Jonah Platt – Beauty and The Beast: A Christmas Rose

By starrymag | December 20, 2017

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) Tell us a little bit about the premise of the show Beauty and The Beast: A Christmas Rose.

A) It’s the same Beauty and the Beast story you know and love, with a few holiday twists and some awesome hit songs from the 70s to today!

Q) What made you want to be a part of the production?

A) We’ve got an incredible cast, an incredible creative team and the chance to bring families some holiday cheer during this most special time of the year. What could be better?

Q) Costumes often help get the actor into character for their performance. Talk about how your costume/makeup helps get you into the mindset of The Beast.

A) My costume consists of a big ol’ beast helmet, hairy gloves and a hump – it’s impossible not to go into “Beast Mode” once I’ve got this stuff on— it’s pretty transformative. I use the weight of the helmet and the hump to sort of pull me into a more animalistic posture and the claws at the end of my paws help amp up my ferocity for sure.

Q) What have you found challenging about this role?

A) Finding the way to bring the animalistic qualities to Beast’s voice and posture without hurting myself vocally or physically has probably been the biggest challenge. I’m still learning new tricks every show.

Q) Do you think you know what your favorite song is going to be to sing?

A) I only have one solo and it’s “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur. I absolutely love singing it. Such a gorgeous song, just me and an empty stage in an emotional plea.

Q) Do you have any rituals that you will do for luck before each performance?

A) I don’t do anything for “luck” per se, but I have a routine I go into that helps me feel prepared and calm before I perform. Warming up vocally, eating, taking time to relax into the atmosphere and getting into costume — all part of the routine.

Q) What message do you hope people take away from this show?

A) The moral of our show is “True beauty comes from within,” as our characters state. It’s a lovely message that I hope all the kids who come see the show can absorb.

Q) Excluding your own, what’s the best musical you’ve seen or listened to recently?

A) I’ve been listening to a lot of Light in the Piazza recently – one of the most gorgeous, romantic scores in history!

Q) You have a ton of experience acting, producing, directing and performing and dancing and singing throughout a ton of different mediums. Is there anything else you would like to try your hand at?

A) I’d love to originate a role in a new musical. That would be a dream come true for sure.

Q) This play is full of the Christmas spirit. What are some of your own favorite holiday traditions?

A) To me holidays are all about family and food! So, I love spending the holidays doing just that — being with my family and eating a lot!

Q) What can fans expect to see you in after your panto is all wrapped up?

A) They can catch me on the Groundhog’s Day episode of “Superstore” on NBC in February and as a friendly troll Milton Moss on a few episodes of the new Netflix/Dreamworks Animation show “Trolls: The Beat Goes On” starting in March!

 

 

 

Jonah Platt and Kelli Berglund in Lythgoe Family Panto’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – A CHRISTMAS ROSE

Photo credit: Philicia Endelman