It takes a village— a village of 50 Frenchmen even— to assemble a production as massive as Disney’s Beauty & The Beast. And the little town— yes, that quiet village— with Belle, Gaston, all the enchanted objects? It’s set its sights on Small Town Stars Theatre Company and there it is! Disney’s Beauty & The Beast like you’ve never imagined it before, complete with flying shoes* and dancing peppermints all for young audiences,
Well, who’d have thought? Well, bless my soul! Well, who’d have guessed? Well, who indeed? That Phoenix Festival Theatre would be sold out before you could be their guest? Just wait and see— standing room at least— that’s all that’s left for their stunning production of Beauty and The Beast. Disney has a funny way of enchanting ticket buyers to purchase tickets before the run even truly gets underway. Good luck finding someone who wants to give up their ticket to this sold-out performance.
“Tale as old as time” perfectly describes this musical and I can’t think of one person that hasn’t watched this classic Disney movie, or most recently the remake in 2017. Beauty and the Beast at Damascus Theatre Company under the direction of Lee Michele Rosenthal and musical direction by Marci Shegogue will leave you feeling magical and uplifted, however there are a few bumps along the path. I must admit, this iconic Disney film is one of my favorites,
Fun fact: The story of Beauty and the Beast was originally published in 1740 as “La Belle et La Bête,” a French tale written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Gallon de Villeneuve (now, that’s a mouthful!) Oddly enough, there weren’t any talking clocks or candelabras involved in that iteration. Two and a half centuries later, Disney turned it into the animated classic most modern audiences are familiar with. It has also been adapted for the stage,