Disney’s classic story of love, magic, and a prince in disguise came to life on stage with the annual spring musical. The cast of nineteen actors and dancers performed Alan Menken’s “Beauty and the Beast” in a total of three performances over the course of April 10-11.

Several audience members said they witnessed a drastic improvement in the overall production value, some deeming it the best musical they’ve ever seen performed at U. City.

Mr. Yancy, the artistic director, boasted this year’s musical as “phenomenal” and said it was “one of the best plays we’ve ever put on in my tenure at U. City.”

Much of this improvement was due to the set director, alumni Cameron Tesson, who designed the sets for the first time this year.

Senior Andrew White, who played the Beast, voiced his appreciation for the sets, saying that Tesson is “the best thing to happen to the musical” and that he blew the cast away.

“The big advantage is the verticality,” said White. “It allows scenes to be a lot more dynamic as they can be happening on different levels at the same time. The drama is a lot more visual in that way.”

According to sophomore Johanna Hill, who played Belle, the biggest challenges the actors faced were the vocal performances as well as remembering the many technicalities such as quick changes, cues, and where to step during different scenes. As a result, Hill, as well as the rest of the cast, had to put in long hours rehearsing during the weeks leading up the shows.

Two weeks prior to the show, cast members began late nights starting at 4 pm and lasting until 8 pm. The week before, they stayed as late as 11 pm for tech week.

The extensive preparation paid off, according to ensemble member Korinna Brandt, junior, who received positive feedback from audience members after just the first show.

“We were worried about everybody getting it together in time, but from what I heard from people in the audience, it was really great,” said Brandt. “By the last show, we were all really confident that we were going to put on an entertaining show.”

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