Don't miss this entertaining performance of Beauty and the Beast / Zemire Et Azor (1771) at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Music by André Grétry; Libretto by Libretto by Jean François Marmontel, Sung in French with English Supertitles
Once upon a time, the merchant Sander and his servant Ali are shipwrecked in a storm and find themselves outside an enchanted palace. When Sander plucks a rose from the palace garden to give to his daughter Zémire, the beast-like Azor appears, demanding that Sander pay with his life for stealing the rose, unless he can persuade one of his daughters to take his place. When she hears what has happened, Zémire agrees to sacrifice her life for her father and Ali brings her to the palace, where she almost faints at the sight of Azor. But Azor proves to be a kind host, and Zémire begins to see beyond his terrifying exterior. One of the earliest operatic adaptations of the classic story of Beauty and the Beast, Zémire et Azor combines beautiful melodies with enchanting dance music in a fairy-tale for audiences of all ages. Opera Saratoga’s new production will be directed by James Ortiz, whose innovative use of elaborate puppetry has been compared to the legendary Jim Henson.