The Kelly Critics is a joint program of the Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh CLO in which students of high schools entered in this year's Gene Kelly Awards review other school's musicals.

Vincentian Wants You to Be Their Guest

Opening night for Vincentian High School's "Beauty and the Beast" (Feb. 19-27) was packed with eager patrons waiting to be dazzled by a beloved Disney classic. The curtains opened to reveal a humble set, the setting mainly simple painted sheets that slide on rollers. However, the audiences' expectations were met when the ensemble entered with high energy to sing their first number.

The musical is about a girl, Belle, who is interested in reading more than gawking over the town's glamour boy, Gaston. Yet though Gaston can have any woman he wants (he says), he wishes to marry Belle for her pretty face. The story begins to take off when Belle goes in search of her father, Maurice, who appears to have gotten lost in the woods. She discovers he is imprisoned by a horrible beast in an enchanted castle. After exchanging places with her father, Belle slowly unravels the mysteries of the Beast and his talking furniture.

The highlight of the entire musical is the talking furniture, particularly Lumiere and Cogsworth (Ben Robinson and Josh Smith). This duo was seen most of all the enchanted objects and they entertained you every second on stage. Robinson portrayed Lumiere as a promiscuous French man who has the accent to prove it. Smith portrayed Cogsworth as a nervous servant who desperately tries to uphold his title as Head of the House, despite his constant stutter and fidgeting.

Every other character had a quirk that shows very nicely on the stage. For example, the high-pitched whine of Babette when she shrilled "Lumiere!" and her peppy walk just made me giggle every time. Needless to say, the actors spent time not only to memorize the lines, dancing, and music but also to refine their characters.

Another notable performance was Lefou, played by Tim Kaniecki. Lefou is Gaston's right-hand man, an idealizer of Gaston, always praising and backing up Gaston's popularity -- Lefou is undoubtedly a fool. Kaniecki showed Lefou's character through hilarious physical comedy. At one point, he flung himself onto a table because Lefou is too weak to jump up on it, like Gaston. Physical comedy is hard to achieve, but Kaniecki made it look easy.

Vincentian had it all: high-energy dance numbers, hilarious characters, simple yet effective set, and moving music. Only one thing was missing: a convincing Beast. The Beast in this performance appeared to be too little and meek for my tastes. I caught Belle staring him down once. He had his lines memorized, but he did not have me convinced he was a Beast. I expect that the Beast have an intimidating voice, a range of emotions, and a powerful presence on stage.

Speaking of leads, the character of Belle did not strike me as completely believable. She was erratically realistic. There were times when I could see Belle as a person and not an actress, but there were more times when I felt the actress was going through the motions.

The leads were disappointing, but the supporting characters picked up the slack. I thoroughly enjoyed this Disney musical thanks to the wonderful characters.

Marcella McGuire is a student at Pine Richland High School.

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