Fort Worth Opera continues its 80th anniversary season with a special program that combines Philip Glass’s take on Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast-1946) with live singers and orchestra. Launching FWO’s pay-what-you-can program at the Ridglea Theater Nov. 21-22, the event fuses opera, concert, and film in an immersive retelling of the classic fairy tale.
Pay What You Can Program
The Pay-What-You-Can program is made possible through the Claytor Family Charitable Foundation. Inspired by a passion for new American work and a belief that opera should be an experience everyone can share, the family’s gift allows audiences to choose their own ticket price — removing cost as a barrier to enjoying this bold and imaginative production.
“The last Glass work we performed was Hydrogen Jukebox in 2011, and La Belle et la Bête pushes that spirit even further,” said General & Artistic Director Angela Turner Wilson. “We’re stepping away from the traditional proscenium arch and into something completely different: a fusion of voice, music, and film. It’s opera, it’s cinema, it’s romantic, it’s funky, it’s unique — and it’s wonderful. And now, thanks to the Claytor Family Charitable Foundation, anyone can experience it for the price of an ordinary movie ticket.”
1946 Film La Belle et la Bete
Combining music and libretto by renowned American composer Philip Glass with Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film of the same name, La Belle et la Bête reimagines the fairy tale that inspired generations. Cocteau’s black-and-white classic — one of Roger Ebert’s “Great Movies” — is famed for its inventive effects: human arms emerging from walls, candles lighting themselves, and grand sets filmed in real French palaces. Audiences will recognize details later echoed in Disney’s animated version, though when the enchanted objects have human arms and faces, the effect carries a more unsettling beauty.
In 1994, Glass replaced the film’s original soundtrack with his own score, turning every line of dialogue into sung text precisely synchronized with the movie. The result is a “reverse lip-sync” between live singers and Cocteau’s on-screen cast.
Ridglea Theater Concert Nov. 21-22
At the Ridglea Theater, the Fort Worth Opera performance of La Belle et la Bête unfolds as a cinematic concert experience, with singers positioned within an 18-piece orchestra from the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, in front of a big screen playing the movie. Glass’s signature blend of synthesizers and winds creates a luminous, layered sound that shimmers and pulses with energy.
On the podium, conductor David Bloom brings extensive experience with this complex work, guiding the live performers to perfect synchronization with the eighty-year-old film. Soprano Véronique Filloux makes her Fort Worth Opera debut as Belle.
“We heard her in New York for an audition, and we were blown away,” said Turner Wilson.
The rising French American artist has been hailed by Opera News for her “dazzling coloratura.” Opposite her, bass-baritone André Courville — praised in Opera News for his “splendid, lush” voice — makes his company debut as La Bête / Le Prince, following noted appearances with Houston Grand Opera, The Dallas Opera, and at Carnegie Hall.
Fort Worth Opera Cast
The cast also features David Grogan as Belle’s father and Fort Worth Opera’s 2025–26 Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists in featured roles — giving audiences another opportunity to experience these young singers-on-the-rise, recently seen at the Opera’s Dinner with the Stars, Opera Shots, ¡Celebramos! at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, and the Art Worth Festival at Clearfork.
“This one is for lovers of classic film, opera, and Philip Glass,” Turner Wilson said. “It’s a perfect date night, a great girls’ night, and — thanks to the generosity of the Claytor Family Charitable Foundation — a wonderful introduction to opera for families with kids who grew up loving the Disney version and are now ready for something a little more sophisticated. And here’s a huge spoiler: it has a happy ending!”
La Belle et la Bête Information
Hybrid film / opera in one act; 90 minutes, no intermission | in French with English subtitles. Music and libretto by Philip Glass; Film by Jean Cocteau. Performances are Nov. 21 and 22 at 7 :30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee Nov. 22.
Pay What You Can tickets to La Belle et la Bête are available at fwopa.org/pay-what-you-can-2025 or by calling the Fort Worth Opera Box Office at 817-731-0726. Tickets are limited to 100 per performance. Seats will be assigned by the box office based on availability and demand, with a limit of four per household. All Pay What You Can tickets will be emailed prior to the performance dates. Pay What You Can cannot be applied retroactively to past purchases.
For regular-price tickets, season packages, and more information, visit fwopera.org.
