‘Beauty and the Beast’ comes to Ohio Theatre
LeFou and the Silly Girls surround Gaston during a recent rehearsal for the upcoming “Beauty and the Beast” musical at the Ohio Theatre in Loudonville. Pictured are Grace Young, left, Emily King, Josh Weber, Allie Chambers and Sabrina Maristela.
An enchanted castle, a monstrous beast, a young beauty and a curse that must be broken. Audiences familiar with the classic “Beauty and the Beast” can enjoy Mohican Community Theatre’s live version for two weekends in June.
Mohican Community Theatre is a volunteer-driven theater troupe under the direction of the nonprofit Loudonville Theatre & Arts Committee.
The tale as old as time will come to downtown Loudonville’s Ohio Theatre for six performances — June 16-18 and June 23-25. Friday and Saturday showtimes are at 7 p.m., and Sundays are at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $10 for students, and free for children age 4 and under, providing space is available.
A cast of 33 community members will perform the 1994 Broadway musical version based on the 1991 Disney animated film. Attendees will hear songs from the film and Broadway versions, said Marissa Burd, MCT co-founder and LTAC president.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Burd said. “You’ll get to see people dressed up as silverware and plates, and you’ll get to see all the songs that you grew up watching hopefully with your kids or when you were a kid yourself.”
Burd is directing this year’s summer musical with the aid of Allison Daugherty as vocal director, Deaunna Morgan as costume director, Amy Loveday as production manager, Kate Weber as choreographer and Sally Hollenbach as technical director.
Other production crew members include Larry Kauffman, Mary Murray, Jenny Carroll, Jacklyn Endslow, CJ VanSickle, Grace Fogle, Bailey Ann, Anna Turner, Hannah Alishusky, Mackenzie Carney, Lara Spreng, Riley Spreng, Hailey Spreng, Jesse Baker, Autumn Fogle and Grant Hollenbach.
Picking the summer’s musical involves finding a good fit for various volunteers with what the community would enjoy. And picking a popular one like “Beauty and the Beast” helped to draw in new performers.
Like last year’s performance of “Shrek,” Burd said, “We thought it would be a huge crowd-pleaser. This one just felt right.”
The title role of Belle will be played by Emily Roblin, a performer in last year’s “Shrek.” The Beast will be portrayed by West Holmes graduate Chase Tennant, new to MCT. Accompanying leads include Josh Weber as Gaston, Matt Young as Lumiere, Jon Fogle as Cogsworth, Amy Loveday as Mrs. Potts, Zach Manchester and Iva Spreng (who will split the two weekends) as Chip, Scott Loveday as Maurice, Sabrina Maristela as LeFou, Nicole Shannon as Madame de la Grand Bouche, and Kristie Perreria as Babette.
Other featured performers include Grace Young, Allie Chambers, Emily King, Riley Fogle, Jake Lewis, Kate Weber, Rachel Arnold, Madison Carey, Lily Dowler, Tiffany Cornell, Wesley Fogle, Tonda Hockenberry-Sprang, Christan Sears and Deaunna Morgan. Split role actors between the two weekends include Avery Sears, Ainsley Sweeney, Evelyn Woodlee, Ana Zeigler, Allie Dean, Makenzie Mast and Rebekah Carroll.
Like any production, prepping for a musical involves many moving parts. After directors, costume designer, choreographer and other key leadership positions are established, it’s time to cast the roles. Because MCT does on average two to three shows a year, they cast a variety of talent to fill those roles including steady volunteers. The staff has reached out to local colleges and past performers to choreograph, design sets and more.
Auditions were held in early spring, with rehearsals starting after Easter.
“We have a 10-week rehearsal before performances,” Burd said. “For a big show like this with a lot of choreography and a big cast, especially since it’s double-casted, I prefer to have longer runs.”
Running three hours long each day, rehearsals evolve as the cast and crew get closer to showtime. Learning the songs and choreography comes first. Next comes blocking, the precise staging of actors, including their entering and exiting points.
In the final weeks, actors perfect their lines without the aid of scripts. Costume and set changes accompany the run-throughs along with the technical work.
“Tech week you add microphones,” Burd said. “You add all costumes. You add one or two nights of makeup. It’s just putting it all together finally.”
Going to the play is worth it just for Ohio Theatre’s atmosphere, Burd said. Built in 1909, the historic opera house has been restored to its former glory with an addition of a modern sound and lighting system.
“We’ve tried to restore it as best as we possibly can to still make it feel like you’re walking back in time,” Burd said. “We have amazing acoustics because of the way that the theater is set up.”
Formed as a nonprofit in 1997 to benefit the theater, Loudonville Theater and Arts Committee writes grants and conducts annual fundraisers. After a troupe called the Loudonville Players disbanded in 2005, the committee sought to bring back live performances. In 2015 they founded the Mohican Community Theatre, opening with “Oklahoma!” in honor of the former Loudonville Players’ first show.
MCT and LTAC hope this summer’s show draws in a crowd. In the past they’ve had guests from Apple Valley, Ashland, Mansfield, Millersburg, Mount Vernon, Berlin and more.
“We really just try to raise enough money to be able to put on the next production,” Burd said. “By people coming to support us, they’re making it possible that we can do our next production.”
Tickets can be purchased presale online at www.theohiotheatre.com and at the Ohio Theatre Box Office at 419-994-3750. The remaining tickets will be available at the door an hour before each show.