{"id":2966,"date":"2020-12-29T16:47:34","date_gmt":"2020-12-29T22:47:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anngumpperdesign.com\/?page_id=2966"},"modified":"2020-12-29T16:49:51","modified_gmt":"2020-12-29T22:49:51","slug":"beauty-and-the-beast-review","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/anngumpperdesign.com\/index.php\/beauty-and-the-beast-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Beauty and the Beast Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"2966\" class=\"elementor elementor-2966\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b804d84 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b804d84\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-58b42a3\" data-id=\"58b42a3\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3a2925b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3a2925b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"article-section-header\"><section><div id=\"article-header\"><div class=\"article-header-title\"><h1 class=\"article-headline\">Theater review: Tale as old as time still enchants at NorShor<\/h1><div class=\"light-grey byline\">Written By:\u00a0<span id=\"noLink\" class=\"ttu\">Sheryl Jensen, for the News Tribune<\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0<time class=\"timestamp\">Nov 30th 2018 &#8211; 12pm.<\/time><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><\/div><div id=\"article-section-body\"><div id=\"top-social-share\"><div class=\"addthis_inline_share_toolbox\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.duluthnewstribune.com\/entertainment\/4536404-theater-review-tale-old-time-still-enchants-norshor\" data-title=\"Theater review: Tale as old as time still enchants at NorShor | Duluth News Tribune\" data-description=\"Dancing forks, showgirls as plates, a feather duster cavorting with a candlestick, a talking teacup, the obligatory plucky heroine, and a brooding hero. The Duluth Playhouse's enchanting \"><div id=\"atstbx\" class=\"at-resp-share-element at-style-responsive addthis-smartlayers addthis-animated at4-show\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"at-47c7412b-1cab-4685-ab00-71dbaeae4ee3\"><div class=\"at-share-btn-elements\">\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"article-header-media\"><div class=\"image\"><div class=\"landscape \"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"topMedia\" class=\" lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/www.duluthnewstribune.com\/incoming\/article1720321.ece\/alternates\/BASE_LANDSCAPE\/112918.F.DNT_.BeautyC4.jpg\" alt=\"The arrogant hunter Gaston (Evan Kelly) tries to woo Belle (Emily Ahrens) in \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d at the Duluth Playhouse. Steve Kuchera \/ skuchera@duluthnews.com\" width=\"\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.duluthnewstribune.com\/incoming\/article1720321.ece\/alternates\/BASE_LANDSCAPE\/112918.F.DNT_.BeautyC4.jpg\" data-srcset=\"\" \/><\/div><div class=\"caption\">The arrogant hunter Gaston (Evan Kelly) tries to woo Belle (Emily Ahrens) in \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d at the Duluth Playhouse. Steve Kuchera \/ skuchera@duluthnews.com<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"piano-inline-container\">\u00a0<\/div><div class=\"article-body\"><div class=\"main-body\"><div class=\"first-p\"><p>Dancing forks, showgirls as plates, a feather duster cavorting with a candlestick, a talking teacup, the obligatory plucky heroine, and a brooding hero. The Duluth Playhouse\u2019s enchanting \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d had all the bells and whistles to win the hearts of the opening night audience Thursday.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"p402_premium\"><p>Ann Gumpper\u2019s elegant set, with tricks up its sleeve, embraced the Norshor\u2019s color schemes and style, providing a lovely fairy tale playground for the classic Disney story.<\/p><p>Costumes (many from the Chanhassen Dinner Theater) were eye-popping and fittingly over-the-top. A fashion parade of living furniture and household bric-a-brac, a kaleidoscope of brightly dressed ensemble players &#8211; and the iconic golden ball gown &#8211; added to the evening\u2019s magic.<\/p><p>Emily Ahrens, as Belle, hit all the right Disney heroine chords, with her standout vocal moment \u201cA Change in Me\u201d showing her vocal power. Locked into prosthetics, hair and dark makeup, Shad Olsen still brought out the Beast\u2019s humanity and looked every inch the fairy tale prince after the transformation.<\/p><p>Though the show is called \u201cBeauty and the Beast,\u201d it is written to give the supporting players the chance to steal the show, and \u201cgrand larceny\u201d was committed by many in this talented cast.<\/p><div class=\"in-article-container\"><div id=\"in-article\">Evan Kelly, playing Belle\u2019s self-absorbed suitor, owned many of the show\u2019s strongest moments. He matched his imposing physicality and egotistical swagger with his crystal clear, commanding and powerful baritone.<\/div><\/div><p>The Broadway-ready Kelly brought the production alive with the show-stopping \u201cGaston.\u201d Guest director\/choreographer Joe Chvala\u2019s brilliant choreography, with the ensemble\u2019s mug-clanging high jinks, is a highlight of Act I.<\/p><p>In a theatrical dictionary under \u201cbumbling sidekick,\u201d Andy Roemhildt could easily be the illustration. As LeFou (the Fool), he matched Kelly\u2019s polished performance vocally and physically.<\/p><p>The Beast\u2019s anthropomorphic household staff gave the show much of its heart and warmth. The \u201csuave candelabra,\u201d Lumiere (Matias Valero); the \u201ctightly wound\u201d mantel clock (Mike Pederson); the \u201cflirtatious feather duster\u201d (April Roeder); the \u201copera diva\u201d wardrobe (Tanya Moore), and Mrs. Potts (Michele Sorvik, the \u201cmaternal enchanted teapot\u201d) were all deservedly audience favorites.<\/p><p>Pederson hit it out of the park with his trademark British rolling r\u2019s accent, his rubbery facial expressions and his impeccable comic timing. All fluttery and French, Roeder is wonderful as Babette, stealing the stage on her every entrance.<\/p><div id=\"in-article-2-container\"><div id=\"in-article-2\">Elegantly delivering the romantic title song, \u201cBeauty and the Beast,\u201d Sorvik is becoming a genuine Playhouse star, re-inventing herself in each role, and always spot-on with her characterizations and gorgeous voice.<\/div><\/div><p>An ensemble standout is gender-bending Ben Peter, all bouncing curls and mugging face, as one of the \u201cSilly Girls.\u201d<\/p><p>\u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d is meant to have the wittiness required to keep the adults in the crowd engaged. But it might be best enjoyed in the company of a wide-eyed child seeing it for the first time. A holiday gift for everyone, the playhouse has wrapped this charming package up with a bow. Definitely be their guest!<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Theater review: Tale as old as time still enchants at NorShor Written By:\u00a0Sheryl Jensen, for the News Tribune\u00a0|\u00a0Nov 30th 2018 &#8211; 12pm. \u00a0The arrogant hunter Gaston (Evan Kelly) tries to woo Belle (Emily Ahrens) in \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d at the Duluth Playhouse. Steve Kuchera \/ skuchera@duluthnews.com\u00a0 Dancing forks, showgirls as plates, a feather duster [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2966","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anngumpperdesign.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anngumpperdesign.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anngumpperdesign.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anngumpperdesign.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anngumpperdesign.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2966"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/anngumpperdesign.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2969,"href":"https:\/\/anngumpperdesign.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2966\/revisions\/2969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anngumpperdesign.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}