Perkasie performer Maya Borrowman, now a Utah State University student, is revisiting a role she created at Penn Ridge High School not too long ago. Natalie Rust, of The Utah Statesman, covered her second shot as Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

Borrowman’s talented voice developed at such an early age, she wasn’t even tall enough to view herself in a standing mirror to watch herself vocalize. Instead, she would peer into the glass reflection of the oven in her home kitchen that was just the right height.

A slot in the Pennridge Middle School choir propelled her to the high school’s production of Beauty and the Beast a handful of years later. She auditioned — and not only got a role, she got the role: Belle.

The 2022 collegiate revisit to the role of Belle has afforded her the time to “explore the character more.”

That introspection has yielded some interesting insights, including parallels drawn to Borrowman’s foundational years in Perkasie.

“I loved it there,” she said. “But I also remember feeling kind of trapped.”

Her homelife has also been woven into the performance. Borrowman’s close relationship with her dad brings depth to her scenes with her onstage father.

Lindsey Kelstrom, director of the musical, says that Borrowman fully embodies the role.

“Belle will bring you to tears,” she said.

More on this local Utah State University star is at The Utah Statesman.