How long does the performance last

The performance lasts about 90 minutes without intermission; arriving on time is recommended, as access to the hall is limited after the performance starts.

Are there parking facilities at martini park

Parking at the venue is very limited; public transport with tram line 6 to the Textile Museum stop or the use of the theater shuttle before and after the performance is recommended.

Is the venue barrier-free

The martini park is certified as barrier-free; information about services such as surtitles, induction loops, or assistance seats can be obtained from the visitor service of the Staatstheater.

When does the entrance begin

The entrance usually starts about 30 minutes before the performance; allow extra time for coat check and the walk from the shuttle to the hall.

What language is the opera in

Sung in French; the version works with surtitles that follow the film libretto and facilitate understanding.

How much does a ticket cost

According to published information, ticket prices range from about 22 to 54 euros; discounts are available depending on eligibility.

Cocteau's film meets Glass opera: Beauty and the Beast enchants Augsburg's martini park

Name: Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête)
Start: 2026-05-23T21:30:00+02:00
End: 2026-05-23T23:00:00+02:00
Location: Staatstheater Augsburg | martini-Park

Jean Cocteau's fairy tale images, Philip Glass' pulse – an evening between screen and live sound

A rare stage experience: Philip Glass' opera Beauty and the Beast merges the poetic film visions of Jean Cocteau (1946) with a live sung score. At the Staatstheater Augsburg, the martini park becomes a dream chamber where voice, ensemble, and projection create a hypnotic theatrical atmosphere.

Film opera in flow: When images breathe and music tells

The projection of the muted Cocteau film meets four solo singers and an ensemble. Glass replaces the original audio track with a French vocal line, whose rhythm follows the lips of the performers on screen with millimeter precision. This sophisticated timing creates a magical double perception: cinema before the eyes, opera in the ears – a lively dialogue of staging and dramaturgy.

Light, costume, sound: Sensual spaces for a modern fairy tale

The design delineates clear, fairy-tale contrasted visual axes: shimmering light beams model the iconic shadows of the film, while costumes and stage design subtly extend the black-and-white aesthetics into the space. The hall's acoustics carry the pulsating Glass sound transparently – every ostinato layer remains legible, the acting art of the voices gains an almost chamber music intimacy.

Between myth and minimal: Why this work ignites today

Glass' minimalist patterns lay bare the desire, vulnerability, and transformation of the characters. Cocteau's baroque tableaux, Doré-like image fantasies, and Glass' motoric energy intertwine into a concentrated stage experience that flows without pause. Audience reactions at international performances: tense silence, then enthusiastic applause – a sign of the magnetic effect of this special form of theater.

Context and quality: Positioning in the history of opera and theater

Beauty and the Beast is part of Glass' Cocteau trilogy and is considered a key work of the music theater avant-garde of the 1990s. Critics highlight the bold reconnection of image and voice: a work between opera, concert, and performance that productively shifts the boundaries of genres, thus shaping contemporary stage art.

Conclusion: Expect a dense, 90-minute transformation story, where minimal music, film poetry, and precise direction interlock. An evening that opens sound spaces, sharpens the senses, and allows the old tale of the gaze that loves to be heard anew – live, immediate, irresistible.