The annual school musical, Beauty and the Beast Jr., is coming up on June 3rd, 4th, and 5th. With amazing sets, costumes, and more, it may be safe to say that this is one of the best shows St. Philip has ever done. Over the course of three and a half months, the cast has been preparing for the show. It has been a lot of hard work learning harmonies, choreography, and staging, but the end result is completely worth it. One of the best parts of the show is the tap dancing that Mrs. Natalie and Mrs. Simone added into two numbers- Gaston and Be Our Guest. The crew has been working equally hard to build and move the extensive and beautiful sets provided by Holy Family. The cast and crew are very excited for the show, so Falcon’s Flyer decided to interview them on their thoughts on Beauty and the Beast Jr.

CAST:

Who are you in the musical? If you are multiple characters, which is your favorite and why?

Megan Hanna: I play Babette, the sassy and flirty feather duster.

Corinne Gray: I portray the role of Madame de la Grande Bouche, the divalicious wardrobe.

Julian Corral: I am Chip Potts.

Samantha Santoro: I play Gaston

Lily Mendez: Belle.

What is your favorite song and/or scene in the show?

MH: My favorite song is “Human Again”, the song where all of the castle servants dream of what it’s like when we’re human again. I love it because we choreographed part of the song [on our own]. It makes each of our character’s unique personalities shine through while also having some funny moments.

CG: I have two favorite songs. I like “Something There” and “Human Again” because we sound really good and the cast is really fun to dance and sing with. I like the fact that all of our characters have lines and solos that help personify the character.

JC: My favorite song has to be “Be Our Guest” because it makes me kind of hungry.

SS: I love the “mob song”.

LM: “Belle” opening song and lots of energy.

What has been your favorite part of the show?

MH: My favorite part of the show has been building our (Corinne and Megan’s) fort behind the castle and trying on my voluptuous costumes. But one of my absolute favorite things to do is to get into character which includes doing my french accent.

CG: My favorite part of the show is rehearsing with my friends because I love them. I’m going to miss the eighth graders a lot. Also I like building my fort.

JC: Eating Megan’s food and tapping.

SS: My favorite part was seeing all the sets come to life

LM: Probably learning dances because it’s fun.

Have you been in any other SPAS shows?

MH: Yes, I have been in every show I could possibly be in. I was in Tolstoy Story Play, Honk Jr., The Jungle Book, Xanadu Jr., The Song of Bernadette, G2K Oklahoma!, The Westing Game, and now Beauty and the Beast, Jr., which is my last show.

CG: Yes, I was in Xanadu Jr., G2K Oklahoma!, The Westing Game, and now Beauty and the Beast Jr.

JC: I have. I was part of stage crew for The Song of Bernadette and Oklahoma! and I was in The Westing Game and now Beauty and the Beast Jr.

SS: Yes Xanadu and Oklahoma

LM: Yes I’ve been in Honk Jr., The Jungle Book, Xanadu Jr., The Song of Bernadette, G2K Oklahoma!, The Westing Game, and now my final show, Beauty and the Beast Jr.

What has been the hardest part of being in the show?

MH: Perfecting my French accent. It’s a constant struggle. I mean, try saying “compliment” in a French accent.

CG: The hardest part is wearing heavy costumes, high heels, and dances when you cant dance.

JC: Not being able to eat before I go on.

SS: Playing a really self absorbed man                     

LM: Memorizing lines and blocking.

CREW:

What is your role in crew?

Michael Luiso: My role is sets.

Andrew Huang: I do props and sets.

Angelina Arevalos: I am in charge of props and tell crew when to scene change

Have you ever been in crew before?

ML: No.

AH: Yes, I was in crew for Song of Bernadette and The Westing Game.

AA: No

What has been the hardest part of putting on this show?

ML: It is hard because you have to memorize the sets and where they go and I have to be quiet which is hard because I have a big mouth.

AH: The hardest part is moving sets as fast as you can and getting them on without messing up.

AA: Remembering when to change the scene

What is your favorite part of being in crew?

ML: I like helping

AH: Getting to watch the play and move the sets.

AA: Being apart of this amazing show

We also had a chance to talk to Alec Martinez who is making a promo video for the show. He wants to give the school a small preview of what they will be seeing if they attend the musical. He volunteered on his own to make the video on behalf of the drama club. Drama club can’t wait to see the video along with the rest of the school. Thanks Alec!
Don’t forget to come see Beauty and the Beast Jr. at 7:00 on Friday the 3rd and Saturday the 4th, and 2:00 on Sunday the 5th!