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| Dane Agostinis |
F: To get into the Beast costume, do you have to show up to the theatre earlier than you’re used to [for a musical theatre production]?
D: I used to. When I was first starting, I had to get to the
theatre an hour and a half before each calltime, before each show. That was
getting a bit too taxing on me, and I just didn’t have enough time to prepare
and warm up and all this stuff. I had to get in the makeup chair at an hour and
a half and get everything done. Wig and everything. So I asked if it would be possible
for me to do it myself. That way I can do my warm-up and everything on my own
time. And they luckily granted that. So now I’ve been doing my own makeup and
wig and even getting dressed by myself for a good six months now.
F: No?! So you actually put on the prosthetic appliance
yourself?
D: Yep.
F: That’s awesome! So now, by
yourself, how long does it take for you to do the makeup for the show?
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| "I can get [my makeup] done in thirty minutes if I need to" (with Emily Behny as Belle) |
F: For the experience of playing
Beast, do you find that the costume helps you get into character?
D: Oh yeah. Honestly I’ve
always felt that in every role that I’ve done. You do so much with research and
everything. But especially something like the Beast, to put on all the makeup
and this giant wig with the horns… it changes me immediately. I think that’s a
very useful tool. And I’m thankful for that. Because if I wasn’t in a great
costume, it would be harder to bring that forth.
F: And what kind of
research did you have to do to prepare for a role like Beast?
D: I didn’t want to copy
any Beasts that had been done before. I don’t like to do that in any role. So I
didn’t watch the movie and I didn’t see the play… well, I wouldn’t have been
able to [laughs]. When I was working with my director, the biggest challenge
was to find the way that the Beast moves. The way he carries himself, walks and
everything. [My director] told me to go back and look at different beasts…
different animals. Right now, we still haven’t pinpointed… and I don’t think
that we ever will, what kind of animal Beast is. He’s just an amalgamation of
everything. He’s hunched over a lot. He has a big, huge hump on his back. So
that should have an effect on him. Like he leans forward, and I’m always
crouched. I just have to do stuff like that. And I let the actual words in the
play live with me for a while. I just let it… I hate this word… but organically
come. So I had a good time with that. And a lot of it was just finding it in
the rehearsal room with the director who was so confident in me that it just let
me do what need to be done. And I think that it worked. Or hopefully it’s
working [laughs].
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| "The tour is extremely lucky to have the original Broadway and Disney team behind it" |
F: Disney is known for its
“magic.” Have you found any part of your experience working on this show
magical or special?
D: This tour is extremely
lucky to have the original Broadway and Disney team behind it. From everybody.
We have the original set designer, costume, lighting. Director, choreographer.
Everything. To be selected to do this, from them… that means a lot. These
people have been doing this on Broadway for years. So just to know that I can
hold up to their standard, I was happy about that and completely humbled about
being able to work with them. And then during the process, it was quite magical
because it felt right. With my connection with the director and my connection
with our Belle and all the other characters… it felt right. I think the entire
process has been, as you say… magical. Or should I say Disney magical [laughs].
F: How has the audience reaction
been so far in the tour? Is there any city that stands out?
D: My ultimate city, I don’t if
it’s because I opened there, but I played the last three days of the L.A.
engagement. And we played at the Pantages Theatre, and this was my first
performance. The crowds there were amazing and we were like rockstars on that
stage. They were going wild! They had said that the show hadn’t been there for
quite a while since the original tour so it’s been quite a while since anybody
had seen Beauty and the Beast. And just [being in] L.A. alone, it was my first
time through L.A. and it was my first experience being over there. And not to
mention that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and their daughter were in the
audience that first night.
F: Oh… that’s very cool.
D: That was cool. Yeah, they came
back and talked to us. So that made it really memorable.
F: Since you have family here, how
does coming to Vancouver feel for you?
D: I can’t wait. I’m only
thinking of that. I’ve been thinking of that since… well, since I knew I was
going there. I get an update from them all the time and they’re saying, “Well
now we have twenty five people coming this one night...” and other nights. It’s
just exciting. A lot of them haven’t seen me perform because they’ve been in
Vancouver and I’ve been living in New York. I’ve been performing in New York so
a lot of my family hasn’t seen me do anything. And so for something like this
role, playing Beast in the National tour… I’ve always wanted to play Vancouver
because I used to go there all the time and we’d see shows and I would hang out
in Vancouver. Because I lived in Seattle for ten years. It was only a three
hour drive, so we would be up in Vancouver as much as we could. It gets me
really excited and I can’t wait to have them all there. I luckily get to stay
with them at home for that week. So that as well. And yeah… if you could see
me, I have a permanent smile on my face thinking about it.
D: I just can’t wait.
F: So it sounds like you’ve
got lots of support here in Vancouver. That’s fabulous! Is there anything
specific that you’re looking forward to doing with your family?
D: Just being there, having our
family dinners. It’s a big Italian family, so we usually have antipasto and… It
sounds like nothing, but that’s my favourite time. Just all of us around the
dinner table just laughing and talking. I really just can’t wait for them to
see the show and get away from hotels for a while. [laughs] I used to love to
go fishing and would go fishing with my dad, my brother and family all the
time. And so he was actually looking into taking me fishing on the day we have
off there. So that’d be fun, I’m up for anything and everything. I want sushi
when we get there.
F: Of course. The last performer I
talked to, I think he was based from Ontario and he also mentioned wanting [Vancouver] sushi. Seems to be a common trend [laughs]. One last question… and it doesn’t
have to be from Beauty and the Beast… what’s something you’ve had to do onstage
that you never ever would’ve thought you’d have to do.
D: Well, I do have a Beauty and the
Beast one. And I have another one. The Beauty and the Beast one… without giving
away too much… well, people know the show.
F: People know the show (if you
don’t spoiler alert!)
D: In the end some magic happens
and hopefully there’s a transformation, shall we say. And one night when that
was happening, or rather… not happening. I had to do the transformation in a
way that we just called the “Martha Graham.” And if you know Martha Graham,
she’s this choreographer who does a bunch of weird body movement and pulsating.
So I had to do that when our transformation wasn’t working one night. It was
interesting to say that least. I can only compare it to Avatar when they’re around the home tree and they’re on their knees
and they’re moving around, trying to get the tree alive. It’s something I’m
always praying will never have to happen again.
F: And the other scenario…?
D: The other one, which is not
very Disney… my very first professional show, I did Debbie Does Dallas the musical. And there is a little bit of a
scene that involves everyone in the girl’s lockeroom… shower, rather [laughs].
F: That scene's classic! [laughs]
D: And there was a bit less…
costume than the Beast has to wear, let’s say. As fun as it was, it was
frightening to do the very first time. But we had screens and it’s
choreographed very wisely and smart. So nothing was… revealed too much. Oh, and
I guess that goes along the lines of I did Full
Monty once and we’ll just leave it at that [laughs].
(in case you were wondering...)
Follow Dane via his Facebook fanpage. For tour dates, tickets, images and videos from the upcoming production, visit BeautyandtheBeastontour.com. Beauty and the Beast on tour will be playing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver from Feb 8 - 12, 2012. Tickets via Ticketmaster.
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