Sierra Repertory Theatre will delight audiences of all ages this summer with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, one of modern musical theatre’s biggest hits, running from June 15 through July 29 at the Fallon House Theatre.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.SierraRep.org; by phone at (209) 532-3120; e-mail: tickets@sierrarep.org; or by visiting the East Sonora Theatre Box Office (Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The Fallon House Theatre Box Office is open two hours prior to Columbia show-times. Performances are at the Historic Fallon House Theatre in Columbia State Park. Performance times are Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 2 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. Ticket prices range from $32 to $47. Discounts for seniors, children, and students (18 and over with student ID) are available for all performances. Special discounts for groups of 20 or more are also available.
Based on the classic 1991 Disney animated film, this theatrical telling celebrates the Academy Award-winning score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and is expanded with soaring new melodies that enchant audiences of all ages. It’s everything to love about the film and more in a stage spectacular. The independent Belle, trapped in her provincial town, finds her life turned upside down as she takes her father’s place as a captive in an enchanted castle ruled by an angry Beast. With help from the creatures in the castle and her own kindheartedness, Belle finds the prince inside the Beast and works to break the magic that permeates the mysterious castle and all of its inhabitants.
A fantastically enjoyable adventure, this classic musical love story is filled with unforgettable characters and dazzling production numbers, including: “Be Our Guest” and the beloved title song.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is directed and choreographed by Dann Dunn, who returns to Sierra Rep after directing and choreographing last season’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The music is directed by Benjamin Van Diepen, who audiences will remember as Jerry Lee Lewis from this year’s Million Dollar Quartet.
“Beauty and the Beast has always been a story I’ve been quite partial to since the first time I saw the film,” said Dunn. “The story will always be one that makes me think of two very large artistic influences and supporters on my life that have since passed on. My aunt brought me to see the film, which left me absolutely stunned. Years later, my grandmother took me to see the show on Broadway, which was incidentally the first Broadway show I ever saw. My mind was blown that the show was so close to the film in terms of aesthetic, and I was in awe of how all of the magic was created on stage right in front of me eyes. It was a truly magical moment which I still remember sparking the idea of theatre being something so incredibly special. As a Director/Choreographer, it is certainly not lost on me that Disney gears their material toward children. I love knowing that this may be someone’s first theatrical experience and I feel it is my responsibility as an artist, to make sure that we’re giving them the most fruitful theatrical experience that we can. It is amazing how the arts inspire, and if ever I get tired during the rehearsal day, I think about this obligation to new theatre-goers and it makes me work harder.”
Sierra Rep is delighted to welcome Brooke Quintana in her SRT debut in the lead role of Belle. Recent credits are Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (National Tour); West Side Story, Hairspray, Gypsy (Weathervane theatre), Les Misérables (Different Stages Theatre).
Daniel Rubio joins the cast as Beast after playing the role for Broadway By the Bay and Mountain Play. Recent credits include Next to Normal (Youth Musical Theatre Company), Sleeping Beauty, The Biggest Gift (Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble, Noises Off! (Pacific Coast Repertory Theatre), Billy Elliot the Musical (Contra Costa Musical Theatre), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Marin Shakespeare Company). Rubio received his training from Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) located on the central coast.
“What draws me most to the actual story is all of the wonderful lessons that are offered. It is a story of seeing beyond the physical, and looking into someone’s heart,” added Dunn. “It’s a story about a thirst for knowledge that is never quenched and how that knowledge can bring people together. It’s about a story of speaking from the heart and how love will always conquer all. Most of all, it’s a story that makes it okay to be different and how our differences make us special. There’s truly something for everyone.”
