Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at Olney Theatre Center

In “Be Our Guest,” one of the central and showiest tunes in the hit Broadway adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, the enchanted servants share how they’ve become bored and listless with their lives trapped indoors without any guests to serve. They can’t help but break into exuberant song at the opportunity to finally once again perform a job they love doing. The cast and crew of Beauty and the Beast at Olney Theatre Center is just as jubilant at the chance to entertain after a long, dark break. Director Marcia Milgrom Dodge says she aims to tell a story where “the power of kindness transcends the frightening features of the monster.” She says the production intends to meet the messiness of the real world with the simple enchantment of a fairy tale to reach a deeper understanding of beauty, inside and out. This is one of Olney’s first indoor productions since the start of the pandemic; masks and proof of vaccination will be required for adults, while children under 12 must be masked and accompanied by a vaccinated adult. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast runs to Jan. 2, 2022, at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney Sandy Spring Rd., Olney. olneytheatre.org. $42–$90.