“Beauty and the Beast” has delighted audiences for decades, and the Hale Centre

Theatre production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Best” is an amazing production that patrons of

all ages will love.

The musical brings every element of Hale Centre into play–great acting and singing,

colorful costuming and amazing sets, as it tells a story that is, as its title song suggests, “a tale

as old as time.”

Though most know the story from two Disney films, the first in 1991, “Beauty and the

Beast" is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and

published in 1740. It’s the story of an arrogant young prince and his castle's servants that fall under the spell of a wicked enchantress, turning him into the hideous Beast until he learns to

love and be loved in return.

The spirited, headstrong village girl Belle enters the Beast's castle after he imprisons her father Maurice. With the help of his enchanted servants, Belle begins to draw the cold-hearted Beast out of his isolation.

Darick Pead headlines the Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday cast as the Beast and Shae Robins as Belle. Even after her father Maurice (David Marsden) is captured, Belle remains true to herself and her desire to free and reunite with her father. This means fighting off the aggressive flirting of Gaston (Preston Yates), the “Muscle Beach” villager who all the other girls are enchanted by, and his trusty sidekick Le Fou (Angel Martinez).

Gaston is set on marrying Belle, but she isn’t interested. She travels to the castle where she meets three other servants who are under the spell that has been cast on the Beast. Lumiere (David Paul Smith) has become a candlestick holder, Cogsworth (Kyle Baugh) a clock and Mrs. Potts (Diana Dayley Bowler) and her son Chip (Mason Burnham) a teapot and saucer respectively. These characters bring the fairy tale to life in a delightful way.

Director Ryan Simmons has hit just the right touch with these characters. The storyline is

easy to follow, the audience becomes engaged, and the performances from the leads are

excellent. Robins sings beautifully as Belle, Pead is the perfect Beast, Yates portrays arrogance

marvelously and Martinez is extremely athletic and agile as Yates’ errand boy. The candlestick,

clock, teapot and saucer storyline resonates with all ages in the audience and gives the audience

a team to fight against the curse.

Those who’ve been to Hale Centre know the technical aspects of any of its productions

are top-notch. Even with that knowledge, there are some amazing surprises with this show. Sets

drop from the heavens or rise from the floor, and choreographer Afton Wilson and stage

manager Susan Kupferer have done a masterful job of keeping singers and dancers in perfect

harmony during the production.

“Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” is a treat for both those who’ve seen the movie or

musical before, or those discovering it for the first time.

The production runs through Jan. 25, but don’t let that extended timeline fool you. Many shows are already sold out, and our own efforts to find available tickets for two granddaughters were pushed into early January.

Find out more online at hct.org. The theatre is located at 9900 South Monroe Street in

Sandy.