® Ije ^ o rtla n h © hseruer ________ July 25, 2001 Focus Page 3 Beauty a n d the Beast, ■ Broadway Bit ▲ D isney’s “ Beauty and the B east,” the Tony Aw ard-w inning smash hit m usical, returns to Portland. The elaborate Broadway p roduction, based on the beloved anim ated film, will come to life on stage at K eller A uditorium , located at 222 S.W. 3rd and Clay, from Aug. 15-26 for a lim ited tw o-w eek engagem ent. D isney’s “ Beauty and the Beast” is the classic story o f Belle, a young woman in a provincial tow n, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an evil enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transform ed to his form er self. Tim e is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doom ed for all eternity. D isney’s “Beauty and the Beast” has becom e an international sensation that has played to m ore than 17 m illion people w orld­ Danvetle Bossardet stars as the' straitif-willed’ Belle who teaches Grant \arniati, who plays the menacing /J # kJ wide. D anyelle Bossardet will star as B elle, the courageous, intelli­ gent and strong-w illed beauty w ho m akes a new life for herself in the castle o f the Beast. B ossardet has been in both the Los Angeles com pany and Second National T our o f Disney s “ Beauty and the Beast” and starred as Florence in “C hess” and Sandy in “ G rease.” Playing the m enacing Beast with a loving heart is Grant Norm an, who has starred in the title role o f “The Phantom o f the Opera on Broadway, in London and on the U.S. N ational Tour. Edw ard Staudenm ayer stars as G aston, the handsom e braggart w ho is determ ined to have B elle for his wife. Staudenm ayer’s credits include the N ational Com pany o f “The Scarlet Pim pernel” and the off-B roadw ay production o f “Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act!" For tickets, call T icketm aster at 503/790-ARTS or the Portland Opera Box O ffice at 503/241 -1802. To learn more about the musical hit, visit online at www.broadwayseries.com or w w w .portlandopera.org. Summer’s Biggest Blockbusters Coming Soon in August: The Princess Diaries S y n o p sis: Fifteen-year-old M ia discovers that her father is the Prince o f G enovia and she is the sole h eir to the throne. She m ust decide, by her sixteenth birthday, w hether she will live as a princess and m ove to G enovia or rem ain in M anhattan w here she lives with her artist mom. She m ust su ffer through the indignity o f princess lessons at the hands o f her stem grandm ot er. G e n re (s): fam ily adaptation; T h e a tr ic a l R elease: Aug. 3. Rush Hour 2 S y n o p sis: As D etectives C arter and Lee becom e increasingly tangled in a crim inal conspiracy involving a deadly T riad, they find them selves on a precarious journey from Hong K ong to Los A ngeles and Las V egas, w here they m ust use all o f their talents to trap one o f the w orld s mos feared gangsters. G e n re (s): sequel, action, crim e, com edy; T h e a tric a l R elease: Aug. 3. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion Synopsis: CW Briggs is the top insurance investigator in New York in 1940, and prides him self on being able to get into the m ind o f any thief who attempts to scam his company. However, thanks to the hypnotic powers o f the Jade Scorpion, the mind o f a thief is instead getting into Bnggs. G enre(s): Reust, something about love in the Broadway hit musical "B yypy und the Beast. ” V /E LIVE IRISH MUSIC Every Tuesday from 7pm to 10pm in the Courtyard. All a g e s w elcom e. No cover comedy; T h e a tric al Release: Aug. 10. Ghosts of Mars Synopsis:Tw o hundred years in the future, a small squad o f police on Mars are sent to transfer an extremely dangerous criminal, Desolation W illiams, back to the main administrative Martian city, Chryse. Melanie is second in command o f this squad. W hat no one realizes is that mining operations have uncovered — and disturbed— the ruins o f an ancient Martian civilization and unleashed a kind o f spiritual doomsday defense system that will relentlessly destroy any alien presence (in this case. Earthlings) inhabiting Mars. When the cops arrive at this remote outpost, no one but the criminals locked aw ayin the local jail have survived... and the '‘Martian Ghosts” are determined not to let them get away. Genre(s): sci-fi; R untim e: 93 mins ; T h e a tric al Release: Aug. 24. 5 7 5 6 NE 5 5 r d P o r tla n d , O r e g o n (5 0 5 ) 2 4 9 -5 9 8 5 www.numentimins.com t