At a press conference held Thursday, Aug. 6, the Argentine producers of Disney's musical Beauty and the Beast, announced the names of the cast and the opening date, Nov. 26, in the Opera Theatre.
The leads will be played by Juan Rodo (Beast) and Marisol Otero (Belle). Juan Rodo said that he dreamt of playing the Beast since he saw the movie. Rodo, a powerful baritone, played a different kind of beast in the 1991 musical hit Dracula, directed by Pepe Cibrian Campoy. He also sang in a number of operas at the prestigious Colon Theatre, such as Massenet's Werther, Gounod's Romeo and Juliet and the famous Zarzuela Doña Francisquita at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Marisol Otero is 22 years old. She has no theatrical experience but has a solid musical background. She says that playing Belle is "so much more than anything she has dreamed."
Disney's Beauty and the Beast is also playing on Broadway, in London, Stuttgart and Japan. This production came directly from Mexico, where it ran successfully for more than a year. Beauty and the Beast will be directed by Keith Batten, with musical direction by Michael Kosarin and choreography by Dan Mojica.
The Producers (M.A.T Theatrical & Entertainment, a mixture of the Mexican production company CIE International and local producer Daniel Grimbank, and Disney ) bought the Opera Theatre and transformed it according to the requirements of the musical, spending more than US$3.000.000. They expect more than a million people will see the show in Buenos Aires. After Beauty and the Beast, there are plans for Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King.
