“A Tale as Old as Time…”
Cincinnati – The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s 24-25 Farewell MainStage Season at the Taft Theatre opens with a dazzling, brand-new production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. October 12-21, 2024. Tickets are on sale now at www.thechildrenstheatre.com. This is the company’s last season at the Taft Theatre before opening the reimagined Emery Theater in October 2025.
Based on the original Tony Award-nominated Broadway production that ran for over thirteen years and the Academy Award-winning motion picture, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. is a fantastic adaptation of the story of transformation and tolerance. The show features some of the most popular songs ever written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice. Book by Linda Woolverton. Originally Directed by Robert Jess Roth. Originally Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions.
The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end, and he will transform into 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.
TCT’s production will be directed by TCT’s Associate Artistic Director, Maddie Jones, and choreographed by Artistic Director Roderick Justice.
Ideal for ages 4+. This production runs approximately an hour without intermission.
Public Showtimes include:
- Saturday, October 12 at 2 PM
- Saturday, October 12 at 5 PM
- Sunday, October 13 at 2 PM
- Friday, October 18 at 7 PM
- Saturday, October 19 at 11 AM
- Saturday, October 19 at 2 PM
- Sunday, October 20 at 2 PM
Accessible Performance:
- Saturday, October 12 at 2 PM
Additionally, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati presents eight additional performances of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR for school students, including an exclusive homeschool performance. Tickets are $10 per student, with one free adult admission for every 15 students. Call Pam Young at 513-569-8080 ext. 13 for details. Free proficiency test-focused Study Guides are available starting September 3 online at www.thechildrenstheatre.com.
TCT last produced Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. in 2009 and 2014, and the new 2024 production will feature a fresh concept with an interesting twist for the “tale as old as time”
Puppets designed and provided by Kevin Frisch and The Frisch Marionette Company.
Dani Lobello, Director of Production and Sound Designer. Tyler Gabbard, Scenic Designer. Ben Gantose, Lighting Designer. Noelle Wedig, Costume Designer. Maggie Foley & Andrew Nunley, Technical Direction. Adam Borchers, Properties Supervisor. Jadi Davis, Production Stage Manager.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. is made possible by Dress Run Sponsor TriHealth, Production Sponsor The Summit Hotel, and Season Sponsor The Charles H. Dater Foundation. PNC Foundation provides additional funding for MainStage Ticket Subsidies. Additional Sponsors include The Sutphin Family Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, and The Shubert Foundation INC.
The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is supported by the tens of thousands who generously give to the annual ArtsWave Campaign, the region’s primary source for arts funding. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s Broadway-style MainStage productions, including Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR., are performed in the historic Taft Theatre, 5th and Sycamore Streets in Downtown Cincinnati. Tickets start at $12. Visit thechildrenstheatre.com or call the TCT Box Office at 513.569.8080 x10, Monday – Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM to purchase tickets.
CAST
- JUDE ABELLA…Ensemble
- LENA ANDREWS….Mrs. Potts
- KATE BAUER…Ensemble
- JUNO BROSAS…..Belle
- *BRINLEY CULVER….Ensemble
- EDRICO EVANS-PRITCHETT……Ensemble
- *AVERY FOX….Silly Girl 3, Ensemble
- JOSH GALLOWAY….Lefou
- JONATHAN HOBBS…Ensemble
- MAX HUNKLER… Monsieur D’arque/Ensemble
- JAMES JONES…Lumiere
- EVAN KOONS….Gaston
- ETHAN KUCHTA….Beast/Prince
- *CLAIRE LONG…Ensemble
- *ELLI MADDOCK….Silly Girl 1, Ensemble
- CASEY MERREN…Babette/Milk Maid
- AUSTIN MILLS….Ensemble
- BOBBY MONTANIZ….Maurice
- GABRIEL KANAI NAKATA…Cogsworth
- ANTHONY NOCERO…Ensemble
- *PARKER PATTON…Chip
- *KIP RICHARDSON…Ensemble
- AVERY SHERMAN…Ensemble
- COLTON SLADE….Ensemble
- MADELINE STERN…Wardrobe/Ensemble
- KARI KEELER STEWART…Ensemble
- CYNSERE STEVENS…Ensemble
- *LISA TAKAHASHI…Ensemble
- *KEYA VADIVELU…Silly Girl 2, Ensemble
- *MIA ZINK…ENSEMBLE
Understudies
For Cogsworth and Lefou: Jude Abella; for Beast and Gaston: Jonathan Hobbs; for Belle: Elli Maddock; for Mrs. Potts: Claire Long; for Wardrobe: Kari Keeler Stewart; for Monsieur D’Arque and Maurice: Cynsere Stevens; for Chip: Lisa Takahashi; for Babette and Silly Girl: Mia Zink
*Denotes TCT’s Young Artists Company
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
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