La Belle, Lost in the World of the Automaton at Imago Theatre

Back from a national tour, from the creators of FROGZ and ZooZoo, comes La Belle, Lost in the World of the Automaton. A grimy engine room of a 1920 steamship becomes an enchanted theatrical playground where Beauty and the Beast comes to life with puppetry, shadow theatre, a multitude of effects, song, drama and comedy. Imago’s newest spectacle will dazzle your eyes, enchant your heart and intrigue your imagination. Sam Stoker and Lady Rose take you on a sea voyage while also traveling back to 1740 to retell the classic Beauty and the Beast. A spectacle like no other. A story-within-a-story-within-a-ship. “Masterpiece..Alluring!.. a complexity that engages adults but just the sort of magic and suspended reality that appeals to little ones.” -Karel Chan, NW Kids Magazine “.. a masterpiece …. raised to an infinite degree.  A delicious feast for the eyes and ears and nourishing fodder for the soul… a cornucopia of sights and sounds that burrow through the hard shell of adulthood to the child-like wonder of innocence and imagination, too long buried.” -Dennis Sparks – All Things Performing Arts “Populated with 100 astonishingly detailed automata, puppets and other dazzling non-digital effects... a nonstop eye-popper. After several years in the making, Imago Theatre's tricky, visionary new take on "Beauty and the Beast" arrived this past weekend. And what a landing. It's all wow factor. You'd need a jeweler's loupe to take in all the intricate work, particularly the gear-driven pieces... In a time when spectacular visual stories are forged from lines and lines of code, along comes a wondrous tale carefully carved, tinkered, fitted and welded by consummate Portland creatives.” -Lee Williams, The Oregonian “Imago’s La Belle is a creature of a rare and wonderful sort, a show you may well want to see over and over again, both to marvel at its graceful mechanics and to soak in its symbolic resonances about the human, animal and spiritual in us all…. with a tone that’s often whimsical but never cutesy, finding that sweet spot of family entertainment that’s really for the adults, even if the kids are so enthralled that they won’t notice." -Marty Hughely, Oregon Arts Watch “My 12-year old son attended this performance with me. We’ve attended performances at Imago before when he was younger. He was skeptical whether he’d truly enjoy a storyline about “Beauty and the Beast.” Quickly, he figured out this was no ordinary retelling, but had a whimsical approach that appealed to him. The whole idea of steampunk and automaton (a moving mechanical device that is an imitation of a human being) quickly captured his interest.” -Debbie Tofte, PDX Parent TICKETS Child (3-16): $17.50 Youth (17-25)/Senior (65+): $29.50 Adult: $37.50 Tickets can be purchased by calling Imago at 503.231.9581 or TicketsWest at 503.224.8499 or online at https://www.ticketswest.com/events/la-belle-lost-in-the-world-of-the-automaton/36962/. DATES/TIMES April 6 at 7pm April 7 at 12pm April 7 at 3pm April 8 at 2pm April 12 at 7pm April 13 at 7pm April 14 at 3pm April 14 at 7pm April 15 at 2pm April 19 at 7pm April 20 at 7pm April 21 at 3pm April 21 at 7pm April 22 at 2pm April 26 at 7pm April 27 at 7pm April 28 at 12pm April 28 at 3pm April 29 at 2pm