Schools

Crossroads Presents a Tale as Old as Time (VIDEO)

Crossroads South Middle School will perform "Beauty and the Beast" this week with a huge cast of students.

In a darkened auditorium at  on Tuesday, a huge cast of students and staff were preparing a dazzling display of talent for the community with the musical "Beauty and the Beast." 

As students practiced their choreography and singing for the musical number "Be Our Guest," staff members worked on prepping the cast and crew of 180 students for opening night on Thursday.

"This is a Disney musical so everyone knows it. The music is beautiful and the costumes are extraordinary," said director Lisa Lepore. "The great thing about this play is the message that beauty is not skin deep, and that there is beauty inside everyone. It plays into the character education themes we teach in the district. Plus there are so many characters, it gives the kids a lot of opportunities to shine."

Find out what's happening in South Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For students in the play, "Beauty and the Beast" gives them a chance to portray some of the iconic characters they grew up watching.

"This play is so much fun," said seventh-grader Chris Swierczek, who plays Lumière. "I feel like the French accent came to me quickly. The costume is really hot and it's hard to hold up the candles, but I've played this part before and I love it."

Find out what's happening in South Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The heat doesn't just affect the students in costume however, as the huge cast also presents a challenge for the stage crew.

"There's a lot of big costumes so it can be tough for everyone to move around and fit through the doors," said eighth-grade crewmember Danny Miller. "There's a lot of movement backstage, so it can be a challenge dealing with the heat."

Eighth-grader Samantha Resnick said the play offers the audience an amazing showcase of talent.

"It's really big production-wise and it looks great on stage," she said. "It's just a lot of fun with great choreography and costumes."

Though with 180 students involved, there are a lot of challenges for the cast and crew to overcome.

"The hardest part is fitting everyone through the doors in their costumes," said eighth-grader Janine Lagarenne. "But overall everyone is really good and cooperative, plus it sounds great together."

For some students in the play, the large number of kids involved allowed them to bond quickly with the rest of the cast and crew.

"I really like seeing all the costumes and meeting new people. You grow closer to everyone by doing this," said seventh-grader Jill Grzelak. "The music is great and so is the choreography."

Seventh-grader Meghna Mahajan, who's playing the lead role of Belle, agreed.

"It's so much fun and we've all gotten really close," she said. "It's so much fun to sing and act and be part of putting this all together. It's been a wonderful experience making lots of new friends."

But for some kids, just getting the chance to be part of something they've loved all their lives has been the highlight.

"I think everyone is going to enjoy this. Like the song says, it's a tale as old as time," said eighth-grader Jackie Kausch. "It's fun to see all these kids get together and tell the story in a new way. You get to see your friends dressed in silly costumes and everyone has so much fun."

"Beauty and the Beast" will be performed at  on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (March 1-3)  at 7:30 p.m. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here