Fort Worth Opera is bringing a spellbinding blend of music, cinema, and imagination to the Ridglea Theater this November as part of its 80th anniversary season. The company will present Philip Glass’s La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast) on November 21-22, 2025, and it promises to be anything but traditional.

If you’re at all familiar with Philip Glass’ work, you know that this opera will be on the, ahem, unique side. Glass’ opera will be fused with Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film to create a live, immersive concert experience.

The production also marks the debut of the Opera’s new Pay What You Can program, an initiative sponsored by the Claytor Family Charitable Foundation to make the art form more accessible than ever. The program allows audiences to choose their own ticket price, removing cost as a barrier to experiencing one of the season’s most intriguing works.

“We’re stepping away from the traditional proscenium arch and into something completely different: a fusion of voice, music, and film,” says general and artistic director Angela Turner Wilson in a release. “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.”

Composed in 1994, La Belle et la Bête showcases Glass’s signature minimalist style while reimagining Cocteau’s surreal black-and-white film. Every line of dialogue is sung live and precisely synchronized with the on-screen action, creating what Glass once called a “reverse lip-sync” between the performers and the film’s characters.

At the Ridglea Theater, this hybrid performance unfolds as a cinematic concert, with an 18-piece orchestra from the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth sharing the stage with the singers. Under the baton of conductor David Bloom, the ensemble navigates Glass’ shimmering layers of sound while staying perfectly in time with the 80-year-old film projected overhead.

Making her Fort Worth Opera debut as Belle is soprano Véronique Filloux, praised by Opera News for her “dazzling coloratura.” Opposite her, bass-baritone André Courville stars as La Bête/Le Prince, bringing what Opera News calls his “splendid, lush” voice to the role following recent appearances with Houston Grand Opera and The Dallas Opera. David Grogan joins the cast as Belle’s father, alongside members of the company’s 2025–26 Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artist Program.

“This one is for lovers of classic film, opera, and Philip Glass,” Turner Wilson adds. “It’s a perfect date night, a great girls’ night, and 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!”

Performances of La Belle et la Bête take place at 7:30 pm on Friday, November 21, and at 2 pm and 7:30 pm on Saturday, November 22, at the Ridglea Theater, 6025 Camp Bowie Blvd.

Pay What You Can tickets are available online here or by calling 817-731-0726. Regular-price tickets and season packages can also be purchased at fwopera.org.