Review: Downriver Actors Guild Perform Special BEAUTY AND THE BEAST For VIPs

By Dr. Anton Anderssen and Marco Airaghi

On Saturday night, The Downriver Actors Guild performed a special presentation of Beauty and The Beast at the Catherine A Daly Theatre on the Avenue in Wyandotte Michigan. The guest of honor, Catherine Daly, greeted patrons at the event. Mrs. Daly is the mother of the financier who holds the mortgage on the theatre used by the Downriver Actors Guild. The special patron event included 150 friends of the Daly family and was accompanied by a pre-glow, scrumptious spread of desserts and hors-d'oeuvres. The performance Saturday evening was spectacular. Kayla Aue brought the house down with her riveting portrayal of Belle, the book-loving beauty who follows her heart with a passion. Aue's spoken voice and singing voice were addictively magnificent; oh how wonderful it would be to hear her in a special concert backed by a full symphony.

Kenny Konaszewski of Garden City played Gaston, the bully. He was just the right size for the part and played it handsomely. Michael Suchyta often stole the stage as Gaston's sidekick, LeFou. Suchyta is unusually gifted at physical comedy and came on stage looking half crazed and half manic with a hair style Albert Einstein would love.

The costumes were spectacular, and the amount of detail transforming Novi resident Kyle Harwood into the Beast was staggering. Harwood's voice is soothing and rich, he was excellent at commanding the stage at all moments. Dearborn resident Brian Welch had a challenging role as Lumiere; he had to keep his arms in the air holding candles for the entire performance. He pulled it off in a most excellent fashion.

Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale written by French novelist Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont and published in 1756. The stage performance is a Disney interpretation of the tale. The Downriver Actors Guild did a beautiful job presenting the musical. I was particularly impressed by Jeff Powers as Maurice, the misunderstood genius who appears to be suffering from a little bit of Alzheimer's disease. He was absolutely adorable as the senile papa. His hair was somewhat disheveled and his gait at times stumbling, yet he had a look in his eyes that expressed pure and unwavering love for his daughter. It was as if his mind was only half there, but at the same time fully there; it was a truly moving performance.

Also in the cast are Allen Park residents Emily Braun, 16, and Kayla Chavez, 16, as Silly Girls; Brownstown Township residents Paul Primeau as Cogsworth and Elaina Primeau, 10, as Chip; and April Denny of Dearborn Heights as Madame.

Also in the cast are New Boston resident Samantha Brenner as the Enchantress; Holly Sisung of Newport as Mrs. Potts; Brianna Bielak of Southgate as Babette; and Taylor residents Amanda Aue as a Silly Girl, Jay Carter as Monsieur D'Argue, and Mitchell Sturm as the Prince and the narrator.

The ensemble includes Ashley Blevins of Allen Park; Jamey Pittman of Belleville; Kerstyn Reeves of Brownstown Township; Jaclyn Duvall of Dearborn; Madison Ganzak, 12, of Dearborn Heights; Melissa Brown Knox, Elaine Lukawski, and Alex Rosen, 17, of Lincoln Park; Isabella Owens, 10, and Erik and Lily Paschke, 10, of Riverview; Raymond Carter, Katie Hutter, David McDonald, and Jessah and Alyson Price of Taylor; Ivy Tarnoski of Trenton; Ashley Gatesy and Allyn Granger of Westland; Charlene Bauer of Woodhaven; and Grace Ray, 14, of Wyandotte.

All photos courtesy of Sue Suchyta.

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