Published: July 14, 2016
Be a guest at ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Hartford Players’ take on Disney classic opens Friday
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
HARTFORD — Playing the role of a timeless Disney princess, Belle, is a welcome challenge for 17-year-old Grace Becker.
But, days before the Hartford Players Ltd. production of “Beauty and the Beast” takes to the stage at the Schauer Arts and Activities Center, the soon-to-be Divine Savior Holy Angels senior said she is beginning to feel the pressure.
“Absolutely,” Becker said. “It’s crazy to be the one that the little girls are excited to see and hear. It’s got its pressures because she’s so iconic and well-known. She’s an instant image that comes to everyone’s head.”
The show opens Friday and runs through Sunday before resuming July 22-23.
It is Becker’s first leading role.
“It’s definitely a challenge,” she said, wearing a black wig, white shirt and blue skirt.
Her father and the director of the production, Jerry, joked that Grace looks like Belle.
“It’s a wonderful challenge because I adore every minute of it,” Grace said. “It’s something that you have an immediate reference point — the movie of course. But it also presents its challenge as far as what people expect, what they expect to see and hear, expect you to act.”
Her voice will be an attentiongrabber and will take attendees on a classic Disney adventure in real life.
Right away, the audience, especially ones who saw the 1991 hit movie on the big screen, will get a flashback — maybe even sing-along to the opening number, “Belle.”
And who can forget “Be Our Guest?”
Grace has been in theater productions since she was 6 months old — she was held on stage for a role.
“One of the things I love about Belle is how relatable she is,” Grace said. “She’s not a mermaid. She doesn’t talk to fairies or anything. She’s just a regular girl that feels out of place in her town.
“That’s something I’ve always related to and makes her a wonderful role model for girls today.”
Three days before opening night, more than 250 tickets had been sold for that performance.
“It’s a popular show,” Jerry said when asked why he wanted to direct.
He added people will hear more of the story with an on-stage musical, rather than the music sort of dominating the big screen adaptation.
“Beauty and the Beast” on the big screen was during the Disney renaissance, which saw the release of 10 movies — starting with “The Little Mermaid” in 1989 and ending with “Tarzan” in 1999. Other movies in that period include “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” and “Pocahontas.”
Grace Becker never saw “Beauty and the Beast” in theaters. It was released more than 15 years before she was born. But her father saw it.
“It’s a classic,” he said.
“Everybody has an attachment to it. I have a soft spot for fairy tales.”
He said he is proud to see his daughter play the iconic princess.
“It’s really exciting,” Jerry said.
In a way, it wasn’t a hard role to prepare for.
“I spent a lot of time with the script,” Grace said. “I looked for what were her motivations, what gets her going, what gets her excited, what her hesitations are. What were her strengths and weaknesses.
“And I spent a lot of time with the movie. I’ve been trying to bring (Belle) back to life as much as I can.”
She added she watched the movie “a lot.” But Grace wants to put a little spin of her own on the character.
The first time she watched the movie was when she was 5 years old — or about 13 years after the movie was released.
The song, “Be Our Guest,” was her first memory.
“Belle was immediately my favorite Disney princess,” Grace said.
She’ll get to showcase that starting Friday.
“It’s amazing to be able to play her,” Grace said.
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