Peeling into the school parking lot in the afternoon, I had a single objective in mind. The matinee performance of the Cannon Falls theater department’s Beauty and the Beast was about to start without me, and I needed to get a spot. I hurried into the ticket line, however, I got in for free due to my enrollment at the school. Settling into my seat, I observed the usual cellphone and flash photography warning start onstage. It got super dark, and the curtain opened. The show was about to begin.
Musicals aren’t easy on a limited budget, and they’re hard to perform three times through the weekend and in front of large audiences. Yet somehow, Cannon Falls High School’s theater club has managed to show a high-quality production under pressure. While this year’s musical, Beauty and the Beast, was done well all around, there are a few aspects that stood out.
One part of performing well is dealing with any issues on the fly. And the musical cast did just that on Sunday, continuing to present the show even through issues with microphones and sound. The performers rarely broke character, even when the audience was laughing or their mics suddenly cut out.
Keeping in line with the production was not the only impressive part of the show. Audience member Josie Buck stated, “Everyone looked very sparkly with their bougie costumes.” Clearly, the costume managers, Megan Pedersen and Emily Churchill, deserve extra recognition for their hard work. The actors also deserve to be celebrated, as they did well with changing getups under a time constraint.
The audience also enjoyed other things that the actors did. Thomas Coyle said he liked it when “the people went out into the crowd and surrounded the crowd.” Indeed, being able to sprint around the auditorium in full costume is no mean feat, yet due to hours of practice, the theater department pulled it off. To add to the realism, the cast overall performed well, with William Zheng saying he liked it when the girls swooned for Gaston.
Voices are meant for singing, too. In particular, Belle (Kendahl Zimmerman) sang very well in her solos. Also, Beast (Tyler McGuire) filled the role perfectly, with his ability to fill the room with his voice.
Great acting, resilience against tech issues, and nice-looking costumes all combined to create a well-done show for the Cannon Falls theater department. It was another year with another success. Filing out of the auditorium, I reviewed that afternoon’s show and decided I would go again given the chance.
