MEDIA THEATRE HAS DISNEY'S 'BEAUTY AND THE BEAST' SATURDAYS IN JUNE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: ROGER RICKER/ MEDIA THEATRE/ 610-891-0100

            MEDIA THEATRE HAS DISNEY'S 'BEAUTY AND THE BEAST'
SATURDAYS IN JUNE

One of the most beloved family musicals of all time comes to The Media Theatre Saturday mornings in June at 11am. Disney's "Beauty and the Beast", in an edited Junior version, will entertain the young and the young at heart.

Disney's hand drawn classic, released in 1991, was the first animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award as Best Picture, a feat even "The Lion King" did not achieve. In 1994, Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" became a hugely successful Broadway musical with seven new songs written for the stage version. It ran for 12 years becoming the seventh most successful stage musical in Broadway history.

The Junior version of the show contains all of the popular music written by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. The script is edited to just over 70 minutes in length, maintaining all of the adventure and romance of the Prince turned into an ugly Beast and the young lady, Belle, he imprisons in his enchanted castle.

At The Media Theatre, Disney's "Beauty and the Beast, Jr" will have a cast of 30 young people from its School of The Theatre playing all of the roles. Katie Stecklair, seen in "Ebenezer" and "Narnia", will portray the lead role of Belle. Tre Fountain is the Beast, with Media's Christopher Infantino as Gaston. Brendan Desanto, who portrayed The Coroner in the main stage production of "The Wizard of Oz", is Lefou. Aston's Paige Romano, seen recently as The Caterpillar in "Alice in Wonderland", becomes Babette. Others in the cast include Owen Mannion as Lumiere and Andrew Moretti as Cosgrove, with Lindsay Ronaldson as Mrs. Potts and Patrick Gaughan as Chip. Madame La Bouche, the Wardrobe, will have two faces (Becky Ferguson and Jordan Robbins).

For tickets to Disney's "Beauty and the Beast, Jr." at The Media Theatre (Saturday mornings in June at 11am), call 610-891-0100 or visit www.mediatheatre.org. Each Saturday, pizza parties are available following the performance for an extra fee in which audience members may meet the cast.

(Pictured: Paige Romano, who portrays Babette, and Katie Stecklair, who will be Belle, in The Media Theatre's production of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast, Jr" Saturday mornings in June at 11am.)