Carly McKenzie starred as Belle in the Elgin Opera House’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” in 2022.

ELGIN — The “tale as old as time” returns to the Elgin Opera House stage this month.

The Broadway classic, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” opens Nov. 18 and runs through Dec. 10 at the Elgin Opera House. The production features a large cast with all the famous characters, including Belle (Carly Elder), the Beast (Hunter Adams) and Gaston (Dutch Meerdink).

“It’s a genuinely beautiful story that takes everyone back to their childhood. You can really feel the fairy tale magic,” Elder said. “In this show, there’s romance, there’s fighting, there’s funny stuff and there’s sad stuff. There’s something for everyone.”

Elder said Belle has been one of her dream roles to perform.

“Belle has been my Disney princess since I was really little. She has brown hair and she reads, and I have brown hair and I read, so she has always been my princess,” she said. “I was really excited to have this opportunity.”

Playing the Beast to Elder’s Beauty, Adams is an Opera House veteran who also jumped at the chance to be in “Beauty and the Beast.”

“When I got the opportunity to do this show, it was a mixture of shock and complete and utter joy. This has been a show I’ve wanted to do forever,” Adams said. “It is a timeless classic that keeps getting better the more you see it. It’s something familiar while being completely new.”

Adams said he has a soft spot for the end of Act 1 and the song “If I Can’t Love Her,” which does not appear in either of Disney’s film versions.

“It’s filled with so much emotion,” he said. “It expresses so much emotion in ways where nothing else will suffice.”

No production of “Beauty and the Beast” would be complete without the villain, Gaston, played by Dutch Meerdink.

“It was pretty exciting to be cast in this role because he’s one of the most high profile villains in Disney. He’s well known and lots of fun, and kind of dumb,” Meerdink said. “I approached it by channeling the inner bully from high school that I never got to be — in terms of being so full of himself and completely unaware of how buffoonish he seems. Knowing that he has some good things but not realizing his blind spots. That’s where I approached it from and it’s pretty fun.”

Meerdink said he also enjoys the physical nature of the character and this stage production.

Terry Hale and Caitlin Marshall are directing the large-scale production.

“My favorite parts are all of the enchanted characters in the castle. They’re all larger than life, and they’re really fun characters to watch,” Marshall said.

The large cast has drawn actors from multiple communities. Elder and Meerdink, for example, are traveling from Pendleton for the show, alongside the actors for Mrs. Potts (Karen Taylor), LeFou (Grant Deem), Cogsworth (Christian Quinlin), Monsieur D’Arque (Sean Butler) and multiple members of the ensemble.

“There’s quite the commute, but there’s quite a bit of carpooling where we get to bond,” Elder said. “It’s been really busy, but it’s been fun.”

This is the third time the Elgin Opera House has presented “Beauty and the Beast,” and Hale said the goal is to make it even better than it was before.

“We want it to be more moving, more emotional and more spectacular in every way,” Hale said. “That’s our goal for this show, to leave the audience with something that is really special.”

Purchase tickets online at elginoperahouse.com or by calling 541-663-6324.

Showtimes:

Nov. 18: 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 19: 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Nov. 25: 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 26: 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 2: 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 3: 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 9: 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 10: 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Belle – Carly Elder

Beast – Hunter Adams

Maurice – Grant Turner

Gaston – Dutch Meerdink

Lefou – Grant Deem

Lumiere – Brady Morgan

Cogsworth – Christian Quinlin

Mrs. Potts – Karen Taylor