5 questions with Patrick Lavery, director of Beauty & the Beast at MMT!

Discover why this musical is one that he has a deep connection with and truly cherishes with MMT's quick question and answer session with Patrick Lavery, director of our production of Beauty and the Beast which takes over the MMT mainstage from September 13-October 6!

MMT: Why is Beauty and the Beast a special and important part of your life?

PL: I wore a T-shirt the first night of rehearsal a few weeks ago that they used to sell in the lobby, that had the logo and said "My First Broadway Show" across the top. And of course that always had a double meaning for me -- not only was it the first Broadway show I had an opportunity to be in, it was also the first one I ever saw. Beauty and the Beast represents a lot of firsts and beginnings for me; the animated film was I think the first movie I ever saw in a theater, and prior to being cast in the show I had never been in a scripted production before, just concerts and recitals. So it kickstarted a lifelong love of theatre which, in its own way, led me to MMT back in 2018.

MMT: How did it come about that you landed the role of Chip in the Broadway production?

PL: When I was a young child I used to sing all the time at family parties, in church, in school, wherever, and my parents recognized that I had a unique talent. My mom had a friend, Carol Baskinger, who owns Dance Designs dance studio in Fair Lawn, NJ, and Carol knew Shirley Grant, a pretty legendary children's talent agent and manager in Teaneck. At the time, Shirley represented a lot of the kids who did The Cosby Show (which taped in NYC), and later managed the Jonas Brothers early in their careers (Nick Jonas was a Chip for a time about halfway through the Broadway run). So in 1993 I auditioned for Shirley, who agreed to represent me, and sent me on calls for just about everything. In the summer and early fall of 1994, I was being seen repeatedly by casting agents for two shows: the long-running original production of Les Miserables (for Gavroche), and what was then going to be the premiere season of A Christmas Carol (the much-beloved version that is now an MMT tradition) at Madison Square Garden (for Tiny Tim). The Beauty and the Beast opportunity came suddenly and fast: an initial audition, a callback, and an offer. Usually the casting process at that level goes many more rounds than that.

MMT: What is your favorite childhood memory of performing in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway?

PL: "Human Again" is a special song for me. The Palace Theatre, where the Broadway production played for its first five years, is an enormous, ornate house, and I just remember staring up into the blinding lights coming from the balcony level every night finishing that number. Smaller memories stick out: I had to save a scene once when one of the adults went up on their lines, I almost knocked poor Beth Fowler (Mrs. Potts) flat on her back one night at the end of the show when Chip runs out as a human boy, and there were many times I nearly let Beth, or Cass Morgan (or Barbara Marineau or Anna McNeely or Beth McVey or anyone who was on as Mrs. Potts) sing me to sleep onstage during the song "Beauty and the Beast." I've always been a night owl, but it was a rough schedule for a kid!

MMT: What are you most looking forward to during the run of the show?

PL: Like I said, this was the first Broadway show I ever saw, and I know the same can be said for a lot of people my age who now may have young, aspiring theatregoers of their own (my daughter, who is nine weeks old, will be at opening night!) I know Disney is putting the production back on tour next year, and I don't think anyone will be surprised if and when that transfers to a long-overdue Broadway revival. But while I'm not suggesting change is a bad thing, it's already been made clear that the version they are hoping to bring to a new generation will be different, and so with this production, I hope to recreate the magic so many people felt (and so many of them for the first time) starting back in 1994.

MMT: What has been the most exciting part of directing this production of the show for Music Mountain Theatre?

PL: I am constantly in awe of our depth -- of the cast itself, their talents, and the level of dedication and collaboration they bring to rehearsal every single day. Of course I wanted to convey to them how meaningful the show has been to me, but more than that, I wanted them to know what a lovely and special piece of theatre this is. The original production was not well-liked by critics, who were skeptical of Disney making a foray into "legitimate" theatre for the first time. Those critics were ultimately proven wrong -- not only by "Beauty" running for 13 years, but also by Disney never having not had a show running on Broadway since the day "Beauty" opened, many of those subsequent productions critically acclaimed for their innovation and ingenuity. But this is where it all started, and it isn't just the spectacle the naysayers would have had you believe in 1994. There are characters everyone in every audience can identify with. You root for them (or in Gaston's case, against them), you want to see them achieve their dreams, you want to believe the fantasy is real. This cast has bought into that from Day One, and I couldn't be prouder.

Special thanks to Patrick Lavery for providing the above photos.