Magical Starlight add tweaks to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ but it’s still a tale as old as time

When Samantha Keret auditioned for “Beauty and the Beast,” she was only hoping for a callback audition. She never dreamed she would land the role of Belle.

Likewise, Matt Colbert was Spoon No. 2 in “Beauty and the Beast” when Magical Starlight Theatre staged it back around 2005. Now, he is directing their production of “Beauty and the Beast,” running Jan. 12-14 and 19-21 at Naperville Central High School. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 1:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and at 6:30 p.m. Saturdays.

Colbert, a music teacher at Jefferson Junior High School in Naperville, has done several other shows with Magical Starlight since that first one and was excited to come on board.

“Magical Starlight is a fun organization. It has a good reputation,” he said.

As for Keret, this is the Naperville resident’s debut with Magical Starlight Theatre and her first show in seven years, having taken a hiatus to become a mother.

“Didn’t we get lucky,” Colbert said. “I think she was the second person to audition. We saw she was something a little bit above the normal community theater caliber.”

Although she was longing to play Belle, she didn’t think she would get it — “being a woman of a certain age,” she said.

“It was a pleasant surprise and I’m very grateful,” she said. “It was my first audition in nearly 10 years.”

She performed with theater companies in Chicago and Los Angeles before moving back to Naperville and starting a family. When the time came, she promised herself she would audition for Magical Starlight’s next show, not even knowing it was one she adored.

“I love this show and it was a dream of mine to play Belle,” she said. “I thought, ‘I will be happy just to be in the ensemble, just to be back on stage and have that creative outlet again.’”

Being a bit older and a mother has changed her perspective playing Belle.

“When you are younger and naive and don’t have a lot of life experiences, it was more about being seen. And yeah, I loved to do the craft and the process of it, but I didn’t have the insight into life and being an adult and being a mother,” she said.

“Being a mother can humble you. A lot. You see things in a different way. I appreciate the rehearsal process so much more. I appreciate the art of being able to tell a story to someone so much more and just being able to understand a character and being able to insert myself into a character’s life because I have that life experience.

“Now, it’s not about the audience seeing me and thinking that I am great and talented, it’s about me giving to them and being like, ‘Let me tell this story for you. Let me find out who Belle is and tell the tale as old as time.’”

The script is a bit different — a few things are around to make it a little shorter and more streamlined for the younger members of the audience, Colbert said. He has also tried to add nuances to the characters.

“Like, Gaston has always been a comically evil character. If he’s a bad guy, why not make him a bad guy? It’s OK, kids can be a little bit scared every once in a while,” he said. “I’ve tried to allow the actors to add a little more depth to characters than you might see in the movie cartoon.”

He thinks people will love this show, especially because it’s a familiar Disney story.

“People want to go because they want to get lost in the magic of the moment,” he said. “I think that’s why people will enjoy it.”

The talented cast will put on an excellent show, Keret said.

“The talent in this show is off the charts,” she said. “It is so, so, so excellent — right down to the very last ensemble member. I’m so excited for (people) to see it — especially my kids.

“This will be the first time my kids will ever see me onstage. So to be playing a princess that they all know and want to be — I have three daughters — it’s very exciting for me. It’s very meaningful.”

‘Beauty and the Beast’

When: Jan. 12-21

Where: Naperville Central High School, 440 Aurora Ave., Naperville

Tickets: $17-$20

Information: 630-848-5000; napervilleparks.org/magicalstarlighttheatre

Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.