BRAD GODA PHOTO
Cynthia See plays the beast and Kelly Williams is Rose,
the family drudge, in Honolulu Theatre for Youth's
"Beauty and the Beast."

‘Beauty’ adds humor
to familiar fairy tale

---

By John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com

A classic fairy tale is beautifully retold with a smooth blend of comedy and drama with nary a dancing candlestick in sight as Honolulu Theatre for Youth presents Bret Fetzer's version of "Beauty and the Beast."

The production is wonderful children's theater. The kids at a performance last Saturday laughed in all the right places and were particularly entertained by the comic performances of Herman Tesoro Jr., Cynthia See and Monica Cho.

BRAD GOTA PHOTO
Cynthia See plays the beast and Kelly Williams is
Rose in Honolulu Theatre for Youth's kid-friendly
production of "Beauty and the Beast."

Director Mark Lutwak presents the potentially frightful tale as a multilevel parable with several sugar-coated messages about the nature of love, honor and family ties. A good but dimwitted widower finds refuge from wolves in a mysterious castle. The lord of the castle gives the man everything he asks for in the way of presents to take home to his three daughters, but flies into a rage when the man picks a rose without first asking permission. The lord of the castle turns out to be a horrible beast with magic powers; the beast will spare the man's life only if one of the daughters will return to the castle in his place.

And so, you ask, which of the three daughters will be the one to save her father's life by giving herself to a hideous and violent beast?

>> Will it be Tulip (Cho) -- shallow, superficial and greedy?

>> Will it be Daffodil (See) -- shallow, superficial and stupid?

>> Will it be Rose (Kelly Williams) -- sweet, thoughtful, considerate, hard-working and the family drudge?

Kids of kindergarten age may not know the story. All others will simply enjoy this version as they're painlessly reminded that beauty is only skin deep but true love is infinite (or something like that).

Williams is a charming and engaging heroine. The other members of the cast juggle the demands of playing several characters and making multiple costume changes with aplomb.

Tesoro again displays his remarkable range and skill as a comic actor with his portrayal of a loyal horse, a rabbit, an insufferably smarmy blacksmith and a despicable bill collector -- each a fine performance. The characters of the horse and the blacksmith give him more to work with.

Tesoro's most impressive performances come in the scenes that find Rose and the Beast (See) using marionettes to express their feelings -- the Beast's hope is that she will fall in love with him; her desire is to be free. Tesoro is hilarious and very expressive as "Handsome," one of the two hapless puppets. The ever-versatile BullDog becomes Tesoro's leading lady as "Beastess," the second puppet.

See is buried beneath costume designer Melanie Taylor Burgess' elaborate beast costume for most of the show but gets to display her skills as a physical comedienne when performing as the daffy Daffodil. The costume is good; the make-up is even better.

"Beauty & the Beast" Presented by Honolulu Theatre for Youth, for ages 7 and up Where and when: 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Kennedy Theatre, University of Hawaii, and Oct. 28 at Ron Bright Theatre, Castle High School Tickets: $5 for children ages 3 to 12, $7.50 for teens and $10 for adults. Children under 2 are admitted free but a ticket is required. Call: 839-9885

The slapstick interplay between See, Williams and Cho adds considerable zip to the scenes that set up the story. The general trailer-trash behavior of Rose's sisters, and the obvious agenda of the lounge lizard blacksmith Tulip gets involved with, ensures that most kids will figure out that Rose is better off living with the Beast long before she sees it herself.

John Parkinson (light designer) and Chet Toni (sound designer) do most of the work as far as establishing the environment. Most of Storm Stafford's original set design won't be seen except for the kids who are allowed onto Fort Shafter for weekday school performances at Richardson Theatre. Burgess' success with her costume designs is thus more crucial than ever. Her imaginative horse costume, for example, alters Tesoro's posture just enough to make create a sense of a four-legged character, and the blacksmith's Elvis-parody wig is another great idea. Numerous props, such as Daffodil's barking toy dog, add to the entertainment value.

Although this HTY show is aimed at kids in the lower elementary school grades, there's enough to it that adults, parents or otherwise, can enjoy it too. One particular back-reference to squirrels will get adults laughing even if the younger kids don't get it. On the other hand, most younger kids shouldn't find it too intense or spooky.

In short, HTY's "Beauty and the Beast" is everything children's theater should be.

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