Holidays at The Beck - Beauty and the Beast

[Jim O'Bryan]

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Headlines Beck Center’s Eclectic Holiday Line-Up
This season the Beck Center for the Arts is proud to present an exciting mix of special events designed to entertain and delight audiences of all ages and tastes. From a lavish production of the Tony award winning Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, to the world premiere of a local play-wright’s new political comedy, diversion from holiday chaos awaits you on the Beck Center stages. An evening of stand-up comedy in the Armory Building, a Christmas play by Beck’s Youth Theater, and a touring visual arts exhibit in the Beck Galleria, round out the calendar of December treats. Tis the season to give yourself and your family the truly priceless gift of expe-riencing art!
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast opens on the Mackey Main Stage December 2 and runs until De-cember 31. Disney’s version of the classic love story features songs with lyrics by Howard Ash-man and Tim Rice and music by Alan Mencken, including the show stopping hit “Be Our Guest.� The Beck Center production will showcase the talents of forty cast members and local experts in special effects, lighting, and costumes.
“Beauty and the Beast is the largest and most expensive shows ever produced here, and the Beck Center is absolutely meeting the challenge,� says director Fred Sternfeld. Sternfeld, who won the Cleveland Theater Collective’s Best Director Award for his 2005 production of Ragtime, has di-rected several Beck Center plays since 1986. Although Sternfeld’s passion for directing has taken him from the Cleveland Playhouse to Seattle Washington, the Beck Center remains one of his favorite places to work. “I’m particularly excited about the high level of talent we are able to attract at the Beck Center,� says Sternfeld. “Our Beauty and the Beast stars, Natalie Green and Dan Folino, are gifted up and coming locals that I feel lucky to have in our show.�
To experience a contrast from the pageantry of Beauty and the Beast, visit the Beck’s intimate Studio Theater for the world premiere of Eric Coble’s T.I.D.Y., a political comedy directed by Roger Truesdell. T.I.D.Y. chronicles one very bad day in the life of an office worker whose much anticipated evening of ice cream eating and TV watching with her cat, is unpleasantly disrupted by the discovery that she is at the heart of the global conspiracy to end all conspiracies. “I am a strong champion of this play,� says Truesdell, who came from Chicago to work with longtime collaborator Coble. “It is really funny with a strong moral message about personal and political responsibility.�
The Beck Center is honored to give Coble’s new work its first stage home. Coble, a member of the Cleveland Play House Playwrights Unit, received the 2002 AT&T Onstage Award and the National Theatre Conference 2002 Playwrighting Award for his critical and popular hit, Bright Ideas. American Theatre Magazine has referred to Coble as one of seven national playwrights to watch, and the New York Times and New York Post have raved about the delicious comic genius of his Off-Broadway works. “It’s a testament to the depth and richness of the Cleveland arts community that the work of such a nationally acclaimed writer is making its world debut right here in Lakewood,� says Yvette Hanzel, Beck Center’s Director of Marketing.
The Beck Center is also showing off its versatility this season with the “Best of the Beck� Com-edy Show on December 9 at 9 P.M., in the Armory Building behind the Beck Center. This eve-ning of stand-up features past graduates of Beck’s Annual Comedy Class, plus comics from the Cleveland Comedy Kitchen including Al Hohf, Mike Scanlon, Rodney Bengston, and John David Sidley. To complete the stand-up routine atmosphere, the Armory will be set up comedy club style with beer, wine, and refreshments available. Admission is $5. For aspiring comedians, the 2006 Beck Center Comedy Class taught by John David Sidley will start in February. The eight week class will culminate in a graduation comedy show in April. To make reservations for the December 9 show, or to sign up for the eight week class, call 216-521-2540.
In addition to providing a home for award winning playwrights, directors, musicals, and comics, the Beck Center is currently featuring the 9th Annual Accessible Expressions Ohio 2005 visual arts exhibit from VSA Arts of Ohio. This vibrant, colorful touring collection includes forty-three pieces by Ohio artists with disabilities. Since 1986, VSA Arts of Ohio has been promoting the arts education and creative expression of children and adults with disabilities. The Accessible Expressions 2005 exhibit is free to the public and on display in the Beck Galleria until January 3, 2006. Several of the pieces are for sale and proceeds will go directly to the artists.
No Christmas season would be complete without the fun and excitement of student perform-ances. The Beck’s Youth Theater productions consistently sell out to crowds of thrilled families and friends. This year, the Beck Center proudly showcases its talented theater students with a production of Rachel Spence’s holiday comedy, A Christmas Peril. Based on the classic A Christmas Carol, this show promises to be tons of fun for the whole family.

Tickets for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and T.I.D.Y. range from $10 to $26. Show times for T.I.D.Y. are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Special Show times for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Additional show times are Thursdays, December 15, 22 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays, De-cember 10 and 17 at 3:00 p.m., as well as a special New Year’s Eve show at 6:00 p.m. For tickets and additional show information please call 216-521-2540 or visit www.beckcenter.org. Group discounts are available. The Beck Center is located just ten minutes west of downtown Cleveland at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood.