André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry beat Disney to the punch when he set "Beauty and the Beast" to music.
Of course, when the 18th-century French composer wrote his opera, Disney wasn't around. That gave him a distinct advantage.
He called it "Zémire et Azor," but the exotic title was translated to English when The Opera Theatre of St. Louis staged it in 2005 — a shrewd move, no doubt, playing off the fame of the Disney animated movie and stage musical.
Arizona Opera will stage the work today and Sunday, and it will have lots in common with that 2005 production, with the same director, sets and stage design.
The Grétry version of the fairy tale about a beautiful young maiden who is held captive by a beast had its American premiere in New York in 1787.
Grétry's creation was "the hottest musical of the 18th century," said director Renaud Doucet.
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And it's maintained its wide appeal, he said.
"For anyone who's afraid of opera, who thinks of it as something heavy and overwhelming, or for kids or anybody at all who's never been to an opera and wants to give it a try, this is the perfect introduction to the light side of opera," Doucet said.
"It really is structured like a modern musical — it's a play with music and song. It has nice, light, melodic music and spoken words with real acting. In fact, Grétry was the Andrew Lloyd Webber of the 1700s."
The production will have this in common with Disney: magic. But not in the same way that Disney creates that magic, Doucet said.
"Instead, we wanted to reach into French theater traditions and create an older kind of magic. So really, when the curtain goes up, you'll be seeing a true baroque musical, even including the traditional third-act ballet. I was originally a ballet master, and I had great fun creating an authentic baroque comedy ballet for this show."
The orchestra will be led by guest conductor Jeannette Sorrell, whose own baroque orchestra — Apollo's Fire — is famous for its interpretations of masters such as Lully, Rameau and Handel.
Now that's something Disney can't lay claim to.
PReview
"Beauty and the Beast"
• Composer: André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry.
• Director: Renaud Doucet.
• Designer: André Barbé.
• When: 7:30 p.m. today, 2 p.m., Sunday.
• Where: Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave.
• Tickets: $29-$106 at all Ticketmaster outlets, or online at www.azopera.org.
• Information: 321-1000.
• Cast: Monica Yunus, John McVeigh, Jeffrey Picón, Hugh Russell, Alison Tupay, Kiera Duffy.
• Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes with one intermission.
• Online: Information about Grétry's "Beauty and the Beast," including audio clips, is available at www.azopera.org.
