[NEohioPAL]Jill Hayman, Clevelander, in Beauty and Beast tour

Sun Jan 27 18:52:07 PST 2002

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Know Jill?  

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ROCKY RIVER HIGH GRAD TO APPEAR IN <I>BEAUTY AND THE BEAST<BR>
</I><BR>
Roy Berko<P>
(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)--<P>
THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--<P>
<I>Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times</I><BR>
<BR>
     When Disney's <I>BEAUTY AND THE BEAST</I> makes its joyous return to Playhouse
Square's Allen Theatre in early February,  Rocky River High School alum Jill Hayman
will be returning home for the first time in many years.  In a recent interview with the
1975 RRHS grad she revealed that she is looking forward to returning to a city which,
when she was growing up, had the reputation of being "the mistake on the lake."  She
said, "People come home as adults and often everything seems small and shabbier. 
Coming home to Cleveland, however, gives me pride and a feeling of being awestruck
by what Cleveland has done with itself in the last 25 years." It's great to see a
marvelous town which is full of pride." She went on to say, in spite of her now being a
landed immigrant in Canada, she still cheers for the Indians, and is "proud to be a
Clevelander."<BR>
     Jill's Cleveland theatre connections run deep.   She appeared at Huntington
Theatre, playing the lead in <I>FINIAN'S RAINBOW</I>, Greenbrier (now Cassidy Theatre) in
<I>GUYS AND DOLLS</I>, Carousel Dinner Theatre, Kenley Players and was even a regular
on the long-running Sunday morning <I>GENE CARROLL'S AMATEUR HOUR</I>.<BR>
     Right out of high school she worked at Halle's Department Store selling panty
hose and three nights a week she served as singer-guitarist at Don's Lighthouse.  This
was followed by two seasons at the Cleveland Play House.  <BR>
     She moved on to New York.  In her first tryout she was offered a role in a
production at the Great Lakes Theatre Festival, so back to Cleveland she came.<BR>
     She fondly remembers Bill Allman, the Managing Director of Berea Summer
Theatre, who she feels did so much for helping her theatrical career.<BR>
     Her connection with <I>BEAUTY AND THE BEAST</I> started in 1995.  She was cast in
the touring production and performed for four and-a-half months.  She has been on the
present tour for about five months.<BR>
     How will you find Jill on stage?  Generally you look for the Egg timer.  She
sometimes plays the Wardrobe.  On February 14 she will meet and greet her family and
friends while playing the major role of Mr. Potts.<BR>
     As Jill said with a giggle in her voice, "I haven't always been the Egg Timer.  At
one point I portrayed the Sugar Bowl." This enactment led to one of her most
embarrassing moments on stage.  She recounted, "I was making my entrance during
the song 'Be My Guest.'  The costume weighed 30-pounds.  I was on top of a 20-foot
staircase, started coming down, turned my ankle and fell to the stage.  I hit the floor,
my wig and hat came off, I landed in the middle of the dancers, continued to sing while
lying on the floor, was hoisted up by another cast member and finished the number."
The next edition of the Disney newspaper contained a story about the mishap with the
headline, "Sugar Bowl Not Broken."<BR>
     Jill's future?  She will continue with the BEAUTY AND THE BEAST tour until
August.  She then plans to go back to one of her passions...traveling.  She will do her
solo act on cruise ships.  She has travelled most of her adult life and the thought of
getting paid while she gets the opportunity to perform is, as she puts it, "a good thing."
Until then she will continue with her one-week stops as the show wends its way across
the USA.  As she indicated, "It's a nice way to go.  Disney takes very good care of us."     <BR>
     She encourages all her Cleveland friends to see this production, even if they've
seen past editions.  She proudly says, "they have done some restaging and I'm
impressed with the changes."<BR>
     BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the classic love story of Belle, a young woman in a
small mythical town, and the Beast, who really is a prince trapped, by a spell, in the ugly
body, runs from February 5th to the 17th.  Ticket prices are $65-$20 and can be
purchased at the Playhouse Square Box office, by calling 216-241-6000 or 800-766-6048
or online at www.playhousesquare.com.<BR>

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