Everett, Wash.
Published: Friday, January 9, 2009

Lumiere illuminates this 'Beauty'

The maitre d' of the Beast is just one member in a talented cast of the polished Village Theatre show.

By Theresa Goffredo
Herald Writer

 One of the favorite songs from "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" is the marvelous "Be Our Guest," where all the spellbound objects in the Beast's castle come to life in a most elaborate display of costumes and choreography.

The song is where Lumiere shines. He's the maitre d' of the Beast who was turned into a candelabrum. He is French. Très, très French.

It's the song and the Frenchness. That's probably why audiences are loving Lumiere in Village Theatre's production of "Beauty and the Beast" which opens tonight at Everett Performing Arts Center.

At least, that's what Lumiere, aka actor Nick DeSantis, said about why he seems to be the show stopper.

"The song's a 12-minute extravaganza with dancing flatware and plates and salt and pepper shakers," DeSantis said in a recent phone interview.

Along with this extravagance, Lumiere is also one of the most endearing characters in "Beauty," aside from Belle, DeSantis said.

"Lumiere is the most fun," DeSantis said. "He does indeed have that 'joie de vivre,' and though he's as concerned as everyone is about being turned back into human, he's not afraid to step away from that and have some fun."

Though Lumiere, the Beast, Belle and others are all part of this tale as old as time, DeSantis said the impossibly talented cast and the impeccable direction of Steve Tomkins have brought newness and nuance to Village's version of "Beauty" that the audience is sure to enjoy.

"What's new for one thing is that it feels to me the 'inanimates' seem to have so much more humanity and heart in our production," DeSantis said. "The audience seems almost as glad they are human again in the end as they are that Belle and the Prince are together. It's a really fulfilling part to the show."

"Beauty and the Beast" is about a Prince whose callousness so enrages an enchantress that she casts a curse, turning him into a Beast and all the members of his castle into inanimate objects. The curse can be broken if the Beast loves another who in turn loves him before the last petal of the enchantress's rose falls. If not, the Beast will remain a Beast forever, and the members of his castle will be trapped as anthropomorphic household items.

In the end, the Beast and his crew are saved and transformed through the love of a beautiful young woman named Belle.

Village Theatre's fresh production boasts set and light design by Alex Berry ("Cats," "The Who's Tommy"), with costume design by Deane Middleton. Award-winning actor Jennifer Paz ("The King and I") plays Belle, and Eric Polani Jensen ("Once Upon A Time in New Jersey") plays The Beast.

Besides his role as Lumiere, DeSantis, 43, seems to be getting rave reviews from other stage work. He conjured up a German accent in his one-man show, "I Am My Own Wife," for ArtsWest and did a Russian accent for a part in "Iron Curtain."

Lumiere's French accent offered a challenge.

When he first started rehearsals, "Tomkins told me, 'I don't even know where you're from right now,' " DeSantis said.

But with help from some of Peter Sellers' "Pink Panther" films, DeSantis found his groove.

"The accent in those films is huge and over the top, and perfect," he said. "After all, I'm a cartoon. I'm a 6-foot-tall candlestick."

The other challenge was in the costume: Instead of hands, DeSantis' arms end as bulky candlestick holders. To prepare for that, the actor used 3-pound weights at each rehearsal.

"Three pounds doesn't sound like a lot, but when you have to hold them for two hours at a time, it's a workout. But now I've got very well-developed shoulders," he said with a laugh.

DeSantis' background is in musical theater and computer science. He spent time in the tech industry working for such places as Microsoft and Expedia but has retired from all that to see if acting is feasible. So far, he's getting work and will act for the first time on the 5th Avenue Theatre stage when "Sunday in the Park with George" opens in April.

Until then, audiences in Everett will have to see if DeSantis' Lumiere is the showstopper. He has no doubt, however, that Village's version will be a crowd pleaser.

"It really does hit on all cylinders," DeSantis said. "This is special. This is something amazing here."
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA