Broadway in Cincinnati and Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST to Host 'Books for Belle' Benefit

Inspired by Belle's generous heart and love of books in Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Broadway in Cincinnati is collecting children's books to help further the good work of the inspiring local non-profit Adopt a Book. This organization is dedicated to serving local kids who may have never been to a library and have never had a book of their own.

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is returning to Cincinnati as a special engagement in the Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati season presented by TriHealth. Produced by NETworks Presentations, this elaborate theatrical production will come to life on stage at the Aronoff Center, April 20 - 24, 2016. For information on the production, visit www.BeautyAndTheBeastOnTour.com.

Founded by two 8-year-old Cincinnati-area siblings in 2011, Adopt a Book has donated over 100,000 books through more than 93 organizations in the Tri-State, with the goal of giving at-risk kids books of their own.

Broadway in Cincinnati general manager Genevieve Miller Holt encourages show attendees to participate. "We at Broadway in Cincinnati are dedicated to helping local non-profits by creating charity drives that tie in with the themes of the shows we present. This week's engagement of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is sold out, so if every family attending the show brought one book, we could contribute more than 5,000 books to deserving local kids, promoting literacy and a love of reading. We sincerely hope our generous audiences will join us in this worthy cause."

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST features the Academy Award-winning score with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, with additional songs composed by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. The book is written by Linda Woolverton.

The original creators of the Broadway production have reunited for this new touring production. The play is directed by Rob Roth and choreographed by Matt West, with Costume Design by Ann Hould-Ward (Tony Award winner for her work on Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST), Lighting Design by Natasha Katz (five-time Tony Award winner), Scenic Design by Stanley A. Meyer, Sound Design by John Petrafesa Jr. and Music Supervision by Michael Kosarin.

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

Based on the 1991 Academy Award-winning animated feature film and celebrating 21 years since its Broadway premiere in 1994, Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is the ninth longest running musical in Broadway history that has become an international sensation seen by over 35 million people worldwide in 22 countries, and translated into 9 different languages. This production launched in February 2010 and has been seen nearly 3 million people while playing over 1,500 performances in all 50 United States and 8 Canadian Provinces. Currently, there are five productions playing around the world including the North American Tour, Paris, tours in Japan and Germany, and a new international tour (inspired by the North American tour) that will visit over 14 countries in two years.

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST will play the Aronoff Center from April 20 - 24, 2016: Wednesday - Thursday at 7:30PM, Friday at 8:00PM, Saturday at 11:00AM, 3:30PM and 8:00PM and Sunday at 1:00PM and 6:30PM. Performance schedule, prices and cast are subject to change without notice. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInCincinnati.com.

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