Disney delight: 100 years of Disney celebrated at Strand show

ZELIENOPLE ― On May 3, The Strand will present “Fantasies & Fairy Tales,” celebrating more than 100 years of Walt Disney Films and the legendary music that accompanied them.

Director Nick Navarri said they are excited to showcase the music of these legendary films.

“This cabaret-type show will feature a song from every Disney movie in the last 100 years, and during the show, we will be featuring clips of the movies to further charm the audience,” Navarri said. “This show is for the whole family. If children come dressed as Disney characters that would be even more fun.”

Cast members Joann Spencer and her husband, Brad, toured nationally and internationally with the Disney Broadway shows bringing even more Disney to the Disney.

Spencer, who recently starred in “9 to 5,” said she is happy to be back on the stage at The Strand.

“The Strand is a magical theater that the community has embraced,” she said.

Brad, who played Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast,” will delight the audience with his songs. He will sing “Someday” from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and other audience favorites. The couple will also sing a duet from “Aladdin.”

“There are songs from the early years of Disney so people of all ages will hear the songs that were part of their childhood. This show is for all generations,” Spencer said.

The Spencers are both graduates of the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and have extensive professional experience.

After living in Germany during their European tours of “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” they returned to the United States and Joann Spencer took time off to raise their three children. Currently, they live in the Gibsonia area.

The other members of the cast are Kristin Pacelli, Minnie Jones, Sarah Hennessey and Joe Fedore.

“This show a great way to introduce your kids to professional, live theater as they’ll know all of the music and enjoy clips and animations alongside the live performances and you may even see actual princesses on stage,” Navarri said.

“Fantasies & Fairy Tales” is created by the same creative team that produced “Motown 3,” “Octoberfest & More Fests” and “Remember When: Old Time Radio.”

Over 100 years ago, Walt Disney and his brother Roy O. launched a small company that would go on to create some of the most beloved and iconic animated films of all time.

From “Snow White to “Moana,” from “Fantasia” to “Frozen” and from “Cinderella” to “Coco” these songs are as timeless and iconic as the films themselves, Navarri said.

What: “Fantasies & Fairy Tales”

Where: The Strand Theater, 119 North Main St., Zelienople

When: 7:30 p.m. May 3, 4 and 2 p.m. May 5

Admission: $25 to $35 Reserved seating; $18 to $28 children under 12

Information: www.thestrandtheater.org or 724-742-0400

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Disney celebrated with a show at The Strand Theater