Missoula Children’s Theatre presented Beauty Lou and the Country Beast, an original country western adaptation of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast on Saturday, March 1 at the THS Commons. Beauty Lou is the oldest daughter of the bronc-bustin’ balladeer Buck. At the local county fair, young Beauty Lou is upset by the ungrateful behavior of a miner who has won the blue ribbon for his beautiful roses. She calls him a beast and wishes that he would look like one too. Years later, when in danger of losing the family farm, Buck meets the miner-turned-beast. Beauty Lou agrees to befriend the Beast in order to save her family. Beauty Lou and the Beast both learn to look beyond appearances and first impressions and to see the beauty that dwells inside. The story, set in the American West, also features Beauty Lou’s six sisters, her Imaginary Friend, her dog Fleabite Clyde, farmhands Slim and Dusty, the neighborly Country Folk and the Barnyard Critters.

The Cast of Characters: Younger Beauty Lou: Jessica Heinlen; Older Beauty Lou: Maya Johann; Slim: Joey Coleman; Dusty: Cody Stirek; Fleabite Clyde: Sarah Green; Imaginary Friend: Lex Hilton; Beast: Jordan McGuire; Younger Daughters: Treshelle Caddy, Stella Crutcher, Miriam Gutierrez, Skylar Hardesty, Madison Prock, Brielle Wahl; Older Daughters: Noni Alley, Erica Breshears, Abby Duchow, Rachael Sawyer, Phoenix Willging, Kara Willson; Country Folk: Emma Alexander, Sara Alexander, Savanna Bones, Marcie Brazil, Jessie Burks, Cailee Denison, Allison Glanzer, Vanessa Gronlund, Brianna Guiterrez, Connor Hardesty, Daniel Keane, Katie Keane, Quaid McCormick, Tait Olson, Lily Reavis, Cheyenne Stirek, Alexis Swanson, Alyssa Wince; Barnyard Critters: Megan Bones, Bradon Prock, Becky Martin, Abby Martin, Chloe McFarland, Kaitlynn Cannaday, Megan Heinlen, Elizabeth Olson, Brody McCormick, Mary Lu Tafolla; Assistant Directors: Athena Rietveld, Makayla Ramsey; Accompanist: Debbie Hackett; Buckaroo Bob: Justin Braun and Director: Hali Free.