Cal State Fullerton’s fall season begins with “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, book by CSUF alumna Linda Woolverton ’79 (M.A. theatre arts), and directed by Martie Ramm. The play runs from October 11 – 27, 2019 in the Little Theatre on campus. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, Disney’s family friendly musical – a “tale as old as time” – tells the story of Belle, a smart young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, a 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 return to his former self. But time is running out. Will he be transformed by love or doomed for all eternity?
Although their first breakthrough came with the 1982 hit Off-Broadway musical “Little Shop of Horrors,” the Oscar-winning team of songwriter and film composer, Alan Menken, and lyricist Howard Ashman are perhaps best known for their unforgettable music for Disney movies such as “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin,” in addition to “Beauty and the Beast.” British lyricist and librettist Tim Rice is credited with some of Broadway’s most enduring hit musicals including Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Evita,” as well as the stage version of “The Lion King.” CSUF alumna Linda Woolverton has the distinction of writing the script for the first ever Oscar-nominated animated film, “Beauty and the Beast,” and was later nominated for a Tony award for her stage adaptation of the film. Director Martie Ramm is an award-winning director and choreographer who has helmed professional theatrical productions ranging from “Evita,” and “Hairspray,” to “Macbeth” and “The Importance of Being Earnest.” She was also production manager for the Los Angeles company of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.”
Scenic design is by Fred Kinney, costume/hair design is by Kathryn Wilson, makeup/wig design, Remy Fogelman, lighting design is by Jeffrey Teeter, sound design is by Adam Sack, and projections by Colby Nordberg.
“Beauty and the Beast” plays at 8 pm on October 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, and at 2 pm on October 13, 19, 20, 26, and 27. General admission tickets are $24 ($22 with advance Titan Discount purchase for students, seniors or with a CSUF ID). Tickets are available by calling (657) 278-3371, 11 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday, or online.
Following “Beauty and the Beast,” the fall season continues with “The Moors,” running from November 1-17, 2019 in the Hallberg Theatre on campus. In an English manor on the bleak and savage moors live two sisters: steely, commanding Agatha, and Hudley, the childlike younger sister in her shadow. When a hapless governess arrives, lies are revealed and loyalties shift. This darkly comedic satire riffs on 19th-century literature to explore love, power, desperation, and the desire to be seen.
2019-2020 CSUF THEATRE & DANCE SEASON
The Moors
November 1-17, 2019
Picnic
November 15-December 8, 2019
Fall Dance Theatre
December 5-15, 2019
Jane Eyre The Musical
March 13-29, 2020
Vinegar Tom
March 27-April 19, 2020
As You Like It
April 17-May 3, 2020
Spring Dance Theatre
April 30-May 10, 2020
