La Belle et la Bete

XMPL May 2025
Written and directed by Annie Loui, inspired by the fairy tale “La Belle et la Bete” by Gabrielle Suzanne Villeneuve (1742)
Efren Delgadillo, scenic design Yee Eun Nam and Junyuan (Betty) Xiong, co-projection design Ashley Morgan, costume design Jacob Nguyen, lighting design Andrew Yoder, sound design Mike Hooker, music composition Vicky Michalopoulou, dramaturg DJ Maloney, stage management Produced by UC Irvine CTSA Department of Drama

Cast: Gabrielle Suzanne Villeneuve/ Belle – Zoe Rose Davidson; Prosper Crebillon/Beast – Eddie Cruz Jr; Claude Crebillon / others- Jake Stiel; Father/ Voltaire/ others – Kurt Kanazawa; Aunt/Sister #2/ others – Esther Pielstick; Mme Pomadour/ Sister #1/others – Malu Pizzatto; Jeanne Quinnault/ others: Anina Baker; Count Caylus/others- Sophia Gilbert

Filed under: Productions

Belle is sent to live in an enchanted castle with a hideous Beast to pay off the debt of her father. We all know the story, but what we don’t know is that the author of the “Beauty and the Beast” fairytale, Gabrielle Suzanne Villeneuve, was also given in an arranged marriage in 1706 to benefit her family fortune. Quickly widowed and destitute, she went to Paris to live by her wits, becoming embroiled with Louis IV’s court censor, Crebillon, who lived in a palace with 30 cats and dogs. Our production parallels the true story of Villeneuve with her romanticized fairytale: an exploration of the true nature of love and transformation. Told in movement, music and dialogue in the style of CounterBalance Theater.

“Exceptional show! …Through a banquet of light, projection and movement, the tale as old as time feels a little newer and surprisingly darker.”
– Patrick Chavis, Orange Curtain Review 5/6/25

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