arts&life

theater

A Brand-New

Beauty

The Bloomfi eld

Players brings

Beauty and the Beast

to life on a pristine

new stage.

RONELLE GRIER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Eli Eisenberg, Ellory Becker, both of
Bloomfield Hills, and Richmond Tyler
of West Bloomfield

details

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
runs March 17-19 and 24-26 at
the Bloomfield Hills High School
Theater, Bloomfield Township. $15
for adults and $12 for seniors and
students. Call (248) 433-0885 or
visit etix.com/ticket/v/11559.

A

n enchanted castle filled
with captivating charac-
ters, a beast with a heart
of gold and an ancient curse that
only true love can dispel — this
is the magic of Disney’s Beauty
and the Beast, the latest produc-
tion of the Bloomfield Players.
The musical opens March 17 and
runs for two consecutive week-
ends through March 26.
Featuring a 36-member cast
ranging in age from 8 to 76, this
Broadway hit brings to life the
timeless tale of the unfortunate
beast who wins the heart of the
provincial beauty Belle in a fam-
ily show with dazzling costumes,
lively songs and dance numbers
sure to delight audience mem-
bers of all ages.
Co-producers Lisa Rich and
Stacy Gittleman, both of West
Bloomfield, are thrilled to be
working together on such a fun
and fanciful production.
“It’s a beautiful show, and the
young kids are having a blast
being napkins, forks and knives.
It’s just so much fun to watch
them learn,” Rich says.
Like many members of the
Bloomfield Players family, it
was their children who brought
them into the fold. Rich became
involved in 2002 when her then-
9-year-old daughter, Marlee, was
cast in The Sound of Music. Rich
and her daughter continued
their involvement onstage and
behind the scenes, while her
husband, Larry, lent support by
ushering during Lisa’s shows.
Rich now serves as president of
the Bloomfield Players board.

“My favorite times were being
onstage with my daughter,” she
says.
Gittleman’s first exposure to
the Bloomfield Players was in
2013 when her then-fifth grader,
Toby, came home from school
with a flyer for Fiddler on the
Roof. When he was cast in the
show, Gittleman became a “stage
mom” — but instead of dropping
Toby off at the door, she would
stay and help out. She began
performing a variety of on- and
off-stage tasks, including acting,
chaperoning kids in the green
room and using her journalism
background to help with public-
ity. Before long, she was asked to
join the theater’s board of direc-
tors. Beauty and the Beast is her
first experience as a producer.
“When you perform, you get
to understand what goes on
around you,” Gittleman says.
“But performing is just the tip of
the iceberg.”
As a producer, she has learned
how to coordinate all the behind-
the-scenes components that go
into a successful show, such as
script selection, hiring a cohesive
creative team, casting the parts
and coordinating costumes and
scenery.
“We get a lot of support from
our board, but there are a lot of
details, a lot of spreadsheets,” she
says. “It’s a learning experience.”
Beauty and the Beast is the first
Bloomfield Players show per-
formed on the new stage of the
renovated Bloomfield Hills High
School, a consolidation of the
former Andover and Lahser high

Lisa Rich, left, and Stacy Gittleman in The Music Man

schools in the Bloomfield Hills
School District. The stage and
dressing areas are state-of-the-
art, with the look and amenities
of a professional theater.
“We are very grateful to [the
Bloomfield Hills School District]
for allowing us to use their space
and their new stage. It’s phenom-
enal,” Gittleman says. “It was a
very moving experience to stand
on it for the first time, knowing
our show would be performed
there, like a dream come true.”

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Bloomfield Players is known as a
family theater group in both figu-
rative and literal terms.
“We’re very different from
other community theaters
because we stress the family,”
says Rich, who adds that if a
family auditions for a show, a
place will be found in the cast for
every member of that family. “We
embrace the family concept.”
The Foreman family, which
includes Fred and Jane and their
daughter, Jacqui, are one of
Bloomfield Players’ theater fami-
lies. Jacqui is one of the featured
dancers in Beauty and the Beast,
while Jane volunteers in various
capacities and Fred runs the
sound board.
“We’re so lucky to have the
Foremans; they’re like the wind
beneath our wings,” Gittleman
says.

jn

Udi Kapen and his daughter,
Kayla, are another family team
who shared the stage for many
performances until Kayla left for
college. Udi has stayed involved,
playing the villager D’Arque in
the current production.
Gittleman, who joined the
Bloomfield Players soon after
her family moved here from New
York, is gratified when other
new-to-town families join the
group.
“I have a family of adopted
children, my theater kids, who
I’ve watched grow up. We’re a
family. We care about each other.
We’re there for each other,” says
Rich while baking cookies for the
next day’s rehearsal. “Kids meet
on our stage and become lifelong
friends.”
Husband-and-wife team Steve
and Sandi Krupa bring decades
of experience in community the-
ater across Metro Detroit. Steve
is the director of the show, while
Sandi is in charge of costumes.
“They have called in all their
resources to get these amazing
costumes,” Gittleman says.
Other Jewish cast and crew
members include Ellory Becker,
Rob Grodin, Robert Hack, Tyler
Richmond and Meredith Shapiro
(ensemble); Eli Eisenberg (Chip),
Joyce Breitman (props); Debby
Portney (house manager);
Richard Gibbs (stage crew); and
Carol Cooper (makeup). •

March 16 • 2017

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