Liam Moss (left), 7, of Southgate as Chip rehearses with Annie Stec, 16, of Wyandotte as Madame de la Grande Bouche, Riley Klauza, 15, of Garden City as Mrs. Potts and Ryan Moss, 9, of Southgate, as Cogsworth for ShowBiz Family Theatre’s production of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” Show times are 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12 and 13, and 3 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Royal Majestic Theater in Trillium Academy, 15740 Racho Road in Taylor. For more information, go to showbizhub.net.
ShowBiz Family Theatre presents Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12 and 13, and 3 p.m. Dec. 14 in the Royal Majestic Theater at Trillium Academy, 15740 Racho Road in Taylor.
Directed by Kamy Moss, the show features 54 local children, age 4 to 17. Admission is $10. For more information, go to showbizhub.net.
Moss urges families to attend the show together during the holidays.
“We are putting on a very family-friendly holiday performance,” Moss said. “This is a time where people can come as a family and see a show that is appropriate for everyone, and is based on the Disney musical, so it is very popular. We have done our best to do justice to what Disney has done.”
She said parent volunteers have been hard at work the last couple of months to create both the set and costumes.
“We have had some fantastic dads work hard for the last couple months to get this set,” Moss said. “Because it is such a popular show, and it is a Disney show, people have an expectation that you should have something wonderful. This is the biggest set ShowBiz has ever done; probably the most expensive one as well.”
Rachel Kret, 16, of Wyandotte, who plays Belle, said the cast has also been working hard to make it a good show.
She said she is pleased to play one of Disney’s independent-minded princesses.
“She’s a lot like me,” Kret said. “She’s kind of awkward, and she likes to read, and that has always been who I am.”
She said she has spent a lot of time on her own working on the vocals for the show.
“I think my family is pretty sick of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ now from how much I work on it,” Kret said.
She said her theater friends are like a second family to her.
“Theater has changed my life completely,” Kret said. “You have to be connected to one another because you are on stage and you feed off each other.”
Charles Doddie, 16, of Southgate, who plays the Beast, said cast members do become like a second family.
“They’re fun. They’re cool,” Doddie said. “They are like family to me. We are always having fun. We go to dinner after rehearsals and stuff like that.”
Doddie, who also plays football, basketball and baseball, encourages his teammates to come see him in plays, erasing stigmas and introducing them to something he enjoys on an equal footing with sports.
He said he tells school friends that “Beauty and the Beast” is a fun show to watch.
“It’s fun to be at and watch everyone,” he said. “It would probably make them do a show, too.”
He said he hopes he can encourage some of his teammates to audition for the next teen show the group is doing, “Guys and Dolls Jr.”
Liam Moss, 7, of Southgate, who plays Chip, said “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” is a fun, cool show.
While singing comes easily to him, he has not yet practiced his choreography wearing his teacup costume.
He encourages his friends to see his shows so they can discover what makes plays unique and appealing.
“It’s different,” he said. “It’s in person.”
Riley Klauza, 15, of New Boston, who plays Mrs. Potts, said theater is her life, and the cast is like family. She said the teen actors mentor their younger cast mates.
“This show is filled with amazing talent,” Klauza said. “There’s such a variety in age that it is different from any other version of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ that you will see.”
Harold LaBeau, 17, of Southgate, who plays Gaston, said it is fun to play the jerk.
“It is fun because it is something I don’t really get to do in public,” LaBeau said. “I am not usually a jerk, so it is kind of fun to play someone I am not.”
He said he sometimes stays in character at school.
“It’s funny, because I go to school and my Gaston role I take with me,” LaBeau said. “I have a bunch of freshmen girls that are all over me, giving me hugs every day, arguing over who is my girl and all that, so I am kind of used to it. It’s like, ‘Cool!’”
Robyn Hunt, 10, of Riverview, said she has fun playing silly girl No. 1, one of the silly girls who moon all over Gaston.
“You have to get into character,” she said. “You have to love Gaston.”
Other cast members include Allen Park residents Ryan Boos, 12, as Lumiere; Jesica Courtright, 8, as a village child and a plate; Samantha Darnell, 14, as a whisk; Kassie Kozlo, 5, as a salt shaker; and Sophia Kozlo, 10, as silly girl No. 3.
Dearborn resident Henry Ramsey, 16, plays a wolf and a dancer, while Lincoln Park residents Adriana James, 11, is narrator No. 3; Riley Lawrence, 10, is a shepherd boy; and Dempsii Rosales, 12, is a fish lady.
Also Riverview residents Grace Bock, 8, as a statue; Jenna Chapa, 14, as a napkin girl and a featured dancer; and Emily Hunt, 13, as the sausage curl girl.
Also Southgate residents Abigail Doddie, 9, as a village child and a plate; Ella Doodie, 6, as a pepper shaker; Talan Doodie, 8, as the egg man; Madison Goethe, 13, as Babette; Tyler Goethe, 16, as a wolf; Abby Hinzmann, 9, as narrator No. 1; Haley Hinzmann, 15, as an aristocratic lady; Jenna Hinzmann, 6, as a fork; Ryan Moss, 9, as Cogsworth; Olivia Murphy, 13, as the lady with the cane; Brooklyn Sage, 7, as a village child and a plate; Jackson Sage, 7, as the candle man; Scarlett Sage, 6, as a rug; and Trinity Yoscovits, 13, as a whisk.
Also Taylor residents Trevor Coit, 8, as the bookseller; Lydia Cuthbert, 7, as a teaspoon; Ariel Parks, 16, as the hat seller; Macayla Ramsey, 7, as the spoon; Gage Shomsky, 16, as the baker; and Angela Soderquist, 14, as a knife.
Also Trenton residents Melanie Huslander, 14, as a napkin girl and a featured dancer; Katie Loger, 10, as a village child and a plate; Nina Lomas, 9, as a milkmaid; and Carter Stover, 10, as LeFou.
Also Wyandotte residents Austin Charlesbois, 14, as Maurice and Annie Stec, 16, as Madame de la Grande Bouche.
Also Belleville resident Kaylei Brewer, 14, as silly girl No. 2; and Brownstown Township residents Jasmine Abernathy, 14, as narrator No. 2; Carmen Caldwell, 13, as a knife; Shayna Danyo, 8, as a fork; and Ava Gray, 6, as a lady with a baby.
Also Monroe resident Heather Sherry, 15, as Monsier D’Arque; and New Boston residents Madison Clelland, 6, as a spoon; and Kennedy Klauza, 11, as the old woman, an enchantress, and a napkin; and Woodhaven resident Sarah Lambart, 11, as a tablespoon.
‘ANNIE KIDS’ AUDITIONS
ShowBiz Family Theater will register children ages 4 to 12 for “Annie Kids” auditions until Dec. 13 for the March 27 to 29 performances. No late registrations will be accepted.
For more information, email [email protected].
A mandatory audition workshop is noon to 3 p.m. Jan. 10, with auditions 12 to 5 p.m. Jan. 17, with any needed callbacks the same day. All rehearsals are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
‘GUYS AND DOLLS JR.’ AUDITIONS
ShowBiz Family Theatre will register students 13 to 18 (still in high school) for “Guys and Dolls Jr.” until Dec. 13 for the May 15 to 17 performances. No late registrations will be accepted.
For more information, email [email protected].
A mandatory audition workshop is 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 31, with auditions beginning at 1 p.m. Feb. 7, with callbacks, if needed, the same day. All rehearsals are 2 to 5 p.m. Saturdays.