Coming back from the much-needed and appreciated Thanksgiving break, students buzz with anticipation for the upcoming Plano Senior Theater musical production. Among the many in attendance on opening night, I sat front row to support my best friend, a cast member.
Throughout the night I’d noticed just how talented everyone was and how they navigated their scenes. The two lead roles, Skye Holt (Belle) and Corwin Emch (The Beast), performed expertly with their great vocals during their respectful songs, and amazing acting skills overall. Considering their dedication to theater, it was no surprise they earned a standing ovation at the end of their performance.
Castle characters, villager characters and even ensemble members looked as if they were having the time of their lives while on stage. Personally, I would’ve liked to see more lively productions of other songs than just Be Our Guest. I can only imagine how much more incredible they would have been had there been more characters in the spotlight. However, adding the Planoettes and Chamber Choir was a spectacular addition to the show.
With this being a high school production, I didn’t expect it to be all correct, but if I hadn’t watched the Disney movie prior to seeing this musical, I wouldn’t have known the entire story. One crucial part Plano Theater left out was Gaston formulating his scheming plan of getting Belle to marry him in exchange for her father’s freedom of the mental asylum. The only symbol of this plan that the actors had performed was a brief moment where LeFou whispered to Gaston at the end of the Gaston! song.
All in all, the student actors and actresses did an outstanding job, obviously putting their heart and soul into their performances and making the infamous Plano Senior musical one of the best for their audiences.