Published: July 04, 2009 10:05 pm      

PCT plans ‘Beauty and the Beast’

Summer 2009 is heating up outside and inside the Texas Theatre with the Palestine Community Theatre embroiled in rehearsal for the musical “Beauty and the Beast” directed by Jared Cook and under the musical direction of Chandra Dantin.

Sponsored in part by KYYK Radio, Zoom Advertising and youreasttexas.com, the PCT production is scheduled to run July 17-19 and 24-26.

“Beauty and the Beast” is a classic tale celebrating the strength of inner beauty and the power of true love. The play is based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name, the music is by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton.

According to Director Jared Cook, with the PCT’s 25th anniversary looming on the horizon, the board considered reprising “Peter Pan,” but chose to try something never seen before in Palestine. With limited resources available, the decision was made to offset the expense by asking the actors to solicit costume sponsorship.

“The response from the community has been overwhelming,” Cook said. “Several named and anonymous donors really pulled together to make the show happen. ‘Beauty and the Beast ‘is the coup de gras of big shows. We wanted to bring the play to the community as it should be.”

Taking his role as director seriously, Cook started making production plans a year ago. The planning phase involved researching costume rentals and customizing a set around the unique architecture of the Texas Theatre.

For the first time, the PCT is renting costumes from Harris Costumes in Fort Worth. The company offered fashions inspired by the original Broadway production.

“I fell in love with their costumes,” Cook said. “They are of a unique color palette — jewel tones and rich, bright colors. We felt that they complimented the building, the set design, and our talented cast and crew.”

“The set presented many challenges because of the number of scene changes,” continued Cook. “For six weeks the cast and crew have been working during the week and on weekends.”

Set pieces were built to remain on stage while at the same time could be quickly transformed into something altogether different.

The popularity of the musical drew interested thespians from the surrounding East Texas region for auditions. In fact, theatre patrons will be introduced to some new faces at curtain time.

“Many families came together to make the play possible,” noted Cook. “We have the Bossiers from Fairfield and the Derrs from Frankston joining the Hobbs, the Cooks, the Lambs and Dr. Jan Sikes and Jim Vincill from Palestine.”

Cook, a Palestine High School alum and a recent 2008 graduate of Harding University majoring in biology, has a special appreciation for family and theatre. He grew up performing with his mother Amelia, his father Michael, and his little sister Haley. He remembers his PCT debut performance as an 8-year-old extra in “Guys and Dolls.” Getting “kissed by all the dancer ladies” launched Cook into further successes on stage within the community theatre, in high school, and in college. Thus far, in each respective venue, his favorite roles have been Don Quixote in “Man of La Mancha,” Seymour in “Little Shop of Horrors” and Frankie in “Forever Plaid.”

“’Beauty and the Beast’ is a gift from our family to yours,” said Cook inviting everyone to bring their families to the show.

Opening night begins at 6:30 p.m. with the ever-popular wine and cheese reception.

Friday and Saturday evening performances start at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoon matinees start at 2 p.m.

All opening night tickets are $12. Advance tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for children ages 4 to 18. Tickets can be purchased at Education Unlimited (903-723-8383) and the Palestine Area Chamber of Commerce (903-729-6066). Tickets at the door are $12.