ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, April 22, 1996 TAG: 9604230156
SECTION: NEWSFUN PAGE: NF-1 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: THEATER REVIEW
Don't you hate it when adults try to review stuff for kids - movies, plays, music? They never get it right. Hey, it's not their fault: They just see and react to things differently.
When we heard Mill Mountain Theatre was presenting the play, ``Beauty and the Beast,'' we thought it would be a good idea to get some kids' opinions of the performance. We took three pupils from different schools to see the play's first performance last week. Before they went into the theater, Katherine Reed, a movie and theater reviewer for this paper, talked with them about what to think about when watching a play as a reviewer, not just as a spectator. There is a difference.
``Katherine told me to see if the acting was good, if the actors said their lines well,'' said Jeff Ferguson, a sixth-grader at Andrew Lewis Middle School in Salem.
``She told me to see if the play kept me interested,'' said Malika Jones, a fourth-grader at the Roanoke Academy of Math and Science in Roanoke.
Amy Ellis, a fourth-grader from Rocky Mount Elementary School, said, ``She told me to feel as if I were really in the play instead of sitting in seats, watching.''
Following are reviews of the play written by kids just like you:
JEFF FERGUSON:
'Perfect for any age'
I enjoyed the Mill Mountain Theatre production of "Beauty and the Beast." This production is an hour and 10 minutes long. This play is perfect for any age at all.
In this play, every line and song was clearly spoken or sung. The costumes were excellent and very detailed. The scenes had good props. The artistic director was Jere Lee Hodgin, and the set made you feel like there actually was a real castle on the stage.
The music was arranged and directed well by Larry Bixler. The choreographer, the person who arranges the dances, was Wendi Wagner Peacock, and the dances were beautiful and arranged well.
Stephanie Klatsky, Beauty, spoke and sang very well. In fact, all of the actors spoke and sang excellently. Doug Zschiegner (CHEEG-ner) was the Beast, and he was superb! I could understand every line he said.
Beauty's father, Beach Vickers, was just the perfect father. Mimi and Fifi, Beauty's sisters, Laurie Sullivan and Emily Rainbow Davis, were hysterical with their smart wisecracks. There are so many others to commend on their great performance, I just can't name them all!
I really enjoyed watching this Mill Mountain Theatre production of ``Beauty and the Beast,'' and after you see it, I hope you will too.
MALIKA JONES:
`It made plenty of sense'
The play Beauty and the Beast was great - I loved it! I think every person should see it.
The songs were beautiful. My favorite song was ``When We're Married.'' The music made me feel happy! They said their words clearly - it was great.
The play was pretty long, but it kept me interested. It made plenty of sense.
The scenery was very, very pretty. The best part of the scenery was the castle. The castle was grayish-silver and was as high as the ceiling of the stage. That castle was looking pretty sharp. The costumes were looking very pretty, too. The flowers were beautiful.
I liked it when the flowers started singing. But my favorite part was when all the actors started dancing. My favorite actors were the Beast, the father, Mimi, Fifi, Beauty and the roses.
The whole play was great! When you go see the play, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
AMY ELLIS:
`Everyone should see it'
Mill Mountain Theatre's ``Beauty and the Beast'' is exciting and enjoyable.
It is exciting because the characters, like Beauty, are funny and nice to the people. The characters were really neat to watch. The ones I liked the most were the two sisters.
Beauty was a wonderful actress. Her costumes were very pretty and her hair was beautiful. She was a great Beauty.
The beast was a good character too. I think that he looked like a real beast. I think the best thing he did in one of his scenes was when he made lightning crash at Mimi, Fifi and Jacques, Pierre.
The castle looked so real to me. I liked a seat at the castle that had monsters with red glowing eyes. The door knockers were children in their gold costumes. The rosebushes were very neat and looked pretty. They were really children. When the rosebushes sang, they had very pretty voices. They had leaves and very pretty red flowers.
When the walking table, dresser and clock came out it was neat. The dresser was neat because it did the same thing Beauty did when she looked into the mirror. Amanda Claytor did the walking table and she was great.
When Beauty's father was in the woods looking for a rose for Beauty, the table came out and offered him some tea. He didn't get any tea because he was afraid of it. So she walked off, and the table shook as she did. The Clock was funny because it was dancing.
The technical director was great, too. He made all the flashing lights, curtains come down and things like that. The best thing about that was you couldn't see him. He made the lighting crash when the Beast yelled at the sisters and their boyfriends and said they were lying.
The costumes were great. The sisters' dresses were neat, but their hats were silly because they were very tall with different kinds of things on them. One of them had tall feathers, and the other had a tall bouquet on hers.
The scene I liked the best was when the beast and Beauty were at a party, dancing with each other.
I liked the play very much. At the end, Beauty and the beast, who had turned into a prince, kissed each other. The play was very good. I think everyone should see it.
LENGTH: Long : 121 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: WAYNE DEEL/Staff. 1. Reviewing Mill Mountain Theatre'sby CNBproduction of "Beauty and the Beast" were (from left) Jeff Ferguson
of Andrew Lewis Middle School in Salem, Malika Jones of Roanoke
Academy of Math and Science in Roanoke, and Amy Ellis of Rocky Mount
Elementary School in Rocky Mount. color. 2. Beauty's sisters join
her for a scene in Mill Mountain Theatre's production of ``Beauty
and the Beast.''