BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Closes at TPAC's Andrew Jackson Hall 6/20

Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the award-winning worldwide smash hit Broadway musical, is coming to Nashville as a special of the HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC series and presented by Miller and Martin PLLC. Produced by NETworks Presentations, this elaborate theatrical production will come to life on stage at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, June 15-20, 2010. For information on the production, visit www.BeautyAndTheBeastOnTour.com.

Tickets to Disney's Beauty and the Beast are on sale now, and range from $25-68, depending upon performance time and seat locations. For tickets, visit www.tpac.org, call 615/782-4040, or visit the TPAC Box Office (Downtown or at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in The Mall at Green Hills). For groups of 10 or more, contact TPAC Group Sales at 615/782-4060 or groups@tpac.org.

"‘How did they do that?' is the question heard most when seeing this stunning production," said Kathleen O'Brien, TPAC's president and CEO. "This is Disney magic at its finest, and audiences young and old won't be disappointed with the clever combination of fantasy and reality brought to life through brilliant costume, set, special effects and song. School's out for the summer, and enjoying live theatre as a family is a great option for those who may not be traveling this year."

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.

The original creators of the Broadway production are together again for this new touring production! The play is directed by Rob 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 Rob 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.

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