A "tale as old as time" opens in the Farmington High School auditorium March 22, with the school's production of "Beauty and the Beast". 

Director Lauren Kozak said students were all familiar with the Disney movie version of the traditional French fairy tale, and it was time for the school to do a "big show". There are 50 cast members, more than 10 students in the crew and 20 in the pit orchestra.

"It's fun for them to be part of a story they all know and love," she said. 

Sophomore Grace Newlin and junior Lily Talevski both said that's a double-edged sword for the cast. 

Talevski said there's a complexity to the production because "this is Disney and a very popular show." 

"It's hard because of the expectation," Newlin added.  

At the same time, the stage play is different from the movie, with more songs and more action to execute, Talevski said. She plays "Mrs. Potts", a "very headstrong, intense woman" with "a lot of love and a lot of ambition". 

"There's also a relationship between the characters that you don't see in the movies," senior Tim Schumacher said.

Playing the role of "Lumiére," a French head waiter transformed into a candelabra, has been fun, he said, adding, "I have zero experience with a French accent, so that's been interesting."  

Students agree that the senior actors have helped the younger cast members, and the resulting teamwork improves the production. They also believe the audience will get much more than entertainment out of the show, because there's a lesson or two in the story.

The biggest, Newlin said, is this: "Love is the closest thing we have to magic." 

Performances are at 7 p.m. March 22 and 23, and 2 p.m. on March 24. The curtain time is a little earlier because of the show's family appeal. Tickets at the door are $12, or $10 for students and seniors. 

Correction: The March 24 show time for this production was incorrectly reported in the original version of this story.