North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theatre opens its Plano Summer Musical Series with the magical “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” featuring a cast of some of the finest adult performers in the DFW metroplex, from professional operatic performers with experience in Carnegie Hall to a high school theater teacher.
Co-starring with “Belle” Alexis Bruza whose voice and beauty grace the stage, Kris Allen lends his booming baritone and subtle growls to offer a compelling and powerful performance as the “Beast.” With a dual-career of educator and performer, Kris Allen devotes most of his time to his students as the Director of Theatre at Frisco High School where he recently led them to become the 2019 UIL 5A State One-Act Play silver medalists. He’s similarly excelled onstage, having captured a Column Award nomination for his portrayal of “Sam Carmichael” in Mamma Mia, together with other impressive credits and his captivating performance as the “Beast” in North Texas Performing Arts Repertory’s Plano Summer Musicals.
Allen’s work onstage shows that one can be a great performer and still perform well in the classroom. “Being a performer and teacher can be tricky,” says Allen. “In my experience, performing has given me the opportunity to show my students and their parents that maybe I really do know what I’m talking about.”
The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really 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 be transformed into his former self. This is the perfect show to bring the entire family together for a magical and heartwarming evening. “Like most Disney shows there is certainly a target audience for young patrons of the arts, however our hope is that the parents that bring their kids to the show are just as transported into the world and have a wonderful time,” says Allen. This “tale as old as time” is filled with spectacular costume and set opportunities or, even more simply staged, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast offers a great opportunity to bring your entire community together for family theatre at its best.
Credits: Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice, Book by Linda Woolverton. Originally Directed by Robert Jess Roth Originally Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions Orchestrations by Danny Troob, Vocal Arrangements by David Friedman Incidental Music by Michael Kosarin, Dance Arrangements by David Chase. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
