As Belle’s aria rang against the cherry wood walls of Sebring-Lewis Hall, she and the Beast told a story of greed, heartbreak, empathy and love. On March 4, the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts hosted the Des Moines Metro Opera performance of “Beauty and the Beast” — a show with an opera twist. Sarah Rosales, who played the role of Belle, said that she values this adaptation. “I think the story really lends itself to opera storytelling,” she said.
The performance, different from the well-known Disney movie, revolved around Belle, her sisters Adele and Josette and their father Marcel. Marcel is set to receive a treasure-laden ship, promising to grant wishes to each of his daughters.
Once Marcel learns that his boat sank, he travels to the wreckage and assures Belle that he will find her a rose — her mother’s favorite flower. Marcel stumbles upon a castle and plots to steal its rose despite warnings from the Spirit of the Rose. By taking the flower, he inadvertently summons the Beast, who imprisons Marcel for attempted theft.
Belle finds her father at the castle, where she agrees to be imprisoned by the Beast in exchange for her father’s freedom. The Spirit of the Rose convinces Belle to help the Beast see his true inner beauty while she is imprisoned. In the coming months, the two bond over their love of stories until Belle tells the Beast that he must release her so she can return to her heartbroken family.
Upon Belle’s return, her father and Adele plot to destroy the Beast. Their attempts are unsuccessful, and the performance ends with the Spirit of the Rose turning Adele into a beast to reflect her true inner greed, and freeing the Beast from his curse since he found his inner beauty.
“Look deeper to find beauty and follow love,” the Spirit of the Rose said during the performance. This is one of the main themes that the storyline communicates.
Alyvia Bunkowski `26 attended the show and said she appreciated the opera’s storyline. “It is so much fun. It is a lot different than Disney, but is truer to the original,” said Bunkowski.
Both Abby Fantz `26 and Talia Foley `24 shared Bunkowski’s enjoyment of the production. Foley said that she had never really been interested in opera, but she enjoyed this production.
Bunkowski said that she thought the performers were “doing a really good job with the small cast that they have,” — a cast that included five singers, one music director and two technicians.
The three attendees also agreed that the free and on-campus nature of the opera made it accessible to both students and community members.
“It is a lot more readily available and improves accessibility a lot. I don’t normally go to the opera, but this is allowing me to get that experience in Grinnell,” Fantz said.
“Beauty and the Beast” is part of the OPERA Iowa circuit, a program that makes the performances accessible at schools, libraries and theaters beyond Grinnell.
“We reach about 25,000 people overall across the course of two months,” Rosales said of OPERA Iowa. The program has been bringing opera to students and community members for over 35 years.
Reflecting on the many different stages across the state, Rosales said that she has learned how to “adapt really easily into each individual space.”
Bridget Anderson, assistant production manager at OPERA Iowa, said that it “started off as a much smaller program of just bringing opera into schools.”
It is now the state’s “largest and most expansive program in arts education,” Anderson said.
In deciding to bring “Beauty and the Beast” to Grinnell, Anderson spoke of the Des Moines Metro Opera’s upstanding relationship with the College.
In rural areas such as Grinnell, she said that opera is especially valuable. “In some of the more rural schools, this is the only music education that they are getting right now,” Anderson said.
She added that she often receives impactful emails from teachers after the show, thanking the Des Moines Metro Opera for their performance.
“We are more than happy to perform,” Anderson said. “We will bring in the set, lights and costumes. You just need a gym and a piano.”
