The 2007-2008 Season
In addition to mainstage productions, Student One Acts will perform in the Blackbox several times during the year: in October, January, March, & June. (One night only!)
Beauty and the Beast
May 2 thru 10
7:30 pm - Friday & Saturday
2:00 pm - Sunday
10:30 am - Saturday May 10
(Special morning matinee for young children & parents)
Tickets $15 for adults, $10 for students
Purchase Tickets Online
By mail, use the attached order form.
Beauty and the Beast comes to the Fairfax High School stage! The stage musical is based on the 1991 Disney film was the first full-length animated feature to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. In its story, score (music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman), and its technical aspects, the film ranked then (and ranks today) as one of Disney's finest - funny, moving, and with terrific performances across the board.
In adapting the film to the stage, the Broadway writers instituted a number of key changes: changes that make the stage Beauty and the Beast truly about people facing difficult choices and uncertain consequences. The commitment to re-spinning the familiar story about one man's loss of humanity into a deeply human tale is what has always made the stage Beauty and the Beast work.
The F/X Players’ production hinges around director Mike Replogle’s vision of juxtaposing Disney with the Brothers Grimm. The traditional fairy tales have always been darker, more sinister, than Disney’s happy, singing renditions. Replogle’s intent is to keep the little town full of Disney whimsy, color, and charm while the forest and the castle bring in the darker hand of Grimm.
The cast of characters is probably the biggest that has ever graced a Fairfax County stage. 110 students from the ages of four to nineteen years of age were cast. Two young ladies were cast as the lead heroine “Belle:” Heather Kirschenbauer (appeared in the F/X Players’ productions of The Wizard of Oz as “Dorothy” and The King and I as “Tuptim”) and newcomer Nikki Wellington. Two children were also cast as “Chip,” the adorable little teacup: Anise McKinney and Rachel Boyd. Brother and sister team Maddy Goubeaux and Zach Goubeaux appear as “Mrs. Potts” and “The Beast,” while best friends Jeremy Tuohy and Mikail Faalasli make up the colorful sidekicks “Lumiere” and “Cogsworth.” Rounding out this stellar lead cast are Sara Evers as the “Feather Duster,” Grace Vander Veer as “the Wardrobe,” Blaine Cytryn as “Maurice,” Ryan Larson as “Gaston,” and Zach Coleman as “Lefou.” View entire cast list.
Audiences will marvel at the casting. As one of the elementary school parents commented, “I can’t believe it: these kids look just like the characters! Belle, Lumiere, Cogsworth, Gaston… even the Beast. It’s incredible!” Two groups of children will alternate appearances in “Be Our Guest,” bringing the number of students appearing on stage each night to a staggering 88.
After all these years Beauty and the Beast is still enormously effective and enchanting. The F/X Players’ production is guaranteed to sweep you away in the carefully developing love story, make you laugh at the jokes, and even experience an occasional chill up the spine.