Beauty and the Beast
Last Thursday, Hamilton College’s theatre department debuted its production of Beauty and the Beast. They drew their inspiration from the version by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, which holds little similarity to the Disney movie we all know and love, though the main plot points aren’t far off. Some differences lay in Beauty’s family – her father is a merchant struggling to regain his fortune, which is how he encounters the Beast’s palace. Beauty also has three bumbling brothers and two very selfish and vain sisters. The play featured three narrating witches as well, who were not terribly witchy but seemed more like fairies or nymphs.
The set design was simple but elegant, and the costumes were beautiful and seemed totally in place in 18th-century France. The actors all did a great job, as did the tech crew. The script was highly entertaining – mixing humor with sadness where it was appropriate, and creating a beautiful love story all the way through.
Beauty and the Beast was the first theatre production I’ve seen here at Hamilton, and I was really impressed; I’m looking forward to seeing more! I thought everything was professional and well-done, and the whole production was beautiful and engaging. Congratulations to everyone who put so much work in to make this play a success!