BEAUTY & THE BEAST | Magical Starlight Theatre presents a “Tale as Old as Time”

JANUARY 12-14 and 19-21

“Beauty and the Beast” Hits the Naperville Spotlight

Magical Starlight Theatre presents a “Tale as Old as Time”

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, 2024 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,” said the show’s director Matt Colbert. “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 remarked. “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 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.”

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 or Fort Hill Activity Center until 4:00 p.m. 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 are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday January 12-14 and 19-21. For times and additional details, visit  www.napervilleparks.org/magicalstarlighttheatre.