Saturday afternoon, we went over to the Cumberland County Playhouse, my favorite theatre. We saw Beauty and the Beast. A kids play? Not exactly. There were quite a few kids there, but frankly some parts of the play were frightening to some of the smaller ones. But for those of us over six, it was a great show.

Our daughter-in-law, who often goes with us, recognized "Beauty" as a professional actress who had appeared on a soap opera. I can't remember her name, but she was a pretty girl, a good actress, and had a great singing voice. Most of the other characters were CCP regulars.

I enjoyed one lady in particular, because we have seen her in so many plays over the years. She was Bloody Mary in South Pacific, and also appeared in Oklahoma and Fidler on the Roof. Those were many years ago, but there she was again, playing a small part in Beauty and the Beast.

As usual, the playhouse production was great. In 30 years, they have never disappointed me. The sets, costumes, and effects were flawless.

The play appearently belongs to Disney now and the characters were very much Disney characters. I have seen the antimated version on VHS in both English and Spanish, and they were good, but you just can't beat a live performance. The highlight for me was a rollicking production number to the tune of "Be Our Guest." The cast played that one for all it was worth.

I think the play "Noises Off" is already in the works. I've never seen that before, so. . . .

Crossville is about halfway between Knoxville and Nashville. I've always been amazed that a small, remote town could have such an active, high quality theatre that has lasted for decades. Their plays are consistantly good and usually play to a packed house.
Howard