Photos: First Look At BEAUTY AND THE BEAST At Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents a 75-minute family musical production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, directed and choreographed by Amber Mak. Dazzling production numbers, including the title song and the showstopping "Be Our Guest," fill the Courtyard Theater, introducing young audiences to the magic of live theater. See first look photos of the production!

The company features Emily Ann Brooks, Jason Michael Evans, Tim Foszcz, Audrey Hare, Evie Hsu, Layla Joan, Christopher Kale Jones, James Earl Jones II, Michael Kingston, Sam Linda, Maggie Malaney, Harriet Nzinga Plumpp, Rebecca Prescott, Maya Rowe, David Sajewich, Maxel McLoud Schingen, and Aalon Smith. The production runs through August 20, 2023, with performances on Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m., Thursdays-Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. After each performance, audiences have the opportunity to meet costumed members of the cast in the lobby for conversation, autographs, and photos.
 

With beloved music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton, this 75-minute version of the Academy Award-winning film and Tony Award-winning stage musical promises to be the perfect outing for audiences of all ages at Chicago Shakespeare’s home on Navy Pier. Filled with lovable characters and imaginative settings, this enduring fairy tale recounts the story of Belle, a spirited young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end, and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If those lessons aren’t learned soon, the Beast and his household will be doomed for all eternity
 

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is directed and choreographed by Amber Mak, one of Chicago’s most sought-after musical theater directors. Mak’s Chicago Shakespeare credits include directing and choreographing the 75-minute Peter Pan – A Musical Adventure in 2017 and choreographing the American premiere of Nell Gwynn. She has directed frequently at Drury Lane, Marriott Theatre, where she is currently helming Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, and Paramount Theatre, where her many credits include The Sound of Music, Rock of Ages, Hairspray, The Wizard of Oz (for which she received a Jeff Award nomination for Best Director), Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and choreographing the world premiere, The Secret of My Success.
 

Taking on the titular roles are Aurora native Audrey Hare as Belle and Jason Michael Evans as the Beast. Portraying the bewitched inhabitants of the Beast’s castle are Christopher Kale Jones as Lumiere, James Earl Jones II as Cogsworth, Harriet Nzinga Plumpp as Madame de la Grande Bouche, Rebecca Prescott as Mrs. Potts, Maya Rowe as Babette, and Evie Hsu and Layla Joan as Chip at alternating performance. David Sajewich plays the self-absorbed Gaston, with Sam Linda as his bumbling sidekick Le Fou, and Michael Kingston plays Belle’s father Maurice. Also in the cast are Emily Ann Brooks, Maggie Malaney, and Aalon Smith as Les Filles de la Ville, Tim Foszcz as Monsieur D'Arque, and Maxel McLoud Schingen in the Ensemble. Understudies include Halle Bins, Eric Desnoyers, Alley Ellis, Sadie Fridley, Daniel Houle, Nathan Karnik, and Kevin Kuska.

In addition to Mak, the production’s creative team includes Music Director Charlotte Rivard-Hoster, Scenic Designer Jeffrey D. Kmiec, Costume Designer Theresa Ham, Lighting Designer Jason Lynch, Projection Designer Mike Tutaj, Sound Designer Sarah Ramos, Orchestrator and Assistant Music Director Heidi Joosten, Dialect Coach Susan Gosdick, Assistant Director and Choreographer Nich O’Neil, Intimacy Director Sarah Scanlon, Fight Choreographer Jerry Galante, Beast Wig and Make-up Designer and Creator Katie Cordts, Associate Scenic Designer Milo Bue, Assistant Lighting Designer Andrei Borges, Assistant Projection Designer Parker Molacek, Stage Manager Mary Zanger, and Assistant Stage Manager Drew Donnelly.
 

This production marks the return of the Theater’s summer family musical. For multi-generational family audiences, Chicago Shakespeare Theater offers a theatergoing experience of the highest quality, introducing live performance to young hearts and minds. The Theater has engaged hundreds of thousands of young people over the years through musicals in the summer, abridged productions of Shakespeare plays, and Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks performances in partnership with neighborhood arts organizations across the city.

This production marks the return of the Theater’s summer family musical. For multi-generational family audiences, Chicago Shakespeare Theater offers a theatergoing experience of the highest quality, introducing live performance to young hearts and minds. The Theater has engaged hundreds of thousands of young people over the years through musicals in the summer, abridged productions of Shakespeare plays, and Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks performances in partnership with neighborhood arts organizations across the city.
 

For more information, visit chicagoshakes.com/beauty

To post a comment, you must register and login.