Berry beastly

Ex-American Idol contestant and thespian Colton Berry is no stranger to the stage, local or national. So it made sense for Staunton Performing Arts Center’s executive director to request his assistance.

After working at a theater company in Houston, Texas, for a year following his Idol experience, Berry returned to the area.

“I thought I’d take a break. But you never stop,” the 19-year-old said. “Judy [Mosedale] asked me to work on a fundraiser.”

The product of that conversation, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” will be performed at the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia’s Octagonal Barn from Thursday through Sunday.

Janie Ballurio, SPAC’s board president, confirmed that the group wanted Berry’s input.

“He’s our American Idol star and he was back in town. We wanted to do a fall fundraiser and Judy asked Colton if he’d like to be involved. He said he’d love to,” she said.

Ballurio said that Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” was exactly the type of entertainment that would be presented from the arts center main stage when it is finally completed. But until that time, she is glad that other venues are willing to step up and pitch in.

“The Frontier Museum’s definitely donating to the cause,” she said. Other than paying for nightly maintenance of the Octagonal Barn, the museum did not charge SPAC for use of the space.

“The more we do for Staunton, the better for the Frontier Museum and the better for the whole area, Waynesboro included. This is not a competition, it’s a cooperative effort to better the area,” Ballurio said.

This is Berry’s second production of the play; the first was in 2005 for Verona’s ShenanArts.

This reprisal, though, is where Berry’s accumulated talents will be brought to bear upon the story, in his multiple roles as director and producer, choreographer, costume designer and actor.

“Everything has to be done the way that Disney wants it,” Berry said. “And it will be everything that everyone would expect from the animated show, just live on stage.”

That includes utilizing the dance portions of the production, something that Berry said had not been as important in productions he’d been part of previously.

Experience taught him that choreography is very important in the world of theater.

“The first tryout I went on they wanted me to dance ... and it was ballet. I told them I had no idea what they were talking about,” Berry said.

He subsequently took dance classes at 7:30 a.m. every morning for a year.

The experience gave him the confidence to choreograph all the dance numbers for “Beauty,” in addition to designing and creating about 75 percent of the costumes for the production.

“With some help from ShenanArts and Mary Baldwin [College],” said Berry.

One aspect that Disney did not dictate was the time period of the story, so Berry calculated that the Rococo period of the late 1700s would be perfect.

“It is reminiscent of the period in which Marie Antoinette, of France, lived,” said Berry, “with the very large skirts on the gowns and the ornate decorations.”

Belle’s yellow gown will be an example of the young designer’s view of the opulent period.

Ballurio said that Berry is very creative.

“Everything he does is absolutely fantastic. He’s such a perfectionist and very professional,” she said.

Eighteen cast selections were made for “Beauty and the Beast” from the area’s pool of dramatic gems and some of the top local actors available, said Berry.

Andrea Saunders has a title roll as Belle along with A. Ross Neal, as the Beast. Veteran actors Hank Fitzgerald, Barbara Spilman Lawson and Bob Wright have leading rolls as Gaston, Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth respectively. Berry plays Lumiere. Lauren Preski (as Babette); Nancy Houseknecht (Madame de la Grand Bouche); Matthew Riley (Le Fou); Bill Martin (Maurice); Lindsey Walters, Victoria Berry and Liz Leone (the silly girls); Karen Romig (the aristocratic lady); Hannah Woodrum (the school girl); Matthew Johnson (the baker); Michael Riley (the bookseller); and Drake Berry (Chip) complete the cast of 18.

“[Barbara Spilman Lawson] is brilliant as Mrs. Potts,” Berry said, “and we were very lucky to get Bill Martin to perform with us.”

Another aspect to this production that Berry stresses the audience would appreciate is its ability to drive the story home in a way that the animated production cannot.

“[A] live [show] is so different, it’s intensified and more human,” said Berry. “The audience isn’t just going to be able to sit there. With it being performed in the round, they’ll have to move around a bit to see all the actors and at almost any time during the play, the actors will only be about a foot away from the audience.

“It’ll be really cool for the kids.”