Review: River Ridge's Royal Knight Stage Company's Production of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Is an Audience Favorite

Renowned theatre teacher David O'Hara has had quite a year so far. Although Mr. O'Hara has been teaching drama since the Bush administration (mostly at Mitchell High), this was really his first year as the head of the Royal Knight Stage Company at River Ridge High School. And what a year! At Thespians, his troupe won District 14 rep; their one act (Jonathan Dorf's Ten Minutes) was chosen to be performed at the state festival and received Top Honors; and their memorable production of Ken Davenport's interactive Awesome 80's Prom was picked as one of the few mainstage productions from around the state. And now they are performing their spring musical at the River Ridge Center for the Arts, a little Disney ditty that you may have heard of called BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (score by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice), it begs the question: Can lightning strike twice? Or with the case of Mr. O'Hara and his first year at River Ridge, can it strike four or five times?

Say this for the latest production: This is one gorgeous-looking BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. It includes incredible backdrops, brilliantly designed, outrageously creative costumes (thanks to Darlene Widner), and a large cast of talented, energetic youths that fill the stage with heart and soul. The choreography of Chris Sell (of Sell's Broadway Dance Company in New Port Richey) is some of the best dancing ever seen on the River Ridge stage. And even with a hiccup or two (or three), and even with some questionable choices, it's still head and shoulders above so many other high school theatre productions you'll have the honor to see.

Shaun Memmel, a Senior at River Ridge, makes for an imposing Beast. He hovers over the rest of cast, a furry Goliath who might as well be eight feet tall. Looking like something between a Big Hair Band Rock God Guitarist and the Big Bad Wolf, he huffs and puffs, pacing and panting, and seems like an overgrown adolescent stuck in a beastly body. Memmel makes the most of the humor of the part, and I could have used even more of that. He's a fine actor, but some of the songs seemed strained and out of his range. But he makes up for any vocal issues with his incredible acting ability and commanding stage presence.

Chaamalah Fearing is a beautiful Belle, full of heart and longing. When Fearing emerged in full Belle ballroom attire in Act 2, the audience burst into applause. Her vocals are incredible, soul-stirring, and her songs resonate, sometimes rocking the rafters. When not singing, she sometimes seems more hesitant than Belles I have seen in the past, and I felt there was a disconnect with the Beast when we needed to have more connections. This is an issue that is not reserved for this production. Belle and the Beast are the heart of the show, and they need to connect, and the audience needs to feel that connection, in order for this tale old as time to make sense.

Gaston is one of the greatest villains in the Disney catalogue, and Josh Smith plays the part complete with muscle padding. He flexes his arms at every turn and smiles broadly. But we need even more bluster from our self-loving baddie here. When Smith sings, such as in the song "Me," his confidence seems to deflate rather than inflate. Smith is a major talent, but we need our Gaston fully committed, dripping with even more Elvis-like swagger.

And then there's Lefou, Gaston's personal groupie. To say that Dylan Odom steals the show does not correctly convey what the young actor does here. He simply changes the trajectory. He's so good, so strong, that we want to watch him all day. He's a firecracker of sorts, pumping each scene with high-voltage energy, and we can't take our eyes off him. When he's onstage, the rest of the cast takes his cue and ups their game. He becomes the soul of the show, the one we remember when we look back upon the experience. I have seen Mr. Odom in numerous roles, starting with Flounder in The Little Mermaid several years ago. He's always been good. But nothing prepared me for the excellence of his work here.

Almost equal to Odom's brilliant work is Cole Reiche as the candle, Lumiere. He struts around the stage, pelvis-first, spewing his lines in a fake Louis Jordan accent. You get the feeling there are only impure thoughts going through his candlestick head. As his buddy, Cogsworth the Clock, Cody Farkas holds his own, sounding like the odd combination of Alan Rickman and Percy Dovetonsils. He's a hoot.

Theresa Smith gets to show off her marvelous singing chops as the operatic wardrobe, Madame De La Grande Bouche. Brielle Brodd brings her best Bardot as Babette the flirty feather duster. Bella Harvey is strong as Mrs. Potts, and young Andrew Smith steals the audience's hearts as her son, Chip.

An adult, Darrell Huling, plays Belle's quirky pa, Maurice. Although Huling is quite good and full of enthusiasm in the part (and he sings his numbers wonderfully), I am torn about having adults in leading roles in a high school production. I'm sure there are many talented male students in the department who can carry such a part, so it's a question I have with no real answer.

Robert Matson is memorable and rather freaky in the small role of Monsieur D'Arque; with his shaved head, he looks like a Dickens Era serial killer. Anderson Kledzik and Shaylee Davis make the most of their early (nonverbal) roles of the Young Prince and the Enchantress. The multi-talented Kylie Arseneau, Carly O'Neil and Baylee Roberts stand out as the Silly Girls who swoon over Gaston. Jacob Andrews is amazing as a dancing corkscrew, and Bailey Odom gets to show off her virtuoso gymnastic abilities as a very acrobatic rug. Rachel Knowles and Jada Jackson have the uncanny ability to emerge from an ensemble simply by their incredible facial expressions.

The rest of the ensemble is quite good and stars in their own right: Tristen Van Bemden, Sophia Adkins, Rheanna Arbon, Alexis Barnett, Donald Behmer, Sarah Bobowski, Olivia Boglino, Matthew Bracker, Jamye Cardello Peters, Lauren Cheek, Leigha Cleaver, Stetson Cozza, Kara Dunlap, Madelyn Ewing, Melanie Gorall, Julia Hamilton, Madison Hancock, Anina Henson, Caitlyn Henson, Shawna Hopper, Tatiana Kostopoulos, Ethan Kupczyk, Emily Lavechia, Tessa Longton, Reagan Mallo, Alexis Marler, Binaka Norris, Craig Onspaugh, Gracie Pipenberg, Olivia Raab, Sarah Severinsen, Aimee Sullivan, Camerin Testa, Morgan Vanselous, Danny Vorbroker and Vivian Wright. Special mention must be paid to Chelsea Christopher Sanchez and Chasaad Fearing for always being in character, and to Lindsey Fabien, who could be heard from the back of the theatre. It's a stunning ensemble, and all of their hard work obviously paid off, because their numbers were the best of the show.

The song "Gaston" was nothing short of wow-worthy, with out of this world choreography, including a moment with clinking mugs that must be seen. "Be Our Guest," the most iconic song from the show (along with the title tune), is also given a five-star treatment here. Giant plates, forks, and knives dance up a storm in one of the most stunning musical moments I've seen in a long time. That said, with no table or food during the song, and with only the cyclorama as the backdrop, it didn't make much sense here. It didn't move the story; it was just beautifully realized choreography for choreography's sake. Sensational as the number is--and it's breathtaking--for a moment there, with no real context, it made us feel like we were in a dance recital rather than a musical.

Darrell Huling does a magnificent job as vocal director (especially in some of the ensemble scenes), and Christopher Greco is the pit orchestra director (wearing a Lightning jersey). The Royal Pit Orchestra sounded fine at times, and at others the music was way too slow. There were several moments when actors would say their lines, then wait for a long pause for the music to catch up before they would begin singing. It's liked they dropped their characterizations while waiting for the music, and this stopped the show dead in its tracks. The overall pacing was off at times, and Act 1 especially felt long (at over ninety minutes, it was).

The Transformation scene at the end left much to be desired. It ranks with the "Got a Light" episode of Twin Peaks in the head-scratching department. Not to give everything away, but young children or people who don't know the story of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST might be very confused by the ending. It lacked the magic needed for this key moment.

But the show worked overall. The cast delivered the story to a nearly packed house that rose to its collective feet for a rousing standing ovation when it was over. People were smiling ear to ear afterwards, with children jumping at the chance to get their pictures taken with Belle or the Beast. It was a grand time, and like I mentioned before, head and shoulders above many other high school shows.

So yes, even though the Tampa Bay Lightning lost on the night I saw the show (sorry, Mr. Greco), lightning did strike once again with Mr. O'Hara and his production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Experiences like this change lives, for those on the stage and even for some of the young ones in the audience. This is what theatre is about, and this is the power of a show like BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

You have two more chances to catch this gorgeously mounted production.

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