‘Beauty and the Beast’ doesn’t skimp on dazzle

There's something at the core missing from Super Summer Theatre/P.S. Productions' "Beauty and the Beast," but it's frequently easy to ignore. What is there is often stunning.

Director Phil Shelburne gives us a fairly traditional telling of the Disney musical, about (does anyone not know?) a mean, handsome prince-turned-beast who must fall in love (and be loved back) in order to break the spell that has made him ugly.

Shelburne -- thanks in no small part to designers Evan A. Bartoletti (set), Jay LeDune (lights), Frederic Pineau (costumes) and some rental companies -- has bathed the production in a visual opulence that we rarely see in community theater. I don't know how he affords it, but he's one of the few directors at Spring Mountain Ranch who seems to understand the importance of technical dazzle in outdoor musicals.

But this "Beauty" isn't just a technical triumph. Scene after scene is full of surprise talents. Supporting roles have gone to performers who have the charisma and skills to single-handily carry a show.

Steve Huntsman is broad and precise as the love-stricken candlestick. Jennifer De La Torre manages a combo of lunacy and romanticism as his sweetheart, Babette. Shannon Cook makes vanity likable as the talkative Madame de la Grande Bouche. And John Wennstrom brings dignity and warmth to his character of the walking clock.

Although there are many individual "star" moments, the production especially soars during choral numbers. The company singing and dancing numbers (with spirited choreography by Colby Baker) are often breathtaking in sweep and power.

The one fault, though, is a biggie. There is simply no chemistry between this beauty and beast.

Al Sevyn Mindoro doesn't have the commanding stage presence that a leading actor needs. And Kari Curletto, while an exceptional vocalist, smothers the role of Belle in a generic smile.

The two are so plastic that their relationship has no journey. You don't see the slow progression of their change in attitude toward one another -- and that's what the whole play is supposed to be about. Even given the pair's limitations as performers, it seems obvious that the real problem is that Shelburne didn't take as much care with the arc of the action as he did to the show's look.

The lack of real conflict makes the 2-hour 20-minute musical feel longer than it is. But until the fatigue sets in, you are likely to spend a good deal of time muttering wows.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.