DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
NETworks presents DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
The smash hit Broadway musical plays Walton Arts Center
July 27- August 8
Northwest Arkansas (June 10, 2010) – Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the award-winning worldwide smash hit Broadway musical, is coming to Fayetteville as part of the Procter & Gamble Broadway Series. As the first show in Walton Arts Center’s 2010/11 Season, Beauty and the Beastofficially kicks off the year with a 2-week run. Produced by NETworks Presentations, this elaborate theatrical production will come to life on stage at Walton Arts Center for 16 performances July 27- August 8.
Single tickets are already on sale and can be purchased by calling the Walton Arts Center Box Office at 479.443.5600 or by visitingwaltonartscenter.org. Group Princess Package rates are also available. Purchase 10 or more Beauty and the Beast tickets and get a 10% group discount. And girls dressed as their favorite Disney princess will get a rose and other show keepsake items!
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast features the animated film’s Academy Award®-winning score with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, with additional songs with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. The book is written by Linda Woolverton. For information on the production, visit www.BeautyAndTheBeastOnTour.com.
The original creators of the Broadway production are together again for this new touring production! The play is directed by Robert Jess Roth and choreographed by Matt West, with Costume Design by Ann Hould-Ward (Tony Award® winner for her work on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast), Lighting Design by Natasha Katz, Scenic Design by Stanley A. Meyer, Sound Design by John Petrafesa Jr. and Music Supervision by Michael Kosarin.
Director Robert Jess Roth: “It has been wonderful to bring the entire original design team back together to work on this new production of Beauty and the Beast. As a Director, it is rare to have the opportunity to revisit your work fifteen years later. Hopefully I’ve grown and developed as an artist, along with my collaborators, and we can bring 15 years of experience to this new production. We have remained very close as a team over the years of producing the show around the world, and it has been so much fun getting together to re-explore and re-invent the show for this new NETworks tour. The theme of ‘Beauty’ is about seeing past the exterior into the heart of someone, and this is reflected in the design for the show, which is about transparency and layers, seeing past one thing and into another.”
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast has become an international sensation that has played to over 35 million people worldwide in 13 countries.
Beauty and the Beast is part of the Procter & Gamble Broadway Series with media support from 40/29 News and Northwest Arkansas Newspapers, LLC. Additional sponsorship is provided by Fayetteville Advertising & Promotion Commission and Linda & Lee Scott. For more information about this performance or others, contact the Walton Arts Center Box Office by calling 479.443.5600 or by visiting waltonartscenter.org.
Walton Arts Center is Arkansas' premier center for the performing arts and entertainment. Each year more than 140,000 people from Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma and beyond attend over 350 public events at Walton Arts Center, including performances, rehearsals, community gatherings, receptions, graduations and more. Approximately 25,000 students and teachers from 30 school districts participate annually in arts learning programs at Walton Arts Center, and over 300 volunteers donate more than 15,000 hours of time each year to its operations. Walton Arts Center presents entertainers and artists from around the world including Broadway musicals, renowned dance companies, international artists, up-and-coming jazz musicians and more. As a non-profit organization, Walton Arts Center enjoys the generous support of public sector funding, corporate sponsorship and private donors, allowing audience members to pay on average only 50% of the cost of programs offered. To learn more about Walton Arts Center, visit www.waltonartscenter.org.
