It was a quintessential Somerville night at the theater for “Beauty And The Beast” at the High School this evening.  Promoters Gretchen Kinder and Rosemarie Sears must have outdone themselves packing the house because I had to make my way to the balcony to find a seat.   I saw neighbors, friends, teachers, school committee members, and Rep. Denise Provost there.  The show charmed the audience with every scene.

The actors were clearly well rehearsed.  It’s remarkable how much talent was found for such a big production.  Seniors Stefani Paige Vivian (a charming Belle), Chris Tabb (a valiant Beast), Jonathan Clegg, Guchie Bessa, Andrea Mendes, and Bridget Victoria Lindstrom will be missed from the constellation of SHS talent next year.  Clegg as Lumiere and Mendes as Babette were particularly affecting in their roles.

Still, there’s a strong compliment of up-and-coming talent in tonight’s cast as well.  Gwen Kolb stood out as the striking and graceful Enchantress.  Justin Villalta made a particularly admirable Cogsworth.  I happen to have a bit of a scoop on some of the other actors.  I helped produce a couple of plays which included these rising stars in elementary school: Thomas Kennedy (an excellent Maurice), Gina Boyle (doing a Silly Girl with style), Audry Hiaoui, Lucy Lin and Alice Clegg we can hope will all grace the SHS stage again.

The show was beautifully produced with fabulous sets including an entire village, an excellent orchestra and very competent lighting.  The cast and crew should be proud of what they have accomplished.  I haven’t mentioned all that was great, or all who performed well, but I have to leave time to say that you should catch the final performance tomorrow at 2 if you haven’t seen it yet.  Do!