Lauren Repella of Bear Creek and Max Snyder of Lackawanna County will appear in the lead roles in ‘Beauty and the Beast.’
Scranton Prep photo
Opening night is March 31
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Joining in the fun of “Beauty and the Beast” are Mrs. Potts, who is turning into a teapot, Cogsworth, who is turning into a clock, Lumiere, who is turning into a candalabra, and Gaston, who can’t imagine why any woman would not be interested in him.
Scranton Prep photo
“I can’t wait to share this magical experience,” said Lauren Repella of Bear Creek, a Scranton Prep senior who is excited to be part of the school’s production of “Beauty and the Beast.”
Repella plays Belle in the spring musical, which the Scranton Prep Players will present March 31 through April 3 in the St. Francis Bellarmine Theatre on campus.
She has the lead, but Repella said she would have been happy with any part.
“I’m just excited to be in it,” she said. “I look forward to each play, no matter what role I get.”
That said, she predicts this show will be particularly satisfying because it will be onstage in the theatre, in front of a live audience.
During the pandemic, the Scranton Prep Players recorded shows and streamed them over YouTube. And last spring, they presented “James and The Giant Peach” outdoors on a field.
“I think people are going to enjoy being in the theatre again, in person. It brings a whole new energy,” Repella said. “And this is such a great show, a classic.”
For anyone not familiar with the story, which is based on a beloved old French fairy tale called “La Belle et la Bete.” Repella described Belle as “an independent, charismatic and curious young woman who is kind to all and has a good sense of herself. She knows what she stands for and always tries to find the good in people.”
She even tries to find the good in a person who is under an enchanted spell, so he appears in the guise of a hideous beast. “When she first meets the beast, Belle is very frightened,” Repella said, “but she makes the courageous move to take her father’s place in the dungeon (of the beast’s castle).”
Scenes to watch for, in Repella’s opinion, are the “Be Our Guest” number, with dancing household items included in the lively choreography, and “one of the final scenes, but I don’t want to explain what we do.”
This year’s Belle is the daughter of Paulette and Christopher Repella of Bear Creek. She plans to major in interdisciplinary science in college and to eventually go into research.
She also hopes to continue performing in plays.
The Scranton Prep Players will present “Beauty and the Beast” at 7 p.m. March 31; at 7:30 p.m. April 1; at 2p.m. and 7:30 p.m. April 2 and 3 p.m. April 3.
Tickets for the show and an associated brunch may be purchased online at scrantonprep.org.