Missoula Community Theatre Unveils New Disney Classic Play

Who doesn't love a wonderful night at the theater? And who doesn't like a great Disney classic?

Missoula Community Theatre (MCT) starts its showings of Disney's Beauty And The Beast on stage tonight, April 25. It's the third production put on by MCT this year joining Rent and The Play That Goes Wrong, but it's MCT's season 2023-2024 season finale. Here's a trailer but out by the London Theatre when they performed it in 2022.

If by some miracle you haven't seen the animated Disney movie Beauty And The Best when you were a kid or when your kids were kids you are missing out. It's a timeless story about a cocky prince receiving a big slice of humble pie when he's transformed into a beast. He needs to find love in this monstrous form to break the curse.

Come to think of it, that's kind of the plot in Shrek too.

Details on MCT's Beauty and the Beast

The play begins on April 25 and runs until Sunday, May 12. You have chances to catch the play Thursday through Sunday this weekend and the following two weekends. Performances are not held Monday through Wednesday.

It's the second time MCT is performing the Disney play that racked up award nominations on Broadway.

"The original Broadway version ran for 13 years earning 9 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, due to Alan Menken's music, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice's lyrics and the international "Tale as Old as Time" appeal," according to a MCT press release.

Joseph Martinez is directing the play for the second time. Martinez spearheaded the performances during the MCT 2004-2005 season.

"This time the show feels less daunting, and the tech is coming together really well," said Martinez in the press release. "The actors are having a great time making creative artistic choices, which makes it more fun for me; we're creating a completely different show than what we did in 2004."

A special presentation

International Tour/Public Relations Director Terri Elander mentioned there is a sensory-friendly performance.

According to MCT's website, the sensory-friendly performance slightly alters the show without affecting "the essence of the story." The show reduces its length, quiets louder sounds, and reduces lighting. There are also volunteers on stage signalling potentially jarring effects.

The sensory-friendly performance is on May 8 at 6:30 pm. Find tickets here.

What a great idea.

For tickets to the rest of the shows, follow this link.

Best of luck to all the performers and those involved.