Take the family to see ‘Beauty and the Beast’; musical opens Thursday

When organizers set out to select which production would be featured as the annual 2024 Wilson Summer Community Musical, there were two main reasons that the Disney stage production of “Beauty and the Beast” was chosen.

“We wanted to choose a show that was going to be popular for the entire family,” said “Beauty and the Beast” director David Winstead. “And with the economy the way it is, we know that every entertainment dollar counts.

“The other reason is because we had heard that ‘Beauty and the Beast’ — and it has since been confirmed — that the show is either going on tour or scheduled for a Broadway revival, and Disney has pulled the rights for non-professional productions after Dec. 31, 2024,” Winstead continued. “So we knew we had to do this show now.”

Presented by Wilson Arts and The Singers Studio, “Beauty and the Beast” will run Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Edna Boykin Cultural Center, 108 Nash St.

The cast features a broad demographic, with the 50-some actors ranging in age from 5 to 68 years old.

“This show is a lot of fun,” Winstead said. “It’s magical, energetic and features a loving cast who are giving their all to make this a great show. It’s a good collection of new and returning faces. It’s a good story, it’s refreshing, and we have new music and choreography directors, so we have new talent in the bloodstream. It’s a great group, they are having a lot of fun, and I think the audience will have fun. There are heavy moments, but there are jokes all the time. Little bits of comedy everywhere, in action and in the lines.”

The role of Belle is played by Breanna Smith, who played Maria in “The Sound of Music” in the 2022 summer community musical.

The Beast is played by Seth Greene, who was also cast as the Beast in the 2019 production by ACT! for Youth. Greene auditioned for the Beast role specifically.

“It feels very rewarding because I feel it’s a manifestation of how far I’ve come since then,” Greene said. “That (the 2019 production) was only the second show I’d ever done. I was watching a recording the other day, and I have a big ballad at the end of Act I, and I was watching the differences between then and now and thought, ‘Geez, I’d never had a voice lesson until after then.’”

What has changed between 2019 and 2024 that Greene will bring to this role?

“Just living life has changed what I bring to this role,” Greene said. “I was 17 when I did it last time. I’m 22 now and just graduated college. Just having lived more life, maybe. It’s tough to watch myself (in the 2019 role) because I had no clue what I was doing, and I actually had laryngitis the entire run because I had no idea how to take care of myself.

“I had no vocal training at that point,” Greene continued. “After that show, I went to Liz Winstead and said, ‘I need lessons’ because I knew without lessons, I would not be able to do this consistently. It took a toll on my voice. The show before ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ my first show, was ‘Once Upon an Island’ and I actually got vocal damage from that because I had no idea what I was doing. I’d never had any training in the way to use the muscles and the mechanism.”

Greene is excited about not having a wear a mask in this year’s production, with Winstead and the production crew opting to create the “Beast” look using makeup and wardrobe instead.

“It’s so cool that I don’t have to wear a mask this time,” Greene said. “I’m not going to lie, that mask (in 2019) was the bane of my existence.”

Winstead said he and Donna Beamon, the show’s costumer, had decided before the show was even cast that they would not use masks in this production of “Beauty and the Beast.”

“We are using an approach with makeup, wigs and prosthetics for this production,” Winstead said. “We are also trying to make costumes functional but keep the whimsy so the characters can now be fully realized characters in the space. They can all dance now.”

“This show is very costume heavy, and Donna and I are on the same page,” Winstead added. “We will be using stylized versions of the characters. For example, it is not actually a giant teapot on stage, but a dress that gives the appearance of a teapot. And during the show, the characters are slowly becoming objects and moving away from being ‘people.’”

The production has its on-stage challenges, with several huge dance numbers taking place.

“To really make the audience believe in what’s going on, the dancing has to be on point, as well as the acting and singing,” Winstead said. “Everything has to hit together. And there are another five or six numbers with dancing in them, including wolf chases, which are very physical and scary.”

Disney changed the production’s script in 2022, Winstead said, eliminating two musical numbers and a castle battle scene at the end, so the show is more streamlined.

“The changes don’t alter the story but make it more palatable for younger children in the audience,” Winstead said, noting that this production will last a little more than two hours, plus an intermission.

Tickets for “Beauty and the Beast” are $20 for adults, $10 for seniors, students and children 2 and older can be purchased at the Wilson Arts Center front desk during business hours (Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.); online at wilsonartsnc.square.site/show-tickets or at the door before showtime.

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