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Making a beauty out of a beastly economy

By MARK O'BRIEN

COHOES, N.Y. -- It's a classic story made famous by an animated movie, but in Cohoes, "Beauty and the Beast" is a big-time production aimed at bringing big-time audiences back to local theater.

"We are going through such a pinch," says Tony Rivera of C-R Productions.  "We certainly are."

The Cohoes Music Hall has been hurt by the economic recession.

Subscription tickets are down 40 percent.  Attendance is down 25 to 50 percent, depending on the show.  And corporate donations have significantly decreased, as well.

"It's a total shame," says Janie Wallace, who plays "Belle."  "It makes you more grateful for the work when you get it."

Wallace says people should attend local theater because it's a more intimate experience than the bigger playhouses.

"I feel so lucky to be able to walk out in that gold dress and to hear the audience react," she says.  "You can't get that from a movie.  It's just remarkable."

To cut down on production costs, the theater is changing the way it builds its sets.  For example, rock walls in the "Beauty and the Best" set are made out of plywood and painted Styrofoam.  Trees are made from an opaque fabric material called muslin, supported by chicken wire and hardened by glue.

"We got really creative this year with recycling a lot of our materials," Rivera says.

The Music Hall has also launched online ticket sales and family package deals, hoping to just break even on this production, which is one of C-R Production's biggest in its eight-year history.

"The names of the shows are what will attract people," Rivera says.

Based on the reactions from Friday's dress rehearsal—students at Abram Lansing School in Cohoes—the Music Hall might just have a hit on its hands.

"That was really cool," many students said after the two-hour performance.

Beauty and the Beast runs Dec. 4-20.