Three cast members from PHAMALY's "Beauty and the Beast" production share their excitement and a few notes of the upcoming opening July 17, 2010 at the Space Theater in The Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
David Wright, who plays Maurice the father, shares a bit of his personal history of how he joined the Physically Handicapped Actors & Musical Artists' League, and also how he deals with not being able to hear other actors' cues telling him when he should say his own lines.
Daniel Traylor, who plays Lumiere the candlestick/Matre D, is the son of a PHAMALY founding member, Kathleen Traylor, who plays Mrs. Potts, the teapot. Daniel recalls growing up with PHAMALY since he was two years old. But this production puts him in a leading role, and there are still a few more rehearsels to go and some trepidation. Daniel was in PHAMALY's production of "Man of La Mancha" performing as part of a horse in the impressive opening number many definitely recall.
Stephen Hahn, who plays the boar Gaston, looks forward to this leading role also. You may remember Stephen as the repairman in "Barefoot in the Park" or the angry newscaster of "Screws in the News" that was part of PHAMALY's Vox Phamilia production. He was a whip cracking boss in "Side Show" too.
Now celebrating 21 years entertaining Denver, PHAMALY is an award-winning Colorado-based theatre company entirely made up of performers with a wide variety of physical and mental disabilities. Even though PHAMALY's primary mission is to enable people with disabilities to showcase talents through live performance, PHAMALY always approaches each production with especially insightful interpretations the audience might not have expected. There's no ho hum stuff here.
PHAMALY also seeks to make the performance more accessible to everyone, and in that vein:
A special AUDIO DESCRIBED and American Sign Language SIGNED performance is scheduled August 8 at 2 pm, with a backstage sensory tour at 11 am for those with ADVANCED RESERVATIONS at 303-575-0005. The sensory tour includes touching costumes, props and sets.
Ticket info: 303-893-4100. Performances at 7:30 PM Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through August 15, with Sunday matinees at 2 pm also, and a Monday July 26 show. Dress rehearsels July 15 & 16 are treated as "previews."
