and the year before was “The Little Mermaid.”
“It not only helps the program because we can stockpile costumes and supplies, but the kids get excited about returning,” said rose. “They may be in the chorus when they’re little and watch older kids playing major roles, but three years later they can try out for one of the principals because they’ve seen it before and tell themselves, ‘I can do that.’”
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She purchases a Disney youth production kit through Music Theater International, who licenses the show and provides scripts for each child, as well as choreography DVDs, vocal rehearsal CDs and a performance CD that mimics an orchestra pit. The beginning audio even includes a few minutes of an orchestra’s pre-performance warm up.
“It makes it really authentic and fun,” said rose. “It’s an amazing product to work with.”
She also has assistance with vocal coaching and choreography from Hamilton High School’s choral director, Peggy Bucheit. Eric Monson has been coaching the kids and youth program alum Julianne Symmons has been assisting with choreography. Hamilton Middle School teacher Kristi Rodriguez has been wrangling the youngest actors all week in their half-day camp and a few parents have been on-site to help.
Nine-year-old James Wallace has been cast as Belle’s father, “Crazy old Maurice.”
He is from Oregon and his cousin Julianne Lessig is from California, and they are also are in town visiting grandparents and enjoying being involved in the theater camp.
“A voice in my head kept telling me during auditions that I was going to be Belle’s father,” Wallace said. “And I guess he was right. It’s really fun.”
Lessig not only enjoys participating in the camp, but said she loves the new friends she’s made that she can see after the week is over. “I never would have met them any other way,” she said.
A first-timer at being on stage, 9-year-old Deanna Villa is grateful for the experience and the scholarship that allowed her to participate. Her family’s home burned in May and they have been living in a local motel since then. “It’s really hard work but it’s better than being in the motel,” she said. “I stay up studying my script every night before I go to sleep.”
Naidl said he rehearses for several hours with his mom after he gets home in the evening. “I got a pretty big part, so I’m a little nervous because we’re getting close, so my mom helps me practice my music and blocking and lines,” he said.
During a Thursday rehearsal, Bucheit was helping Belle and the Beast practice their dancing scene out on the porch of the playhouse. “I love working with the kids in this camp because they’re so motivated,” she said.
The cast is much larger than in prior years, rose said. “We’ve had 30 to 35 kids in the past but have 58 this year. It makes it a little tricky with costumes, but we’ve expanded our chorus roles so all the kids can participate as much as possible.
“We also couldn’t have done this performance without the sponsorship of The Paper Clip and a matching grant by our local First Interstate Bank and First Interstate Bancorp,” said rose. “We were hoping for another grant, but that didn’t happen so we’re making the best of it.”
The scenery will be simple and representational since another Hamilton Players production “The Odd Couple” is in rehearsals right now. “Their set is partially built and so we’re sharing space this week,” rose said. “Luckily everything is coming together and the kids are adorable – I give them a lot of credit.”
“Beauty and the Beast” will be performed on both Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. at Hamilton Players on Ricketts Road with open seating for guests. Tickets are not sold in advance in favor of good-will offerings at the door. A $5 donation per seat is suggested. The lobby will open at 6:30 p.m. and seating will begin at 6:40 p.m. For more information on the second session of theater camp or future shows, including next week’s “Broadway and Bubbly” events.
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