Dozens of local youth from Cedartown are spending several weeks of their summer vacation memorizing lines and lyrics in order to provide residents of Cedartown with a top-notch performance of “Disney's Beauty and the Beast.”

The cast is four weeks away from the first performance, slated for Aug 14 at the Cedartown Civic Auditorium.

The company began preparing for the show June 1, practicing every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 10-12:30. Sometimes, the cast even returns for an afternoon of rehersals, according to Lee Lundy, who plays Lumiere in the upcoming production.

"I really hope the community takes it well," says Lundy. "It's a pretty big show. We've been working really hard."

Lundy says that-for him-mastering Lumiere the Candlestick's thick French accent has been the most challenging aspect of the show.

Because of the considerable size of this show, the children are expected to dance, sing, and perform in various roles, including enchanted objects, and various townspeople.

The show, produced by Bill and Catharine Lundy and Chuck Morris, is expected to be the biggest performance yet. This is the fifth performance for the local youth company.

Previous shows included Treasure Island, Annie, The Sound of Music and Suessical.

"This really is here to give kids something fun to do for the summer," says director Laura Lundy. "Kids are just easier than adults to work with. They are more flexible."

Next week, the cast will be back at the Grace Street Building off Main Street. They expect to begin Act I on Monday.