Berkeley, CA (La Belle et la Bête)
March 14, 2026
Opera Parallèle
La Belle et la Bête
Nicole Paiement, artistic director and conductor
Brian Staufenbiel, director and scenic designer
Cal Performances Company Debut
About this Performance
Program
by Philip Glass
Libretto by the composer
Based on the film by Jean Cocteau
Featuring Hadleigh Adams, baritone (La Bête/Avenant)
Full cast to be announced
This astonishingly original presentation of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast blurs the distinctions between film and live opera, merging Jean Cocteau’s classic 1946 romantic fantasy with Philip Glass’ mesmerizing 1994 score. Glass composed the music as a new soundtrack to the film, transforming the original spoken French dialogue into sung libretto.
Now Opera Parallèle has responded to the dreamlike, subconscious elements of the story with its own new film and stage direction, further blurring the barriers between the characters onscreen and the singers on stage. The work asks, What is true beauty? What is good and evil? Can we go beyond appearances and discover the beauty that lies inside the soul?
“A multi-veined phantasmagoria of sights and sounds, drama and pathos and humor” (San Francisco Chronicle).
Performed in French with English subtitles
This performance is made possible in part by Robert Ellis.
Video
Beyond the Stage Related Posts
The lead actors of Opera Parallele’s La Belle et La Bête perform onstage, with La Bête in the background, gazing at Belle as she sits in a chair, wearing a somber expression.
Apr 15, 2025 | 25-26 Season Feature
Stories Reimagined: Six Performances Explore Traditional Tales with a Creative Twist!
Mar 13–14, 2026
Fri–Sat, Mar 13–14, 8pm
Zellerbach Hall
Tickets start at $55
Subscriptions on sale now