WSCC’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is a family affair

Maurice (Rick Plummer) talks with Chip (Lucy Plummer) as Mrs. Potts (Jaynie Manier) looks on.

Photos and story by Jeff Kiessel, MCP Contributor

WSCC News is a presentation of West Shore Community College in partnership with Mason County Press. 

VICTORY TOWNSHIP — West Shore Community College’s Center Stage Theater has been transformed into a small picturesque village in France, for a 13 show performance of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

The musical, which opens Oct. 24, is part of the WSCC Performing Arts Series which kicked off with a performance of Michigan State University’s Bebop Spartans earlier this month.

“’Beauty and the Beast’ has been a massive and magical undertaking for the stage at West Shore Community College,” said theater director Michelle Kiessel.

Kiessel has been working with an extremely talented cast since early August, to tell the story of an unkind prince who was turned into an unsightly beast for his selfish ways. The beast, to revert to his human form, must change his ways and find true love.

“Producing a musical of the magnitude takes the expertise of many different people. It begins with a truly talented and collaborative production team, to which you then add a wonderful cast of community members and students and a professional live orchestra.”

Gaston (Elliot Plummer) sings during rehearsal of Beauty and the Beast.

The cast for “Beauty and the Beast” features several family connections including: a family with three generations of actors, a mother-daughter and a brother-sister duo performing on stage.

“Community theater is about creating a space for folks to come together and make art that could not happen without collaboration and vulnerability,” Kiessel said. “It has the ability to forge fast and meaningful friendships and connections with people you might not ordinarily meet. When we are able to add family members to that mix, as we have in this show, it makes it that much more special. The result for this show has been a cohesive cast, dedicated to supporting each other in their various roles.”

Rick Plummer, retired WSCC director of performing arts, plays Maurice the village inventor and father of Belle. Plummer’s son, Elliot, director of Ludington Area Schools choral music, plays Gaston, the arrogant hunter. Elliot’s daughter Lucy, Rick’s granddaughter, plays Chip.

“It is sheer delight to be working with my son and my granddaughter,” Rick Plummer said. “It is wonderful to be able to be on stage with my family. It has been so wonderful and fulfilling, a richly rewarding experience.”

Rick said in his 20 years of directing theater at WSCC, one of the great joys for him was getting family members together on stage.

“I am getting to experience this is spades during this production,” he said with a smile.

Elliot said he has been really excited to be acting not only with his father but also his daughter.

“This is a new dynamic for me,” Elliot said. “It is really cool to get to run lines together — with my dad — and bounce ideas off of him. To get to share the joy of making a piece of theater together.

“My dad is such a titan and to be able to work alongside of him has been empowering. To be allowed into that same space with him is really cool.”

Just knowing that he is there, on stage, helps Elliot become a better actor on stage.

“He makes me better on stage and I like to think that I can help him shine a little bit too.”

Elliot also said he remembers watching all of the Disney animated movies and also has shared those experiences with his daughter Lucy.

Paige and Wendy Rasbachsing a song on stage together during a recent rehearsal.

“It is part of the household DNA,” he said. “I have never really worked with her in an official capacity, but to work with her for her  audition, that was cool to get to share that with her.”

“Getting to run lines and work on a character with my daughter is priceless,” he said. “Growing up on all the Disney musicals were so fun and now having children I have rediscovered that joy of those Disney animated musicals.”

Lucy said working with her family on stage has been great.

She said it has been very helpful for her to be able to run lines with her dad.

Lucy said she remembers watching the Disney classics with her family, never imagining that one day she would be acting in the musical with her father and grandfather.

“My dad likes to stay in character at home and sometimes he is silly,” she said.

Wendy Rasbach — a member of the ensemble — has not performed on stage since her high school days. She loves to sing and, ironically, her favorite musical is “Beauty and the Beast.” Wendy has always wanted to act on stage with her daughter, Paige, who has become a mainstay on WSCC Center Stage Theater.

“It’s the first time since high school that she has been on stage,” Paige said.

Wendy told Paige, who is cast as Les Fille La Ville,  that she was thinking about auditioning for the production, and with her daughter’s encouragement and a little prodding, she auditioned.

”I freaked out,” Paige said.

The two even picked out what songs they were going to sing for auditions.

“We worked on all of that together and it was really fun,” she said.

The time the two are spending together has been memorable for both.

They have taken advantage of the time they spend together, not only on stage but also off of it. In the song “Be Our Guest,” the two work side-by-side singing and dancing.

Paige said she had hoped she would get an opportunity to be on stage with her mom.

Josh McGhan (middle) and Grace McGhan (right) perform a song and dance number for Beauty and the Beast on WSCC’s Center Stage Theater during a recent rehearsal.

“I thought that would be something fun to do together, because she does sing, I got my voice from her,” she said. “I think it was more of a hope than thinking it would actually happen, and now it is happening.”

Paige said she is having a lot of fun, and would love to do many more shows with her mom.

For Wendy, even after of a long day of work, getting on stage and beginning to sing together as a community gives her energy.

“I love being part of the whole family at the theater.” she said.

Siblings, Josh and Grace McGhan both have a passion for theater. The musical has allowed for the two to be on stage together were cast to the ensemble.

 “Theater is a passion of mine, I just love it,” Grace said.

Grace will be onstage with her older brother Josh, who is no stranger to WSCC’s Center Stage Theatre. The two talked about auditioning for the show prior to its run. The siblings— who live in the same house — figured they could carpool together. 

Josh was cast as the baker, Monsieur D’Arque and is in the ensemble. The younger McGhan was cast as the candle maker and in the ensemble.

“I am enjoying this experience,” she said.

The music will also feature an orchestra made up of local musicians.

“The sound that audiences will hear in Center Stage Theater for this production is going to be fuller and more classical than they have heard in quite some time,” Michelle Kiessel said. “We will have an 11 piece live orchestra that will be accompanying our cast of tremendous vocalists.

“To be able to produce this level of classical music in West Shore Community College’s intimate venue will be a treat for audience members as they watch this well known story of looking beyond surface level characteristics to find a place of true belonging and love.”

Maurice (Rick Plummer) shares a moment on stage with Belle (Katatina Moore) during a recent rehearsal of Beauty and the Beast.

For tickets contact Westshore.edu/performingarts

Showtimes are:

• Thursday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m.
• Friday, October 25 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, October 26 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, October 27 at 2 p.m.
• Friday, November 1, at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, November 2 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, November 3 at 2 p.m.
• Friday, November, 8 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, November 9 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, November, 10 at 2 p.m.

Cast List

Belle- Katarina Moore

Beast- Ben Swanson

Gaston- Elliot Plummer

______________________________

Please Support Local News

Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news. 

The easiest way is to sign up for an automatic monthly payment on Paypal. Click this link.

Alternative methods:

• We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).

We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.

If you would like to support MCP/OCP but do not wish to receive daily emails, please consider sending a contribution to any of the above methods or pay by Venmo (@masoncountypress).

_____

This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2024, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.

As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.

Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.

fb.com/stars