On Friday, March 13th, Cal Performances will host a reception for UC Berkeley students attending the Opera Parallèle performance of La Belle et la Bête by Philip Glass.
This astonishingly original presentation of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast blurs the distinctions between film and live opera, merging Jean Cocteau’s classic 1946 romantic fantasy with Philip Glass’ mesmerizing 1994 score. Glass composed the music as a new soundtrack to the film, transforming the original spoken French dialogue into sung libretto.
Now Opera Parallèle has responded to the dreamlike, subconscious elements of the story with its own new film and stage direction, further blurring the barriers between the characters onscreen and the singers on stage. The work asks, What is true beauty? What is good and evil? Can we go beyond appearances and discover the beauty that lies inside the soul?
For the 2025–26 season, Cal Performances has planned four post-performance receptions to celebrate the UC Berkeley students in our community and to provide a space for you to connect with other students who share a love for live performance! Free light refreshments will be served on the Zellerbach Hall Mezzanine for all UCB student ticket holders and their guests. For information about Cal Performances events, exclusive Cal student post-concert receptions, and discounted tickets, visit here.
