Embedded Files
April 30, 2024
Morro Bay High’s drama club recently put on their last show of the year, the musical Beauty and the Beast. Opening night was Friday, April 19th, which was the first of six performances. I went to see both opening night and the show on Friday the 26th, and the quality of each one was incredible. The singing, dancing, choreography, casting, acting, set, lighting, sound - all of it was just remarkable.
The musical numbers in this show were exceptional. Senior Josephine Davis, who plays Belle, has such an incredible voice. The strength in her voice where the music requires it is amazing, yet she can also perform with pure delicacy and elegance, and it is simply astonishing. From the performances that included almost the entire cast, to solos and duets performed by main characters, each and every song was filled with emotion and enthusiasm. That alone made this play so entertaining and fun to watch. Sophomore Elliot Miranda, who plays the Beast, has a solo just before the first act ends, and I have watched him perform it three times now - once at open house and twice on stage. Every single time, I was in awe of how incredible he was performing the song, and how powerful his voice was.
The casting of this show was outstanding, and every single actor played their role perfectly. Each person was able to perform the personality - both the good and bad traits - of their character with amazing accuracy. Roles that particularly stood out to me as the perfect casting were Josephine Davis as Belle, Angus McNellie as Lefou, and Lily Williams as Chip.
As for the behind the scenes work, (hair, costumes, set, etc) the work that each member of the crew put into this show was clearly seen through the quality of the performance. From the audience, you can easily see all of the work the crew has put into this show. The set was just gorgeous, with all of the key details being represented well, such as Belle’s room in the castle and her village with the fountain. The props were also really well made, and one that particularly stood out to me was the enchanted rose because of the way it glowed and illuminated the stage around it. The makeup and hair design was also amazing, and the quality of it made the show really come alive.
Transformation of the Beast (Photo credit: Erin Davis)
While all of the technical parts of this show were done really well, I think the one thing that made this show stand out to me was how much fun both the cast was having, and how much fun the audience had watching it. The cast and crew were just ecstatic about it. I even got a chance to talk to the director, Ms. Kostecka, between acts, and she was equally excited about the show. Both performances I attended had very full audiences, and from every angle you could see little kids smiling and having fun, excited to see what came next.
This show was so well put together, and the fact that they only had seven weeks to do it makes the whole thing much more impressive than it already was. Every audience member I talked to was in awe of how phenomenal the show was, and there was no criticism among anyone I spoke with. I had so much fun at this show, and I speak for many when I say how excited I am to see what the drama program does in the future.
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