ShowKids Invitational Theatre Presents BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Beginning Today

After recently winning the award for Best Musical for SHREK THE MUSICAL, ShowKids Invitational Theatre (SKIT) invites New Jersey audiences to "Be Our Guest" at an all new production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST to kick off their 29th season.

The "Tale as Old as Time" is already a family favorite for many theatergoers, and earning NJACT's prestigious "Outstanding Production of a Musical" Perry Award has members of SKIT's cast and crew prepared to enchant audiences, once again. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is being presented on Saturday, January 31st at 2:00 and 7:30pm; Sunday, February 1st at 2:00pm; Saturday, February 7th at 2:00 and 7:30pm and Sunday, February 8th at 2:00pm. All six performances will take place in the Voorhees High School Auditorium, Route 513, Lebanon Township.

Tickets are still $20 or less, even for center orchestra seats, and can be purchased directly at www.showkids.org or by calling the SKIT ticket line at (908) 638-5959. The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial French town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of 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.

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was the first animated film to ever be nominated for best picture; and with unforgettable characters, including an odd heroine Belle and arrogant Gaston, an Academy-Award winning score with memorable melodies, and one epic love story, SKIT's production of Broadway's Tony-Award winning musical will have New Jersey audiences seeing "something that wasn't there before." This enchanting new production is choreographed by SKIT alum Liane Zielinski, who earned a Perry nomination herself for her performance as Belle in an earlier ShowKids' staging of the timeless classic.