Tickets are now available for “Disney on Ice celebrates Mickey and Friends” which will be at the Van Andel Arena Feb. 10 -13.
Mickey Mouse is joined by Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy on a journey to discover Mickey’s favorite memory of all time. Using Mickey’s “Mouse Pad,” show hosts encourage fans to be part of the action and help the gang venture through Disney stories, sharing memorable moments from treasured tales. Along the way, families sail away with Moana as she displays courage to save her island on a high-seas adventure with the demigod Maui. Families will continue the journey to the wintery world of Arendelle as royal sisters Anna and Elsa discover true love is the most powerful magic of all and experience the mysterious magic of “Fantasia” as a Sorcerer’s Apprentice makes brooms come to life.
Show times are 7 p.m. Feb. 10 and 11; 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m., Feb. 12; and 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Feb. 13. Tickets start at $20. For tickets. visit www.DisneyOnIce.com.
Note, health checks are required by the event organizer. This means that attendees may need to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, proof of a negative COVID-19 diagnostic test prior to entering the event, a rapid onsite COVID-19 test, or participate in a brief health questionnaire. Face masks are encouraged. For more information, visit www.DisneyOnIce.com.
Whether your Ariel or not, being a part of the cast of the Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” is “a magical, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” according to Angelique Ferrante, who portray’s the mersister Atina in Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s current production which runs through Dec. 16.
“I’m 29-years-old, so the idea that I’d be able to play in a Disney show meant for kids, I was just excited to play a tapping seagull, a mermaid or a fish. It was all very exciting to me to be able to play out this child fantasy for myself,” Ferrante said.
The show is a rendition of the familiar 1989 animated film with Disney using some of its magic for the classic Hans Christian Anderson fairytale. Princess Ariel and her undersea companions are in for a whirlwind of adventure as Ariel falls for the human Prince Eric. She cuts a deal with the sea witch Ursula, trading her singing voice for a pair of human legs. All she has to do is get Eric to “kiss the girl.” The production includes many of the award-winning songs by Alan Menken such as “Part of Your World,” “Kiss the Girl,” and “Under the Sea.”
“Some of the songs are a bit different but all the things you know and love from the movie are there,” she said. “‘Under the Sea’ is so magical. I get excited looking around when I’m on stage with my fellow castmates. I can only imagine what it looks like for the audience looking in because when I look up, left and right, I’m usually in awe.”
Residing in Grand Rapids, Ferrante grew up on Long Beach in Long Island, New York. Her latest role was Reno in a production of “Anything Goes,” put together by the Long Beach Theatre Guild. She was brought to West Michigan this year when her fiancé accepted a position as a doctor at Mary Free Bed.
Angelique Ferrante as the mersister Atina performs the song “Daughters of Triton.”
“Moving to Michigan this summer, I knew I was going to do some homework, not just for a new job or a place to live, but to perform,” she said. “Civic Theatre had an amazing reputation and auditions at the same time I knew I’d be able to get my life in order and audition.”
Ironically, the actress said working with a company and organization like the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre has been a game changer compared to acting in New York.
“It’s like the further I’ve gotten away from New York, the closer I’ve gotten to Broadway in a sense,” said Ferrante. “It’s been far more professional the further I’ve gotten away from New York City. It’s just kind of crazy to imagine that’s a reality. This is a whole other league. It’s so impressive to me not only the amount of talent that’s in the cast but the production, the crew, the entire behind the scenes corporate business model that Civic has.
“To my surprise, we were doing costume fittings before our first rehearsal even before the first read through. That’s when I knew I was in a unique place that was going to really take any performing I’ve done to the next level.”
She estimated there’s about 25 cast members for the production, relatively small for a Civic holiday performance, but it’s a “tech-heavy” show, recalling the director mentioning the crew easily outnumbers the cast. Audiences will feel like they are under the sea with huge set designs, lighting and sound arrangements and special effects.
“I don’t know what it is, I think it’s that every single moving part is so prepared that the nerves have left, and at this point, it’s just buzzing excitement,” said Ferrante. “We are all really excited to just be in front of a crowd that’s going to give new moments and real time, laughing at the same lines we’ve been saying for weeks and sharing that magic with a live audience. I think every night is going to be so electric.”
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s production of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” runs through Dec. 16 at Civic Theatre, 30 N. Division Ave. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $17 – $39. For more information, visit grct.org or call 616-222-6650.
Kentwood residents Micah McDonald and Adam Wright in Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.” (Photo courtesy of Grand Rapids Civic Theatre)
When Kentwood residents Adam Wright and Micah McDonald headed into auditions in early fall, they both had their sights set on Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s children production of “Holes.” Instead, they ended up being dancing dishes and flatware in the company’s presentation of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.”
“This summer, I actually was doing another show [the summer repertory production “Into the Woods”] and everyone was talking about ‘Beauty and the Beast,’” said McDonald, who is a 2016 graduate of East Kentwood High School and is pursuing theater at Grand Rapids Community College. “I knew I wanted to be in another show at Civic and they had double auditions for ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Holes.’ I was thinking ‘Holes,’ but I kind of wanted to be a part of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ because it had been a part of my childhood, and I ended up getting a part.”
Wright said he went into auditions looking for a possible role in “Holes,” but instead landed in “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” along side his friend McDonald, who the two shared the role of the prince in “Into the Woods.” Along with being a wolf, townsperson and dancing dish, Wright again portrays a prince, this time the young, selfish prince who is turned into the Beast.
“It was kind of hard becoming that prince,” said Wright, who is a sophomore at Caledonia High School. “It was difficult in that the young prince is such a nasty person, stern and very hard on people.” A trait that Wright simply does not have.
McDonald is also in the ensemble, portraying a villager along with a gargoyle and a candlestick during the “showstopper —according to both McDonald and Wright —number of “Be My Guest.”
“There is so much going on,” McDonald said of the “Be Out Guest” scene. “It was so hard to learn but it all came together. The scene is extremely entertaining and so much fun and the crowds reaction has been amazing.”
In fact the cast has been overwhelmed by the positive reaction of the audience and community. “In a preview, we had more than 25 seconds of applause,” Wright said.
“We have had sold out shows and the crowds, their reactions, laughing at everything,” McDonald said. “It really has been a good time for everyone. The audience is so engaged and there have been so many little kids helping to bring the magic of the story to life.”
In fact the reaction the Civic Theater production has been so overwhelmingly positive that tickets are limited. Check online, at grct.org for availability.
McDonald, who got the acting bug at East Kentwood High School as a junior when he performed in “Cats” under the directorship of Scott Mellema, said he hopes to pursue Christmas musical theater in New York. But no matter where he goes next, being part of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” will be a special memory for him.
“I partially wanted to be a part of this show because it is a part of my childhood and it gave me the opportunity to relive that part.”
And for Wright as well, the production has been an experience he will not forget. “It truly has been magical being apart of a truly amazing cast and having the opportunity to bring my childhood to life,” Wright said.
It can be challenge to take a well-known animated film such as “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” and bring it to a theater stage.
“How do you create the flames in Lumiere’s hands as he raises and lowers them,” said Grand Rapids Civic Theatre Allyson Paris, who is directing Civic Theater’s production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.”Or how does Mrs. Potts push the tea cart when she doesn’t have any hands?
“And then there is Chip. He is suppose to be small but still has to move around the stage. You have to solve all of those problems as you are putting on a show.”
Kathleen Johnson with the Cogsworth costume.
Apparently many want to see just how Civic Theatre does create the magic as tickets for the upcoming show are selling quickly, according to Grand Rapids Civic Theatre Director of Development and Community Relations Nancy Brozek. “So if people want to see the show, they are going to want to snap up tickets soon.”
As to solving the problems Paris mentioned, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s costume wizard Robert Fowle knew just who to call to help build some of that theater magic, friend and colleague Kathleen Johnson.
“Building costumes for a production of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ has been on my bucket list,” said Johnson, who has more than 16 years of experience in musical theater, dance, radio and film as a costume and prop designer.
Originally from Grand Rapids and now based out of Chicago, Johnson saw the potential of using her background in mascot building to help create costumes designed for mobility.
“When you construct a costume for a mascot, it has to be done so that the person wearing it can move easily,” Johnson said. “The same is true for the costumes on stage. The actors have to be able to move easily while wearing the large costumes.”
Cogsworth’s human clothes much match his clock costume.
Once the “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” show was cast, Johnson said she measured all the performers and headed back home to begin construction of the various pieces such as the wardrobe for Madame de la Grande Bouche which had to have a drawer that opens along with doors to show offer her “jewelry.”
To help reduce the weight of the costumes, Johnson turned to a variety of foams used in mascot construction which are also much easier to mold into “dancing” dishes and “entertaining” flatware.
There are still challenges for the actors wearing the costumes as Jason Morrison who plays Cogswoth pointed out.
“We have no peripheral vision, so we can’t see straight down or tell where we are walking,” Morrison said, adding that there will be assistants for the actors to help them move around backstage. “Also, I have to be careful as Cogswoth has a key sticking out his back so when turning I do not hit someone with it.”
Draws open, keys turn and Johnson has even planned out just how Lumiere’s candlestick will light when he raises his hands.
“Most people think of the fans that blow up the paper flames to make it appear like the sticks are burning,” Johnson said. “I have something a little better that will make them look like real candlesticks.”
As to how that theater magic happens, Paris said people will just “have to be our guest and come and see the show.”
Calvin Christian High School would like you to be their guest as the high school’s Dramatic Society presents “Disney’s Beauty & the Beast” this weekend.
The production is set for Feb. 25 – 27 at Godwin Heights High School, 50 35th St. SW, Wyoming. Show times are 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday.
The musical is from Disney’s animated 1991 film based on the French fairytale. A selfish prince is turned into a beast by a beautiful enchantress and his servants become common household items. The spell can only be broken by a maiden who can love the Beast beyond his apperance. Meanwhile, in a village not too far away, Belle is an odd duck but the most beautiful girl in her village. Gaston, the man everyone wants to be, has plans to marry her. But before Gaston can get Belle to say yes, she runs off to save her father from the Beast. Belle and the Beast are destine to meet, but will Belle be able to love the Beast and break the spell?
“This is a show that I have been interested in producing for awhile,” said Marilee Marsman, who is directing with Karel Malefyt as the musical director. And is it any wonder why? Besides the entertaining characters that include Cogsworth (the clock), Lumiere (the candlestick) and Mrs. Potts (the teapot), the musical is full of familiar songs including “Be Our Guest,” “Something There,” and the title track sung by Angela Lansbury in the original film, “Beauty and the Beast.”
Standing: Ashley Bylsma as Wardrode, Jared Ebels as Lumiere, Stephenie Griffin as Babs, Lucas Potter as Cogsworth and sitting, Katie Tanja as Chip and Lauren Gibbered as Mrs. Potts
More than 70 Calvin Christian High School students are participating in the production which includes cast members, back stage crew and musicians. Performing as Belle is Bethany Morse and as Beast is Scott VandenBerg. Rounding out the cast are Gabe Lamer as Gaston, Lucas Potter as Cogsworth, Jared Ebels as Lumiere, Ashley Bylsma as the Wardrobe, Lindsay Elliott as Lefou, Stephenie Griffin as Babette, Lauren Gibbard as Mrs. Potts, Katie Tanja as Chip and Josh Watkins as Maurice.
“The group really becomes like a family,” Marsman said. “It is really awesome to see them grow together and encourage each other.”
Tickets for the show are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets are available at the Calvin Christian High School office, 3750 Ivanrest Ave. SW, or at the door. For more information, call 616-538-0990.
