Kids give their all preparing for‘Beauty and the Beast Junior’

If the success of a play were measured solely by the amount of work that goes into it, then Southwest Playhouse’s musical production of “Beauty and the Beast Junior,” opening July 28, is guaranteed to be a blockbuster.
Jill Powell, the play’s co-director, said the all-youth cast has been working as hard as any group of adult actors she’s come across. “When the kids come to rehearsal they’re prepared,” she said. “You can tell they’ve been practicing their lines and working on memorizing the songs. Their work ethic is phenomenal.”
The kids’ hard work is especially impressive considering that the amount of time they’ve been given to rehearse is only a fraction of what most casts get. Powell explained that, normally, Southwest Playhouse casts are given six to eight weeks to get ready for a play. And musicals, like “Beauty and the Beast Junior,” usually take up the full eight weeks