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| Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann Ceine Tsai as Belle and Stewart Adam McKensy as Beast in the musical "Beauty and the Beast" at Young People's Theatre in Toronto. |
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| Photo contributed Stewart Adam McKensy |
By Neil Armstrong
The Broadway musical, “Beauty and the
Beast,” which opened at Young People’s Theatre in Toronto in November, includes
a Jamaican Canadian actor among its stellar cast of 14 who is playing the role
of Beast.
The timeless classic features Stewart
Adam McKensy as Beast and Celine Tsai as Belle.
Initially scheduled to end on December
31, the theatre has extended the run to January 7 “due to unprecedented
demand.”
Originally produced by Disney
Theatrical Productions, “Beauty and the Beast,” ran for over thirteen years on
Broadway and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, including best musical.
McKensy says his parents immigrated to
Canada from Jamaica and their marriage produced three sons.
The children grew up attending
Revivaltime Tabernacle church in North York where he joined the choir and fell
in love with theatre.
“I have performed at Stratford and Shaw
and was in four Mirvish production shows and two US National Tours (Kinky
Boots, Wizard of Oz). I am very thankful I am playing Beast at YPT, a role I
would not expect to get and I think it is great for kids to see representations
of themselves on stage,” he said.
McKensy was last seen at the theatre as
“Grasshopper” in the YPT premiere of James and the Giant Peach (2015).
Selected credits include Me and My Girl,
Ragtime, Trouble in Tahiti (Shaw Festival); “Sebastian” in The Little Mermaid (Globe
Theatre); “Angel/Lola” in Kinky Boots (US Tour/Mirvish); The Wizard of Oz
(National Tour/ Mirvish); My One and Only,
To Kill a Mockingbird (Stratford
Festival); Hairspray, The Producers (Mirvish).
“What is there to learn from this beloved musical – this tale as old as
time? Sometimes, the hardest thing in the world is to be who you authentically
are. And sometimes it takes someone else to bring that out in you. This is a
story of hope. Despite appearances, the pretty Belle and the cursed Beast are
not what everyone assumes them to be. But their true selves could be revealed –
if they can find each other in time,” says Allen MacInnis, director.
In this
‘tale as old as time’ an enchantress places a curse on a selfish prince and all
his servants that transforms them all, but can only be undone if he learns to
love another and earns their love in return.
Belle is a
young woman from a nearby town, who feels that she doesn’t fit in with the rest
of the townspeople. She lives with her father, Maurice, an inventor who sets
off on a trip to a competition to exhibit his latest invention.
On his
journey, Maurice becomes lost in the forest and stumbles upon a castle. While
looking for help he is, instead, taken prisoner by the Prince (turned Beast).
Concerned,
Belle searches for her father, finds the castle, and her father who is not in
good health. She makes a deal with the Beast to take the place of her father as
prisoner.
Once in
the castle, Belle meets the servants who have all been turned into enchanted
objects. Desperate to regain their humanity, the servants try to make Belle
feel at home and open her heart to the Prince so that spell can be broken.
Meanwhile
Gaston, the town hero, is determined to marry Belle and destroy the Beast. What
unfolds is a journey of self-discovery, exploring what it means to be
compassionate and learning to see beyond difference.
The
musical also features Damien Atkins, Aaron Ferguson, Neil Foster,
Susan Henley, Phoebe Hu, Jacob MacInnis, Dale Miller, Andrew Prashad, Claire
Rouleau, Emma Rudy, Zorana Sadiq and Joel Schaefer.
The
creative team includes musical director Diane
Leah, musicians Jeannie Wyse and
Jamie Drake, choreographer Dayna Tekatch, set designer Sue LePage, costume designer Joanna Yu, lighting designer Jason Hand, and assistant director Liz Pounsett.
The 85-minute musical is for ages 5 and up and will run at Young People’s
Theatre until January 7. It opened on November 9.
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