The musical Beauty and the Beast JR. is the fourth major children's musical produced by BASICSchool, following successful productions like The Lion King and Frozen, which have become the most-watched children's musicals in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The musical sold out in record time and premiered on October 30, 2024, at the Bosnian Cultural Center in Sarajevo in front of 900 people. The magic of BASICSchool returned to the stage on November 29, 2024, delighting all present once again.

The production of this musical is signed by BASICSchool under the auspices of the Institute for Innovative Arts, while the co-production is realized in collaboration with the Public Institution Bosnian Cultural Center of Sarajevo Canton.

"I am glad to return to the stage with such a challenging piece. We always strive to go a step further with each new production, and I believe that the musical Beauty and the Beast is the right choice to step out of our comfort zone. This is definitely the most complex project we have worked on so far. Here, I mean the acting part, the large number of characters, and above all – the large number of very demanding songs. I think the songs are precisely what sets this musical apart from all the others we have done so far. We have made an effort to give the audience a taste of Broadway in Sarajevo, and I sincerely hope they will enjoy it," said the executive producer of the musical and director of BASICSchool, Đorđe Jovančić.

The choreography for the musical was done by Dajana Zilić. The directing is credited to Đorđe Jovančić and Sanjin Arnautović.

"I think we have managed to create a fantastic children's musical with mostly amateur children. It has been a pleasure to work on this, especially since I took on something that is completely new for me, which is working on a children's musical. I am happy and proud, and as I said – I think we have reached our maximum and achieved a peak," said Dajana Zilić, a ballerina from the National Theatre of Sarajevo and choreographer.

Production of this musical began in September 2023. Every detail – from choreography, costumes, to musical arrangements – has been carefully crafted to meet the high standards for which BASICSchool is recognized.

"This project, for which preparations lasted a little over a year, has been a great learning experience for me, consisting of 31 lessons, because 31 children were involved in the realization of this performance. As someone who has worked with all of them, it was extremely important for me that each child nurtured their authenticity while creating their characters," said actor and director Sanjin Arnautović.

The musical features some of Disney's most famous songs, written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, along with new songs that Menken created with Tim Rice. This story of transformation and tolerance, which has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide, is brought to life by talented young performers, students of BASICSchool. The musical direction is handled by Mina Petrović and Đorđe Jovančić.

"The Broadway adaptation of the musical Beauty and the Beast required a lot of hard work, as the vocal parts of each character are very demanding. We truly invested a lot of time and effort into the overall production, where I, as a singing teacher, worked not only on group parts with the school choir but also individually with each student. In addition to all this, I am very happy, grateful, and proud of our entire team, but primarily of our children who worked hard, listened to us, and handled all challenges like true professionals," said singing teacher Mina Petrović.

Video animations and graphic design are credited to Marko Jovančić. The makeup (MUA) for the performance is done by Maja Talović.

The roles were entrusted to the most talented students:

• Belle: Majra Maljević

• Beast: Alina Gijo

• Gaston: Dina Čelebić

• Lumière: Annur Radeljaš

• Mrs. Potts: Azra Kršo

• Chip Potts: Zola Ristić

• Lefou: Noa Ličanin

• Cogsworth: David Jurčević

• Madame de la Grande Bouche: Lamija Alagić

• Maurice: Sara Pavlović

• Monsieur D'Arque: Henna Omerović

• Featherduster: Tara Ristić

• Village Girls: Laura Nikol Vidaković and Tea Đurić

• Book Seller: Igor Radivojević

• Baker: Igor Krunić

• Narrators: Iva Križanović, Iva Vuković, and Ajna Bešić

• Enchantress: Sara Kopčić

• Villagers: Uma Redžepagić, Merjem Redžepagić, Igor Radivojević

• Ensemble: Ajša Redžić, Naida Dinarević, Najra Dinarević, Nikol Brezar, Petra Vrebac, Uma Planja, Emina Džambegović, Elena Stipić

  
  

ALL ABOUT THE MUSICAL CAN BE FOUND AT:

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. is performed with special permission, and all authorized materials are provided by Music Theatre International (421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019)