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North Haven Drama Retelling a Tale as Old as Time

Two Belles and two Beasts will lead a cast, crew, and orchestra of more than 60 students in the North Haven High School (NHHS) production of Beauty and the Beast running from Thursday, Feb. 28 to Sunday, March 3.

The NHHS Drama Club has double cast the lead roles. Olivia Scopetto and Erich Reinholtz will play the parts of Belle and the Beast on Feb. 28 and Friday, March 1.

Their counterparts, Olivia O’Connor and Jackson Tubis, will take over for the show on Saturday, March 2 and the matinée performance on Sunday, March 3.

“We just had so much talent this year that we couldn’t decide on who to pick for the leads, so that’s been great,” said director Jacqlyn Giordano, a language arts teacher at the middle school.

The last time the high school’s drama program double cast lead roles was 11 years ago when the role of Belle was again shared between two students.

It’s all about putting on the best show possible, Giordano said.

“There’s a lot involved in the show. There’s a lot of choreography; we learned a lot of music,” Giordano said. “The leads kind of take it upon themselves to learn their lines on their own.”

With the challenges posed by a double-cast lead, Giordano said the cast working so well together has made the process easier.

“We’re surrounded by such supportive cast and crew and leaders,” said Scopetto, a sophomore playing Belle. “It’s just been a really fun experience.”

Scopetto and Reinholtz agreed that this year’s cast has had great chemistry.

“That’s what makes the musical and all these moments that we have together so great,” said Reinholtz, a senior who plays the Beast.

This will be their second show together at NHHS, following last year’s production of Les Miserables.

“[This year] we wanted something a little bit lighter and more upbeat and geared toward children as well,” Giordano said.

As part of that goal of catering to children and families, Giordano said the cast will be available after Sunday’s 2 p.m. matinée to meet with children and take photos in-character.

“We have such mature and high caliber students in the show in those lead roles that I think they’re going to thrive in that atmosphere,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.”

While the post-show meet and greet may sound like something out of a Disney park, Giordano said the idea of running a Disney classic is a daunting challenge.

“Everyone knows these characters, so when you come to see the production, you have an idea in your head of what you’re going to be seeing on stage and so you have to tailor the show to that and also the magic of Disney,” Giordano said.

To capture this magic, Giordano and the rest of the team have put together a show with 45 cast members, 15 crewmembers, and a 12 student pit band led by NHHS music teacher Ken Tedeschi and supplemented by group of professional musicians.

Costuming will be provided in part by Kathy Speeg, a sewing and fashion design teacher, and Maureen Munzer who both helped to put together the animated objects like Lumière and Cogsworth.

They’ve also rented the leads’ costumes in an effort to capture the familiar Disney images.

This all adds up to a $30,000 budget for the show. Giordano said it’s more than they usually spend on a production and something they couldn’t do without the support of the North Haven Education Foundation and money saved over previous years.

Giordano hopes the expense will turn into a good showing at the box office, where reserved seating tickets can be purchased for $15 at the door or in advance from the main office.

“I’m hoping for at least one sold-out show this year. That’s one of my goals,” Giordano said. “Last year, we got close, so I’m hoping that this year we can get one show sold out completely.”