DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST RETURNS
Contact: Jennifer Gallagher (860) 987-6082; e-mail: jennifer_gallagher@bushnell.org
March 4, 2003, HARTFORD, CT - Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the Tony Award(-winning smash hit musical, is returning to Hartford for a third engagement! The elaborate Broadway production, based on the beloved animated film, will come to life on stage at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts' Mortensen Hall April 2-6, 2003 as part of the Robinson & Cole Family Series. Tickets are available by visiting The Bushnell Box Office, located at 166 Capitol Avenue in Hartford, or by calling 860-987-5900. Tickets are also available online at www.bushnell.org. Groups of 20 or more should call 860-987-5959.
"Hartford audiences will once again enjoy the same full-length Broadway musical, complete with spectacular production numbers, Tony Award-winning costumes and unforgettable songs, which has been wowing audiences throughout the world," said Thomas Schumacher, Producer, Disney Theatricals.
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, plus an additional song by Ashman and Menken, "Human Again," not heard in the film. The play also includes seven brand new songs with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. The book is written by Linda Woolverton, who also wrote the screenplay for the animated film. The play is directed by Robert Jess Roth.
With technical wizardry and imaginative design, Disney's Beauty and the Beast is transferred from screen to stage, enhancing the elements that made the animated film a world favorite. The Tony Award-winning costumes are by Ann Hould-Ward (Sunday in the Park with George and Into the Woods) and lighting design by Natasha Katz (the revivals of Gypsy and Peter Pan). Director Robert Jess Roth, choreographer Matt West and scenic designer Stanley A. Meyer have worked together as a team for a number of years developing projects for Disney. Jim Steinmeyer and John Gauhan, creators of the illusions, have invented effects that have been performed by David Copperfield, Seigfried and Roy, Harry Blackstone and many others.
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 evil enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. 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 17 million people worldwide. The Tony Award-winning musical currently has three companies including New York, where the Broadway production is now in its eighth smash year, and on tour throughout North America and the United Kingdom.
Ticket and Performance Information - Performances of Disney's Beauty and the Beast run from April 2-6, 2003. Ticket prices range from $19.00 - $68.00, depending on performance time and seat location. Curtain times are Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 1:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. To charge by phone call 860-987-5900 or stop by The Bushnell Box Office. Groups of 20 or more should call (860) 987-5959.
About The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts - The Bushnell is Connecticut's premier performing arts center, hosting more than 450 events yearly, including major Broadway tours, symphony orchestras, family presentations, local arts and community events. In November 2001, The Bushnell completed a $45 million expansion project that added a second, 908-seat theater to the existing historic structure. The new, state-of-the-art performance hall allows for expanded arts, entertainment and community offerings. The Bushnell's nationally-recognized arts-in-education program, PARTNERS (Partners in Arts and Education Revitalizing Schools), is a cross-community educational effort serving 40 schools in 17 districts throughout the Greater Hartford area. The Bushnell opened in January 1930 and is a non-profit organization. For more information, call The Bushnell at (860) 987-6000, The Bushnell Box Office at (860) 987-5900 or visit our website at www.bushnell.org.