A tale as old as time is casting a spell over Boston this week.
The national tour of Beauty and the Beast has arrived at the Boston Opera House, and before the curtain went up on Thursday, 7’s Sarah French got a look behind the scenes.
It’s a spellbinding story with enchanted household objects, a beast, and a girl named Belle. And this week that story is coming to life right here in Boston.
The national tour of Beauty and the Beast is at the Boston Opera House for a five day run. It’s a homecoming for Braintree native and Boston University grad Stephanie Gray, who plays Mrs. Potts.
"The whole opening night and the day being here was one of the best days of my life," Gray said.
She invited us to be her guest for a look behind the scenes. Gray first showed us her teapot costume, which she says is pretty comfortable. One thing she did have to get use to was holding her arm in the shape of a teapot spout.
"I have specific exercises that I do to keep my arm in shape," Gray said.
Sarah French was particularly excited to see the costume for Lumiere since she dressed up as the candelabra for a Beauty and the Beast themed birthday party when she was a little girl.
Mrs. Potts and Belle live in the enchanted castle together, but their bond doesn’t stop on the stage. The actresses also are roommates in real life!
"I got lucky enough to live with the princess herself, princess Belle," Gray said.
But before the tour was over, Sarah met up with Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek, who plays Gaston, and some other cast members to learn a dance from the show.
She did her best to keep up, and in the end was able to pull it off!
Gray isn’t the only member of the cast with local ties. Smith-Kotlarek studied at Boston University’s Opera Institute, while the actor who plays Gaston’s sidekick attended Harvard.
Beauty and the Beast will be at the Boston Opera House through Sunday.
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