Lots of little girls dream of being a princess.
Mia Moscone, 15, has dreamed of pretending to be one particular fairytale princess since she was a little girl. The Haverhill teen will be the first to tell you dreams can come true. The Whittier Vo-Tech sophomore will portray Belle in the school's spring production of "Beauty and the Beast," set to open March 19.
"It's one of the best love stories of all time," she said at a recent rehearsal. "I love everything about it, the energy, the enchantment, everything."
With 39 actors plus crew, this is one of the largest casts eve to perform at Whittier.
The music, including the upbeat "Be Our Guest" will be enhanced by a full, professional pit orchestra. The scenery and props have been built in the school's carpentry, metal fabrication and art departments, and makeup for the actors is the responsibility of cosmetology students.
Sophomore Amy Girard, 16 of Georgetown, also has a lead role as Mrs. Potts, the mother figure who keeps the Beast in line.
"I speak strongly to him and insist he act like a gentleman," she said.
Suddenly, the Beast is beside her. "Think about what you're saying," bellows senior Jeff Gould in his best Beast voice. "I always act like a gentleman."
"Beauty and the Beast" is a classic love story that has had a lot of attention over the years with the Disney version and accompanying games and action figures, but one that should be seen again, the cast enthusiastically agreed.
"If you haven't seen it, you should," said Girard.
"There's a lot of talent here," Gould said. "The show will be a very entertaining experience."
Gould, an auto technology major, has had a lead or supporting lead role for all four of his years at Whittier. He played the Scarecrow in last year's "The Wiz", and said his participation has made his high school years more than memorable. "The best thing is the friends I've made every year," he said. "It's so much fun to be here every day with your friends."
With the cast counting down and less than a dozen days of rehearsals until showtime, Gould said he is often called on to give pep talks to the cast.
Helping him is senior Andrew Andrade, another perennial stage favorite, who plays Gaston.
"We talk to them about keeping their head in the game," said Andrade. "And we thank them for coming out every day. You have to keep everyone's spirit up."
Andrade had his own challenges getting into the role of his obnoxious character. "He's assertive," he said with a smile. "I try to be a positive and helpful person, and I've had to go to the dark side."
Senior Rob Hewey, who plays Lumiere, has enjoyed his light-hearted character. "I'm the comic relief," he said. "I love it. It's so much fun. I get to be a goof." He has acted since fourth grade, and joined the school's drama club, "The Whittier Players," last year, winning the part of the Tin Man in their performance of "The Wiz."
"This is going to be a great show," Hewey said. "The music is great, the actors are talented and all the dances have been choreographed. The audience will feel like they are part of the show."
Submitted by Eileen Lawton, journalism teacher at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School.
Be their guests
What: "Beauty and The Beast"
Who: The Whittier Players
When: Friday through Sunday, March 19 through 21. Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.
Where: Whittier Regional Vocational Technical HighSchool auditorium, 115 Amesbury Line Road
How: Tickets are $6 in advance; $8 at the door
