Gwinnett Daily Post

Photo by Joan Marcus Hilary Maiberger as Belle and Darick Pead as Beast.

ATLANTA -- Beginning Nov. 27, the cast of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" want you and your family to be their guest as they present the classic tale at the Fabulous Fox Theatre.

"I think it's really a timeless story. It stayed relevant because it's about seeing through the heart of somebody and seeing the beauty in people," said Erin Edelle, who plays Mrs. Potts. "It is a story that traveled through time and there is a bit of an underdog story with the beast -- everyone love an underdog."

The story follows Belle, a young woman who lives in the same town as the Beast, a prince who is trapped in a spell by an enchantress. He needs to break the curse by learning how to love and be loved, or he and his household of servants will be stuck in the spell forever.

"The theme of 'Beauty' is about seeing past the exterior into the heart of someone, and this is reflected in the design for the show, which is about transparency and layers, seeing past one thing and into another," Director Rob Roth said in a release.

For those who grew up with the 1991 Disney movie, they will remember all of the songs, like "Belle," "Be Our Guest" and "Beauty and the Beast," and the iconic characters, including Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts.

"I am one of those children, I was 10 when the movie came out," Edelle said. "I still love this story. I think for the adult audience, we've added an element in the story the objects aren't quite fully objects yet ... but we are becoming inanimate objects."

And for the new generation of "Beauty" fans, they have a chance to see their favorite characters come to life.

"The kids are seeing their favorite Disney characters on stage," Edelle said. "When Belle comes out on stage with the yellow dress, there is a hush over the audience. There is a lot of great stuff for them to watch."

Since the movie's original release, Belle has become one of Disney's princesses and an idol for many young girls throughout the years. She has become such a model that young girls will often dress up as Belle in her yellow ball gown when they attend the performance.

"We get little girls in Belle's dress in the audience. We'd love to see little Gastons or Lumieres," Edelle said with a laugh. "The other day, we had a teenage girl attended in a yellow dress, too. One woman we've talked to had also designed her wedding dress around Belle's gown. This story really does connect with people.

"I would say if you've never see this production before, it's amazing because its made by the original Broadway team."