Lauren Sodono To Play Belle In Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Colonia resident Lauren Sodono will be playing the title role in Phoenix Productions' upcoming April revival of Beauty and the Beast. This show will take place at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank for a two-weekend run beginning April 29th.

Lauren is a well-known member of the Colonia community, as well as in Matawan where she is a Drama and English teacher at Matawan Regional High School. She is an alumnus of Colonia High School, and went on to obtain a degree in English with a specialty in Secondary Education from Kean University. Lauren makes her Phoenix debut with this production, but is no stranger to the stage, having handled principal roles such as Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie.

As a performer and theatre educator, Lauren has made it her mission to give back to the community and instill a solid theatre education to her students. In addition to her teaching duties at Matawan HS, Lauren is the coach of the Matawan Speech and Debate Team, where students compete across the state in public speaking and acting categories. "Lauren has a really amazing way of bringing some fresh new perspectives on theatre to a classroom of kids who haven't had the opportunities to learn what interesting theatre and art is like," explains Megan Maloney, a long time judge for the Matawan Speech Team. "Matawan has never really had a theatre teacher that brings in real-world information in such a fun way like Lauren does. Just from watching her at forensics tournaments, the bond she has with her kids is so remarkable."

In Beauty and the Beast, Lauren plays Belle, the original fairy tale heroine. "I love having this opportunity where I get to live out one of my childhood dreams," says Lauren on playing a Disney princess. Beauty and the Beast has received acclaim from the live-action film released this past month, starring Emma Watson. "I loved how brave and kind Emma Watson's character was," Lauren explains on joining the ranks of stars to play this iconic Disney role. "I love the original Disney film and was so excited to see how they recreated such an iconic movie. "

This classic story of everlasting love tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town who doesn't quite fit in, and the Beast, an arrogant young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will cease,and he will be transformed into his former self -- however, if time runs out, his castle and everyone inside will be doomed for all eternity. This "tale as old as time" offers a great opportunity to bring your entire community together for family theatre at its best!

Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature and nominated for nine Tony Awards, Disney's Beauty and the Beast includes all of the wonderful songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman ("Be Our Guest", "Beauty and the Beast") , along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice ("Home", "If I Can't Love Her", and "A Change in Me" being just a few).

Phoenix's revival of the Disney musical premieres shortly following the success of the movie, bringing the story to life on the Count Basie stage, with sets, costumes, and a live orchestra. Performances of Beauty and the Beast will begin the final weekend of April with a Saturday, April 29th evening show at 7pm and Sunday matinee at 3pm. The second weekend will have performances Friday, May 5th at 8pm, a two-show day Saturday May 6th with a 2pm matinee and 7pm evening show, with its run concluding on Sunday May 7th with a 3pm matinee. Tickets are available at the Count Basie Theatre Box Office and can be purchased in person at 99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, N.J, by phone at 732-842-9000, or online at www.countbasietheatre.org .

Phoenix Productions is a non-profit community theatre organization that has produced more than a hundred full-scale revivals of Broadway musicals since 1988. For more information on Phoenix Productions or upcoming shows, please visit www.phoenixredbank.com).