Above / Looking to support local performing arts? Consider tickets to the Magical Starlight Theatre presentation of a “Tale as Old as Time,” aka “Beauty and the Beast, now being staged at Naperville Central High School Auditorium. The final performance begins at 1:30PM Sun., Jan. 21. (Rehearsal photo courtesy Naperville Park District)
Update! Jan. 20, 2024 / It’s Sat., Jan. 20, and three performances remain this weekend for “Beauty and the Beast.” Consider a matinee today or tomorrow at 1:30PM and an evening show at 6:30PM today, Sat., Jan. 20. Tickets are $20 and available at the door.
Be prepared also to enjoy the warm welcome by Hector, the official mascot of Magical Starlight Theatre. Hector’s character was drawn from the first production of Magical Starlight Theatre, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” back in 1995.
Enjoy the live orchestra, familiar music, well-cast production, colorful costumes and direction.
Looking forward, as is stated in the program under “Director’s Notes,” Director Matt Colbert writes, “…Let the magic of Beauty and the Beast whisk you away. It’s more than just a performance; it’s an opportunity to reflect, connect and be part of a story that inspires a world where understanding triumphs over judgement, and he best in each of us can unfold.”
Thanks for supporting the arts!
Alert! Jan. 12, 2024 / In case you didn’t receive the notice earlier, Friday’s opening night performance of “Beauty & the Beast” is canceled due to snowy weather conditions.
Original Post, Dec. 22, 2023 / Magical Starlight Theatre, a Naperville Park District program, presents its January 2024 production, “Beauty and the Beast,” the weekends of January 12-14 and 19-21, at Naperville Central High School. The cast has been rehearsing since late October and is looking forward to the upcoming dress rehearsals and performances.
“It’s such a great show. It’s magical,” stated the show’s director Matt Colbert in a news release. “I think that people come to see it just to lose themselves for a while. They get flown away to a different place.”
The cast members are excited to transport the audience into the familiar and magical world of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” Andy Emmerich, who plays the Beast, is enjoying his role as a cartoon animal, and Samantha Keret, cast as Belle, says that it is a dream come true for her to play a Disney princess, especially Belle.
“I grew up watching Beauty and the Beast,” Samantha said. “I just loved that movie so much and it came out right at that peak time when I watched it over and over again. If I could go back and tell my little 9- or 10-year-old self I would be doing this someday, I’d plotz.”
This performance will be Samantha’s debut production with Magical Starlight Theatre and her first show in seven years. She took a long hiatus to raise her children after performing on stage for most of her life.
“I missed it,” Samantha said. “I always feel that calling to get out there to perform. It’s just in me, it’s in my blood, and I want my kids to see that.”
Consider holiday gift with tickets to ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Tickets for “Beauty and the Beast” can be purchased online at www.napervilleparks.org, by phone at (630) 848-5000 or during regular business hours at the Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center (Jackson at Eagle streets) or Fort Hill Activity Center (Fort Hill at Quincy) until 4PM on the Friday of the performance weekend. After that time, tickets must be purchased at the door for the remainder of the weekend. Tickets are $17 in advance or $20 at the door.
Performances begin at 7:30PM on Fridays, Jan. 12 and Jan. 19; 1:30PM and 6:30PM on Saturdays, Jan. 13 and Jan. 20; and 1:30PM on Sundays Jan. 14 and Jan. 21.
For additional information, visit www.napervilleparks.org/magicalstarlighttheatre.
Rehearsal photos courtesy Naperville Park District.
Post last updated, Jan. 20, 2024.
