By Luke Merrill, Greenwich High School Class of 2025
Dating back to 1981, The St. Catherine’s Players has long called the Lucey Parish Hall its home. This year, their production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast blows the common title of “community theater” out of the park.
The cast is a conglomerate of all walks of life: from a local hospital nurse, to a Wall Street executive, to a funeral director, this group is eclectic. Although many of them could have easily pursued a career in theater, instead, they have lent their talents to Greenwich’s theater scene, and offered a new take on a Disney classic.
Photo: Luke Merrill
The show opened with the renowned number, “Belle,” which quickly established the tenacity and energy this cast was ready to sustain for the show.
The lead character, played by Jenna Colavito (Belle), was quickly able to highlight her abilities in the reprise of the opening song, named after her own character. While she opens with a deferential, “Disney Princess” type intonation, she really proves her gusto later in the first act, singing “Is this Home?” with a powerful vibrato.
The vitality of the cast was complemented by the vivacious orchestra, of which was extremely talented itself.
Musical director Zachary Kampler led the very well-paced, yet deliberate score, for the entirety of the play. There was never a lag. The show always felt that it was moving with purpose; that it was going somewhere. And it sure was.
The show’s director, Lauren Nicole Sherwood, demonstrated an abundance of musical aptitude by strategically casting talent in the best roles suited for them, followed by a careful script analysis for the entire show. It was evident that Sherwood spent such time getting each of the scenes just right, especially those that featured the macho character, Gaston. The actor, Joe Colavito, was sure to exemplify the character’s egotistical nature through a very calculated delivery of each of his lines. Some of which were mentions of his biceps, which the middle-aged women seated in front of me really enjoyed.
The dancing expertise of Matthew Blank left scarcely a crumb on the stage. Although it was more than prevalent in the popular number “Gaston,” the cast’s capabilities were best exhibited in the iconic number “Be Our Guest.” Every kitchen utensil from a sugar bowl to a cheese grater was dancing on that stage. An honorable mention would be the napkins, of whom performed consecutive leg splits across the stage. And, a perfect dessert to the iconic number, a synchronized kickline, led by dance captain and St. Catherine’s newcomer, Katie Morgan.
The robust theater group that calls St. Catherine’s Church its home is run by the knowledgeable and savvy Denise and Tom Casazzone.
Greenwich has many hidden gems, but this musical is one that’s not to be missed. Go out and support the cast and crew for their final weekend of performances, this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. March 8th, 9th, and 10th.