Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Opens Next Week

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT)'s Beauty and the Beast opens on February 16 at the Benedum Center. The family-friendly ballet will run for two weekends - February 16-18 and February 23-25. This beautiful ballet offers something for everyone - romance and charm for adults, fun, joyful characters for children, magnificent choreography for dance aficionados and a stunning Tchaikovsky score for music lovers.

Beauty and the Beast is a whimsical, imaginative work whose charming characters and challenging choreography have turned a classic fairytale into an enchanting story ballet. The captivating piece comes alive through the background of an enchanted forest, magical creatures, gorgeous costumes and a stunning set. Audiences of all ages will delight in this ballet that illustrates that “there is often more than what meets the eye.

“My hope is that Pittsburgh audiences will simply love this magical ballet,” said Adam W. McKinney, artistic director at PBT. “The romantic, timeless tale about the transformative power of love is perfect to experience together with friends, family and loved ones - especially around Valentine's Day.”

Beauty and the Beast is based on the original 1958 choreography and concept by Lew Christensen with original music from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and set designs by Jose Varona. Lew Christensen, former artistic director of San Francisco Ballet, based this widely acclaimed full-length ballet on the original fairytale by Marie de Beaumont, written in 1756. Christenson created Beauty and the Beast to celebrate San Francisco Ballet's 25th anniversary. The ballet became so popular that San Francisco Ballet performed it annually alongside The Nutcracker as its holiday fare for years. The direction of PBT's current production is by PBT artistic director Adam W. McKinney. 

PBT's production of Beauty and the Beast includes a student matinee on Friday, February 23 at 11:00 a.m. and a sensory-friendly performance on Sunday, February 25 at 4:30 p.m.

Ticket Information

Single tickets start at $29, and are available at pbt.org or 412-456-6666. Subscription packages are also available. More information is available at pbt.org or by calling 412-454-9107.

Groups purchasing eight or more tickets save up to 50%. More information is available at pbt.org/groups. 

Student Matinee

Teachers are encouraged to bring their classrooms to a student matinee performance at 11 a.m. on Friday, February 23. Tickets are available at a discounted price. For more information about student matinees, contact Jamie Adams at groupsales@pittsburghballet.org or by calling 412-454-9101. 

About Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has been Pittsburgh's premier professional ballet company since 1969. Today, PBT is a nationally recognized ballet company of 36 professional dancers, a training institution for over 1,200 students of all ages, and an incubator for education and accessibility programs in classrooms, libraries and community centers throughout the region. The company, under the leadership of artistic director Adam W. McKinney and executive director Nicholas Dragga, performs a wide-ranging repertoire of classical ballets, contemporary masterworks and new commissions in nearly 50 performances annually. 

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