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Beauty and the Beast (musical)
Encyclopedia
Beauty and the Beast is a musical
with music by Alan Menken
, lyrics by Howard Ashman
and Tim Rice
and a book by Linda Woolverton
, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name
. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical. Beauty ran on Broadway
for 5,464 performances between 1994 and 2007, becoming Broadway's eighth-longest running production in history.
The musical has grossed more than $1.4 billion worldwide and played in thirteen countries and 115 cities. It has also become a popular choice for high school productions.
that praised Beauty and the Beast as 1991's best musical.... Theatre Under The Stars
executive director Frank Young had been trying to get Disney interested in a stage version of Beauty about the same time Eisner and Katzenberg were mulling over Rich's column. But Young couldn't seem to get in touch with the right person in the Disney empire. Nothing happened till the Disney execs started to pursue the project from their end.... When they asked George Ives, the head of Actors Equity on the West Coast, which Los Angeles theater would be the best venue for launching a new musical, Ives said the best theater for that purpose would be TUTS. Not long after that, Disney's Don Frantz and Bettina Buckley contacted Young, and the partnership was under way." A stage condensation of the film, directed by Robert Jess Roth and choreographed by Matt West
, both of whom moved on to the Broadway development, had already been presented at Disneyland at what was then called the Videopolis stage.
and Disney Theatricals at the Music Hall, Houston, Texas, from November 28, 1993, through December 26, 1993.
at the Palace Theatre
on April 18, 1994 and ran there until September 5, 1999, transferring to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
on November 11, 1999, with an official opening date of November 16, 1999. The musical closed on July 29, 2007 after 46 previews and 5,464 performances, and is Broadway's eighth-longest running production in history (as of August 2011). The production holds the record of being the longest running production at both the Palace Theatre
, where it opened, and the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
, where it closed its Broadway run.
Directed by Robert Jess Roth with choreography by Matt West
and assisted by Dan Mojica, the original Broadway cast included Susan Egan
as Belle, Terrence Mann
as the Beast, Burke Moses
as Gaston, Gary Beach
as Lumiere and Beth Fowler
as Mrs Potts. Orchestrations were by Danny Troob (after his score of the film), scenic designer was Stan Meyer, costume designer Ann Hould-Ward
, lighting designer Natasha Katz
, sound was by T. Richard Fitzgerald, hair designer David H. Lawrence, and prosthetics were by John Dods. Illusions were by Jim Steinmeyer
and John Gaughan
, and pyrotechnic design was by Tyler Wymer.
The Broadway production closed to make way for Disney's next musical venture, The Little Mermaid
. With Disney set to open its Broadway version of The Little Mermaid on November 3, 2007 at the time, it was believed that having two Disney film of the same style I.E. Princesses on Broadway at the same time would divide audiences and cause competition between the two shows. At this point, Disney had three shows running at the same time: Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King
, and Tarzan
. It was reported that Disney Theatrical planned to revive the show on Broadway for the 2008 holiday season, but Disney did not pursue this.
production opened at London's Dominion Theatre
on April 29, 1997 and closed on December 11, 1999. Featured were Julie Alanah Brighton as Belle, Alasdair Harvey as the Beast, Burke Moses reprising his role as Gaston, Derek Griffiths
as Lumiere, Mary Millar
as Mrs Potts, Norman Rossington
as Maurice, Barry James
as Cogsworth, Di Botcher
as Madame De La Grande Bouche, Richard Gauntlett as Lefou and Rebecca Thornhill as Babette. Notable replacements included Michelle Gayle
and Annalene Beechey as Belle and John Barrowman
and Earl Carpenter as the Beast, Alex Bourne as Gaston and Terry Doyle as Maurice. The show won the Olivier Award as Best New Musical for 1998.
, Erin Dilly
and Danyelle Bossardet as Belle. The three touring companies visited 137 venues in 90 North American cities. About 5.5 million people in the United States and Canada saw these tours. A fourth national tour of Beauty and the Beast began February 2010, opening in Providence, Rhode Island
starring Liz Shivener as Belle and Justin Glaser as The Beast.
The UK National tour (prior to the closure of the West End Production in 1999) began on November 2, 2001 at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool
with stops in Bristol
, Birmingham
, Dublin, Southampton
, Manchester
and ended on April 12, 2003 at the Playhouse Theatre in Edinburgh
. The tour starred Annalene Beechey (reprising her role from the London Production) as Belle, Alistair Robins as the Beast, Ben Harlow as Gaston, Julia Goss
as Mrs Potts, Stephen Matthews as Lumiere Barry James
(reprising his role from the London Production) as Cogsworth, Billy Boyle
(reprising his role from the London Production) as Maurice, Karen Davies as Madame De La Grande Bouche, Kate Graham (reprising her role from the London Production) as Babette, Anthony Clegg as Lefou and Oliver Taylor and Sion Eifion sharing the role of Chip. Notable replacements included Dianne Pilkington
as Belle, Alex Bourne as the Beast, Earl Carpenter as Gaston, Marilyn Cutts as Mrs Potts, Richard Tate as Maurice and Drew Varley as Lefou.
In October 2005, UK Productions produced a UK Tour of the show which ended in January 2010. The original cast included Katie Rowley Jones
as Belle, Nic Greenshields as The Beast and Michael Quinn
as Gaston. Notable replacements have included Jo Gibb
and Ashley Oliver as Belle, Matthew Cammelle and Shaun Dalton as the Beast and Ben Harlow (who reprised his role from the Original Disney UK Tour as Gaston). The tour also visited other countries such as Malaysia and Greece
.
A Los Angeles
production opened at the Shubert Theatre on April 12, 1995 and closed on September 29, 1996. Most of the original Broadway cast, including Susan Egan, Terrence Mann, Gary Beach, Beth Fowler, Burke Moses and Tom Bosley reprised their roles. Notable replacements included James Barbour
as the Beast. The sets in this production were widely considered to be the largest out of all the musical's productions in the world. After the show closed in Los Angeles, all of the sets were transferred for the production in Mexico City in 1997.
Canada:
The Toronto
production opened at the Princess of Wales Theatre
on August 8, 1995 and closed in 1998. The production starred Kerry Butler
as Belle and Chuck Wagner
as the Beast, and Terry Doyle as Maurice. Notable replacements included Melissa Thomson
as Belle and Steve Blanchard
as the Beast.
The lesser known Halifax production at the Neptune Theatre
was the longest running production in the theatre's history.
as Belle, Hugh Jackman
as Gaston, and Ernie Bourne
as Maurice.
In South America, Brazil was the second country to host the musical. Disney had plans to bring it to the country in 1999, after the success in Argentina, but nobody really knew if it would work. Three years later, in 2002, Beauty and the Beast finally opened in Brazil at Teatro Abril, one of the biggest theaters in the country. It was a huge hit, for more than one and a half years, it was presented with Kiara Sasso, playing Belle and Saulo Vasconcelos playing the Beast. In 2009, a new Belle and a new Beast were cast, Lissah Martins and Ricardo Vieira, as the musical came back to Brazil, Kiara Sasso was playing Maria in The Sound of Music and Saulo was Captain Von Trapp. Beauty and the Beast remained for six months at Teatro Abril. Even though the play was brought back as a way to try to recoup some of the money lost in Brazilian's version of Miss Saigon, this second encarnation of Beauty And The Beast failed to create any critical buzz, or to be a Box Office success.
In Spain there have been two productions of the show. The first one, based on the original Broadway production, had its Madrid
debut on December 2, 1999 at Teatro Lope de Vega. The original cast included Xenia Reguant (later replaced by Julia Möller) as Belle, Carlos Marín
(later replaced by Joe Luciano) as Beast, Lisardo Guarinos (later replaced by Manuel Bandera) as Gaston, Víctor Ullate Roche as Lefou, Germán Torres as Lumiere, Kirby Navarro as Mrs Potts, David Venancio Muro as Cogsworth, Dulcinea Juárez as Babette, Laura Inclán as Madame de la Grande Bouche and Miguel de Grandy as Maurice. After a successful run of 27 months and about 900 performances, the production finally closed on March 3, 2002, becoming the longest-running musical ever in Madrid. More recently, its record was surpassed by Mamma Mia!
, Hoy no me puedo levantar
and Sam Mendes
' Cabaret
.
In 2007, a second version produced by Stage Entertainment
premiered on October 3, at Teatro Coliseum, Madrid
, for a limited run of 6 months, but the closing was postponed due to a successful season. The original cast included Julia Möller reprising her role as Belle (later replaced by María Adamuz), David Ordinas as Beast, Pablo Puyol
as Gaston, Raúl Peña as Lefou, Armando Pita as Lumiere, Angels Jiménez as Mrs Potts (later replaced by Rita Barber), Esteban Oliver as Cogsworth, Silvia Luchetti as Babette, María José Oquendo as Madame de la Grande Bouche and Lorenzo Valverde as Maurice. The production closed on January 11, 2009 and was transferred to Barcelona
, where it ran from February 26, 2009 to January 10, 2010, at BTM, with some changes in the cast, including Mercè Martínez as Mrs Potts, Marta Capel as Babette and Albert Muntanyola as Maurice.
According to DisneyBeauty and the Beast has performed around the world in a total of 14 countries in 116 cities including Argentina (1998 and 2010), Australia (1995), Austria (1995), Brazil (2001 and 2009), Canada (1995), China (1999), Germany (1997), Ireland (2002 as part of the UK National Tour), Japan, (1995), Mexico (1997), Israel (2006), South Korea (2004), Spain (1999 and 2007), Poland (2008) and the United Kingdom (1997).
In 2005, Disney and Stage Entertainment
produced a new version of the show using brand new sets and costumes. After touring Holland and playing in Antwerp, Belgium, Disney and Stage Entertainment brought the show to Berlin, Germany in 2006 after a (aprox.) one year-run at the Metronom Theater
in Oberhausen. This production opened in 2007 in Madrid, Spain and in 2009 in Milan, Italy, with Arianna as Belle and Michel Altieri
as the Beast. The Broadway production played a second time in Mexico City
beginning in September 2007 and in Hiroshima, Japan beginning in February 2008. It opened in South Africa in September 2008. In 2004, Disney began to license the show to other companies for touring, and the show has been performed by professional and amateur companies in many countries.
Years later, a beautiful young woman named Belle makes her way into town one morning in order to get a book from the local book seller. On the way she expresses her wish to live in a world like her books, full of adventure, while the townspeople note her unparalleled beauty but find her love of books odd (“Belle”). Belle has also attracted the attentions of Gaston (the local hunter and town hero) who admires her only for her beauty and not her intelligence.
Belle, however, is not oblivious to her peers’ views of her. She voices her concerns about it to her father, Maurice, an eccentric inventor, assures his daughter that she is anything but strange and he will always love her (“No Matter What”). The two then put the finishing touches on his invention and Maurice heads off to an invention fair donning a scarf knitted for him by Belle (“No Matter What (Reprise)”).
In the woods, Maurice becomes lost when a pack of wolves attacks him; he finds his way to a mysterious castle on the edge of the Crossroads and enters. The servants (Lumière, a maître d' turned into a candelabra, Cogsworth, the head of household turned into a clock, Babette, a maid turned into a feather duster that still seems to retain her flirtatious tendencies, Mrs. Potts, the head of the kitchen turned into a tea pot) and Chip, the son of Mrs. Potts. They welcome him but the castle’s master, a horrid Beast, arrives and orders Maurice to be locked away for trespassing.
Back in town Gaston proposes to Belle, which she politely rejects (“Me”). Appalled by Gaston’s forwardness, Belle once again voices her need for a life outside this provincial one (“Belle (Reprise)”). Gaston’s sidekick, LeFou, returns from the woods in a familiar scarf. Belle realizes her father is in danger and heads into the woods to look for him. She ends up at the castle where she finds her father locked away in a dungeon. She makes a deal with the Beast, Maurice goes free but she remains instead. They agree and Maurice is sent back to town without being allowed to say goodbye. Belle is given a guest room and ordered by the Beast to join him for dinner. She mourns her situation (“Home”), but Mrs. Potts and Madame de la Grande Bouche, an operatic wardrobe, attempt to cheer her up (“Home (Reprise)”).
Back in town, Gaston sulks at his loss of a bride. Lefou and the patrons attempt to cheer him up (“Gaston”), when Maurice rushes in claiming a Beast has Belle locked away, they laugh at him but Gaston formulates a plan (“Gaston (Reprise)”). Back at the castle, the Beast grows impatient as Belle has yet to join him for dinner. Cogsworth informs him she refuses to come, after a shouting match between Belle and the Beast (which ends in a victory for Belle) he tells her if she cannot eat with him then she will not eat at all. In his quarters, he sulks and notes his fate should the spell not break (“How Long Must This Go On?”). Eventually Belle does become hungry and ventures into the kitchen where the servants offer her dinner despite their master’s orders. They treat her to an amazing cabaret show (“Be Our Guest
”).
After dinner, Belle gets a tour of the castle courtesy of Cogsworth and Lumiere, her curiosity leads her to enter the West Wing, a place the Beast told her was forbidden. Mesmerized by a mysterious rose floating in a bell jar, she reaches out to touch it but before she can, the Beast stops her and orders her to get out and rips her sleeve in the process. Appalled that he has touched her she flees the castle fearing for her life. Realizing his deadly mistake the Beast knows he will be a monster forever if he cannot learn to love her (“If I Can’t Love Her”).
Back in the village, Gaston meets with the asylum owner Monsieur D’Arque. They plan to lock Maurice away to blackmail Belle into marrying Gaston (“Maison des Lunes”). In the castle, the Beast and Belle attend a lovely dinner and personal ball, where they dance together in the ballroom (“Beauty and the Beast”). After, the Beast (who plans to tell Belle he loves her) asks her if she is happy here, she responds positively but notes that she misses her father. He offers her his Magic Mirror to view him: he is sick and lost in the woods. The Beast allows Belle to leave in order to save him; she departs after a tearful goodbye (“If I Can’t Love Her (Reprise)”).
Belle finds her father and brings him back to their house in the village. After she is able to nurse him back to health she explains the transformation she seems to have gone through while with the Beast (“A Change In Me”). A mob arrives, led by Gaston to take Maurice to the asylum. Belle proves her father’s sanity by showing the townspeople the Beast is real using the Magic Mirror but doesn’t realize the error in her gesture. The townspeople immediately fear the Beast, but Belle insists he’s gentle and kind. Gaston catches her tone and recognizes the Beast as his rival for Belle’s affections and organizes the mob to kill the Beast (“The Mob Song”).
At the castle, the objects are able to keep the lynch mob at bay but Gaston breaks through and finds the Beast in his tower. He engages in a fight with him, mercilessly beating him and taunting him. The Beast has lost the will to live at Belle’s departure and Gaston moves in for the killing blow when Belle arrives, the Beast immediately turns on Gaston but spares his life. The Beast and Belle are reunited just as Gaston plunges his dagger into the Beast’s back but loses his footing and falls to his death.
On the balcony Belle assures the Beast he will live but they both know she is helpless to save him. She begs him not to leave her because she has found home in his company (“Home - Reprise”), but despite this, he dies; Belle sobs on his body and says she loves him just before the last petal falls. A transformation takes place and the Beast is alive and human once more. Though Belle does not recognize him at first, she looks into his eyes and sees the Beast within and they kiss. The two sing of how their lives have changed because of love and they dance once more as the company, now changed back to their human form, gathers in the ballroom (“Transformation/Finale").
#
Act II
* New song or instrumental cue
† Expanded vocal or instrumental content, using either cut lyrics by Ashman or dance arrangements by Glen Kelly, or both.
‡ "Human Again" was written by Menken and Ashman for the movie, but was cut. On account of the musical's great success an entirely new animated sequence was set to this song and inserted into 2002's Special Edition DVD release.
§ "A Change In Me" was written into the show in 1998 and was retained thereafter.
Notable Broadway cast replacements (approximate dates given where available)
as Belle, Terrence Mann
as Beast, Burke Moses
as Gaston, Gary Beach
as Lumiere and Beth Fowler
as Mrs Potts. The song "A Change in Me
" is not on the cast recording because the song was added to the production for Toni Braxton
during her stint as Belle. After Braxton departed the production, the song was kept in. The song was also performed on Disney's national touring jukebox musical, Disney's On the Record (2004). Broadway's original Belle, Susan Egan
, recorded a cover of the song on her CD So Far.
The Original Australian Cast Recording was released in 1995. The principal cast included Rachael Beck
as Belle, Michael Cormick as Beast, Hugh Jackman
as Gaston, Ernie Bourne as Maurice, Toni Lamond as Madame De La Grande Bouche, Grant Smith as Lumiere, Robyn Arthur as Mrs Potts and Bert Newton
as Cogsworth.
The Original Vienna Cast Recording was released in 1996. The principal cast included Ethan Freeman as Beast, Caroline Vasicek as Belle, Kevin Tarte as Gaston, Vikto Gernot as Lumiere, Ann Mandrella
as Babette, and Rosita Mewis as Mrs. Potts.
The Original London Cast Recording was released in 1997. The principal cast included Julie-Alanah Brighten as Belle, Alasdair Harvey as Beast, Burke Moses
as Gaston, Derek Griffiths
as Lumiere and Mary Millar
as Mrs Potts.
The Original Stuttgart Cast Recording was released in 1998. The principal cast included Uwe Kroger as Beast and Leah Delos Santos as Belle and Ann Mandrella
as Babette.
The Original Madrid Cast Recording was released in 1999. The principal cast included Xenia Reguant as Belle, Carlos Marín
as Beast, Lisardo Guarinos as Gaston, Víctor Ullate Roche as Lefou, Germán Torres
as Lumiere, David Venancio Muro as Cogsworth and Kirby Navarro as Mrs Potts. A second cast recording for the new production was released in May 2008, starring Julia Möller as Belle, David Ordinas as Beast, Pablo Puyol
as Gaston, Raúl Peña as Lefou, Armando Pita as Lumiere, Esteban Oliver as Cogsworth and Angels Jiménez as Mrs Potts.
. However, in a recent Den of Geek interview, Alan Menken stated the planned film version of the Beauty and the Beast stage musical "was canned."
Others
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with music by Alan Menken
Alan Menken
Alan Menken is an American musical theatre and film composer and pianist.Menken is best known for his numerous scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas have each won him two Academy Awards...
, lyrics by Howard Ashman
Howard Ashman
Howard Elliott Ashman was an American playwright and lyricist. Ashman first studied at Boston University and Goddard College and then went on to achieve his master's degree from Indiana University in 1974...
and Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
and a book by Linda Woolverton
Linda Woolverton
Linda Woolverton is an American writer who wrote the screenplay for Disney's animated feature film Beauty and the Beast and co-wrote the screenplay for the The Lion King. Woolverton then went on to write the Broadway musical version of Beauty and the Beast and assisted in adapting The Lion King to...
, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name
Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirtieth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the third film of the Disney Renaissance period...
. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical. Beauty ran on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
for 5,464 performances between 1994 and 2007, becoming Broadway's eighth-longest running production in history.
The musical has grossed more than $1.4 billion worldwide and played in thirteen countries and 115 cities. It has also become a popular choice for high school productions.
Background
According to an article in The Houston Chronicle, "The catalyst for Disney's braving the stage was an article by New York Times theater critic Frank RichFrank Rich
Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
that praised Beauty and the Beast as 1991's best musical.... Theatre Under The Stars
Theatre Under The Stars (Houston)
Theatre Under the Stars is a year-round, professional, non-profit musical theatre production company. It is located in Houston, Texas, performing mostly at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Theatre Under The Stars’ season generally includes both self-produced shows as well as national...
executive director Frank Young had been trying to get Disney interested in a stage version of Beauty about the same time Eisner and Katzenberg were mulling over Rich's column. But Young couldn't seem to get in touch with the right person in the Disney empire. Nothing happened till the Disney execs started to pursue the project from their end.... When they asked George Ives, the head of Actors Equity on the West Coast, which Los Angeles theater would be the best venue for launching a new musical, Ives said the best theater for that purpose would be TUTS. Not long after that, Disney's Don Frantz and Bettina Buckley contacted Young, and the partnership was under way." A stage condensation of the film, directed by Robert Jess Roth and choreographed by Matt West
Matt West
Matt West is a choreographer and actor. He choreographed the first Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast. He won a Drama-Logue Award for his work on that show.His acting credits include the role of Bobby in the Broadway musical A Chorus Line...
, both of whom moved on to the Broadway development, had already been presented at Disneyland at what was then called the Videopolis stage.
Productions
Beauty and the Beast premiered in a joint production of Theatre Under The StarsTheatre Under The Stars (Houston)
Theatre Under the Stars is a year-round, professional, non-profit musical theatre production company. It is located in Houston, Texas, performing mostly at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Theatre Under The Stars’ season generally includes both self-produced shows as well as national...
and Disney Theatricals at the Music Hall, Houston, Texas, from November 28, 1993, through December 26, 1993.
Original Broadway production
The musical opened on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the Palace Theatre
Palace Theatre, New York
The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before...
on April 18, 1994 and ran there until September 5, 1999, transferring to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 205 West 46th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by the architectural firm of Carrere and Hastings, it was built by producer Charles Dillingham and opened as the Globe Theatre, in honor of London's Shakespearean playhouse, on...
on November 11, 1999, with an official opening date of November 16, 1999. The musical closed on July 29, 2007 after 46 previews and 5,464 performances, and is Broadway's eighth-longest running production in history (as of August 2011). The production holds the record of being the longest running production at both the Palace Theatre
Palace Theatre, New York
The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before...
, where it opened, and the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 205 West 46th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by the architectural firm of Carrere and Hastings, it was built by producer Charles Dillingham and opened as the Globe Theatre, in honor of London's Shakespearean playhouse, on...
, where it closed its Broadway run.
Directed by Robert Jess Roth with choreography by Matt West
Matt West
Matt West is a choreographer and actor. He choreographed the first Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast. He won a Drama-Logue Award for his work on that show.His acting credits include the role of Bobby in the Broadway musical A Chorus Line...
and assisted by Dan Mojica, the original Broadway cast included Susan Egan
Susan Egan
Susan Egan is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage.-Early life and career:Egan was born in Seal Beach, California. She attended Orange County High School of the Arts and UCLA. In the meantime she started her career touring with the performance group The Young...
as Belle, Terrence Mann
Terrence Mann
Terrence Vaughan Mann is an American actor, director, singer, songwriter and dancer who has been prominent on the Broadway stage for the past three decades...
as the Beast, Burke Moses
Burke Moses
Burke William Moses is an American film and television actor. His brother is actor Mark Moses.Burke Moses first appeared on Broadway as a replacement in the role of Sky Masterson in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls...
as Gaston, Gary Beach
Gary Beach
Gary Beach is an American actor, primarily in Broadway musical theatre.-Biography:Beach was born in Alexandria, Virginia and later went on to graduate from the North Carolina School of the Arts, the same school as Terrence Mann, his Beauty and the Beast costar.Beach and his partner, Jeffrey...
as Lumiere and Beth Fowler
Beth Fowler
Beth Fowler is an American actress and singer.Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Fowler was a teacher with a fondness for Broadway theatre when she decided to audition for Gantry in 1970. She was signed for the chorus and as understudy for the lead, but the show unfortunately closed on opening night...
as Mrs Potts. Orchestrations were by Danny Troob (after his score of the film), scenic designer was Stan Meyer, costume designer Ann Hould-Ward
Ann Hould-Ward
Ann Hould-Ward is an American costume designer, primarily for the theatre and dance. She has designed the costumes for 19 Broadway productions . She won the 1994 Tony Award for Beauty and the Beast....
, lighting designer Natasha Katz
Natasha Katz
Natasha Katz is a lighting designer for the theatre, dance, and opera. She was educated at Oberlin College and did an internship with Roger Morgan....
, sound was by T. Richard Fitzgerald, hair designer David H. Lawrence, and prosthetics were by John Dods. Illusions were by Jim Steinmeyer
Jim Steinmeyer
Jim Steinmeyer is an internationally respected designer of magical illusions and theatrical special effects. His best known illusions include Origami, Interlude, and Walking Through a Mirror. He is also an author, consultant and producer....
and John Gaughan
John Gaughan
John Gaughan is a manufacturer of magic acts and equipment for magicians based in Los Angeles, California. His style of work is classic, not based heavily on machinery and technology....
, and pyrotechnic design was by Tyler Wymer.
The Broadway production closed to make way for Disney's next musical venture, The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid (musical)
The Little Mermaid is a stage musical produced by Disney Theatrical, based on the animated 1989 Disney film of the same name and the classic story of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen...
. With Disney set to open its Broadway version of The Little Mermaid on November 3, 2007 at the time, it was believed that having two Disney film of the same style I.E. Princesses on Broadway at the same time would divide audiences and cause competition between the two shows. At this point, Disney had three shows running at the same time: Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King
The Lion King (musical)
The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well...
, and Tarzan
Tarzan (musical)
Tarzan: The Musical is based on the Disney film of the same name and the story by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Music and lyrics are written by Phil Collins, with a book by David Henry Hwang.-Production:...
. It was reported that Disney Theatrical planned to revive the show on Broadway for the 2008 holiday season, but Disney did not pursue this.
Original London production
The West EndWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production opened at London's Dominion Theatre
Dominion Theatre
The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre on Tottenham Court Road close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point Tower, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:...
on April 29, 1997 and closed on December 11, 1999. Featured were Julie Alanah Brighton as Belle, Alasdair Harvey as the Beast, Burke Moses reprising his role as Gaston, Derek Griffiths
Derek Griffiths
Derek Griffiths is a British actor who appeared in numerous British children's television series in the 1960s to 1980s and more recently has played parts in TV drama.- Career :...
as Lumiere, Mary Millar
Mary Millar
Mary Millar was a British actress best remembered for her role as Rose in BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. She was born Mary Wetton in Doncaster, Yorkshire...
as Mrs Potts, Norman Rossington
Norman Rossington
Norman Rossington was an English actor best remembered for his roles in The Army Game, the Carry On films and the Beatles film A Hard Day's Night.-Early life:...
as Maurice, Barry James
Barry James
-Theatre credits:He trained at the Guildford School of Acting.His stage roles include:* Seymour in the first West End production of Little Shop of Horrors at the Comedy Theatre* as Otto Kringelein in "Grand Hotel " at the Dominion Theatre' 1992...
as Cogsworth, Di Botcher
Di Botcher
Di Botcher is a Welsh actress originally from Port Talbot. She has appeared in a series of Post Office advertisements in the UK and she is learning the Welsh language in the Big Welsh Challenge TV show along with Rhod Gilbert and Colin Charvis, with Glyn Wise as her mentor...
as Madame De La Grande Bouche, Richard Gauntlett as Lefou and Rebecca Thornhill as Babette. Notable replacements included Michelle Gayle
Michelle Gayle
Michelle Patricia Gayle is a British recording artist, actress and author. Gayle had success as a Soul and R&B singer in the 1990s. She achieved seven Top 40 singles in the UK Singles Chart, her two biggest hits to date being "Sweetness" and "Do You Know"...
and Annalene Beechey as Belle and John Barrowman
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
and Earl Carpenter as the Beast, Alex Bourne as Gaston and Terry Doyle as Maurice. The show won the Olivier Award as Best New Musical for 1998.
National tours
The show had three US national tours. The first opened on November 15, 1995 and closed in 1999. It featured Kim Huber as Belle and Fred Inkley as the Beast. The second national tour opened in 1999 with Susan Owen as Belle and Grant Norman as The Beast. This production closed in 2003. The third national tour opened in 2001 and closed in 2003. This production starred Jennifer Shraeder as Belle and Roger Befeler as the Beast. Notable replacements on the tours have included Sarah LitzsingerSarah Litzsinger
Sarah Elizabeth Litzsinger is an American actress and singer, best known for her career in musical theatre.Litzsinger's family is from Carmel, Indiana. She made her Broadway debut in 1983 at age eleven, as the understudy for Young Norma Jean in the short-lived Marilyn: An American Fable...
, Erin Dilly
Erin Dilly
Erin Dilly is an American actress. She is most noted for her portrayal of Truly Scrumptious in the 2005 musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award.Dilly was raised in...
and Danyelle Bossardet as Belle. The three touring companies visited 137 venues in 90 North American cities. About 5.5 million people in the United States and Canada saw these tours. A fourth national tour of Beauty and the Beast began February 2010, opening in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
starring Liz Shivener as Belle and Justin Glaser as The Beast.
The UK National tour (prior to the closure of the West End Production in 1999) began on November 2, 2001 at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
with stops in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Dublin, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and ended on April 12, 2003 at the Playhouse Theatre in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. The tour starred Annalene Beechey (reprising her role from the London Production) as Belle, Alistair Robins as the Beast, Ben Harlow as Gaston, Julia Goss
Julia Goss
Julia Goss , is an English singer and actress best known for her performances in the principal soprano roles of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company...
as Mrs Potts, Stephen Matthews as Lumiere Barry James
Barry James
-Theatre credits:He trained at the Guildford School of Acting.His stage roles include:* Seymour in the first West End production of Little Shop of Horrors at the Comedy Theatre* as Otto Kringelein in "Grand Hotel " at the Dominion Theatre' 1992...
(reprising his role from the London Production) as Cogsworth, Billy Boyle
Billy Boyle
Billy Boyle is an Irish actor on British film, television and stage. He is a veteran of the West-End stage having played leading roles in over 15 hit shows. In his first West-End musical "Maggie May" he was nominated as best newcomer. Gower Champion then chose him to play Barnaby in "Hello Dolly"...
(reprising his role from the London Production) as Maurice, Karen Davies as Madame De La Grande Bouche, Kate Graham (reprising her role from the London Production) as Babette, Anthony Clegg as Lefou and Oliver Taylor and Sion Eifion sharing the role of Chip. Notable replacements included Dianne Pilkington
Dianne Pilkington
Dianne Lesley Pilkington is an English theatre actress and singer.- Life :Pilkington was born in Wigan. She trained at the Guildford School of Acting, graduating in 1997 with the Principal's Award....
as Belle, Alex Bourne as the Beast, Earl Carpenter as Gaston, Marilyn Cutts as Mrs Potts, Richard Tate as Maurice and Drew Varley as Lefou.
In October 2005, UK Productions produced a UK Tour of the show which ended in January 2010. The original cast included Katie Rowley Jones
Katie Rowley Jones
Katie Rowley Jones is a musical theatre actress best known for her portrayal of Nessarose in Wicked.-Early life and education:...
as Belle, Nic Greenshields as The Beast and Michael Quinn
Michael Quinn
Michael Quinn may refer to:*Michael Quinn , American academic and president of Saint Mary's College of California*Michael Quinn , Gaelic football convert to Australian rules football*D...
as Gaston. Notable replacements have included Jo Gibb
Jo Gibb
Jo Gibb is a Scottish theatre actress best known for her role of Rumpleteazer in the Cats video and as Pearl the Observation Car in Starlight Express...
and Ashley Oliver as Belle, Matthew Cammelle and Shaun Dalton as the Beast and Ben Harlow (who reprised his role from the Original Disney UK Tour as Gaston). The tour also visited other countries such as Malaysia and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Other productions
Los Angeles:A Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
production opened at the Shubert Theatre on April 12, 1995 and closed on September 29, 1996. Most of the original Broadway cast, including Susan Egan, Terrence Mann, Gary Beach, Beth Fowler, Burke Moses and Tom Bosley reprised their roles. Notable replacements included James Barbour
James Barbour
James Barbour was an American lawyer, amember and speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, the 18th Governor of Virginia, the first Governor to reside in the current Virginia Governor's Mansion, a U.S. Senator from 1814–1825, and the United States Secretary of War from 1825-1828.Barbour was a...
as the Beast. The sets in this production were widely considered to be the largest out of all the musical's productions in the world. After the show closed in Los Angeles, all of the sets were transferred for the production in Mexico City in 1997.
Canada:
The Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
production opened at the Princess of Wales Theatre
Princess of Wales Theatre
The Princess of Wales Theatre is a 2000-seat theatre located at 300 King Street West in the heart of Toronto's Entertainment District in the downtown area...
on August 8, 1995 and closed in 1998. The production starred Kerry Butler
Kerry Butler
Kerry Marie Butler is an American actress known primarily for her work in theatre.-Early life and career:...
as Belle and Chuck Wagner
Chuck Wagner
Chuck Wagner is an American actor, Director, Musical Theatre Historian, and Teacher.-Education and early career:Wagner was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Hartsville, Tennessee. He attended public school in Gallatin, TN...
as the Beast, and Terry Doyle as Maurice. Notable replacements included Melissa Thomson
Melissa Thomson
Melissa Thomson is an Australian basketball player in NSW, Australia. She is a forward with Sydney Comets of the Waratah Australian Basketball League ....
as Belle and Steve Blanchard
Steve Blanchard
Steve Blanchard is a stage actor best known for his musical theatre roles, being most closely associated with the role of Beast in the musical Beauty and the Beast, which he played both on Broadway and on tour for eleven years...
as the Beast.
The lesser known Halifax production at the Neptune Theatre
Neptune Theatre
The Neptune Theatre, built in 1913, is one of many theatres in Liverpool, England. It has been threatened with closure several times, and is currently not in use. The theatre seats 445 on its two levels.-History:...
was the longest running production in the theatre's history.
International productions
In 1995, the musical began its original Australian run in Melbourne at The Princess Theatre, before moving on to Sydney. The original Australian cast included Michael Cormick as The Beast, Rachael BeckRachael Beck
Rachael Beck is an Australian stage and television actress.-Career highlights:Beck's best known role is that of Martin Kelly's niece, Sam, on the popular sitcom, Hey Dad...!....
as Belle, Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Michael Jackman is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre, and television.Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters...
as Gaston, and Ernie Bourne
Ernie Bourne
Ernest Alfred "Ernie" Bourne was an English-born Australian actor, best known for his regular roles on television....
as Maurice.
In South America, Brazil was the second country to host the musical. Disney had plans to bring it to the country in 1999, after the success in Argentina, but nobody really knew if it would work. Three years later, in 2002, Beauty and the Beast finally opened in Brazil at Teatro Abril, one of the biggest theaters in the country. It was a huge hit, for more than one and a half years, it was presented with Kiara Sasso, playing Belle and Saulo Vasconcelos playing the Beast. In 2009, a new Belle and a new Beast were cast, Lissah Martins and Ricardo Vieira, as the musical came back to Brazil, Kiara Sasso was playing Maria in The Sound of Music and Saulo was Captain Von Trapp. Beauty and the Beast remained for six months at Teatro Abril. Even though the play was brought back as a way to try to recoup some of the money lost in Brazilian's version of Miss Saigon, this second encarnation of Beauty And The Beast failed to create any critical buzz, or to be a Box Office success.
In Spain there have been two productions of the show. The first one, based on the original Broadway production, had its Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
debut on December 2, 1999 at Teatro Lope de Vega. The original cast included Xenia Reguant (later replaced by Julia Möller) as Belle, Carlos Marín
Carlos Marín
Carlos Marín is a Spanish baritone and member of the operatic pop musical quartet Il Divo.-Early life:Born in Mörfelden-Walldorf near Rüsselsheim but raised in Madrid, Spain, Carlos started his career in music early in life, recording his first album when he was eight years old, produced by...
(later replaced by Joe Luciano) as Beast, Lisardo Guarinos (later replaced by Manuel Bandera) as Gaston, Víctor Ullate Roche as Lefou, Germán Torres as Lumiere, Kirby Navarro as Mrs Potts, David Venancio Muro as Cogsworth, Dulcinea Juárez as Babette, Laura Inclán as Madame de la Grande Bouche and Miguel de Grandy as Maurice. After a successful run of 27 months and about 900 performances, the production finally closed on March 3, 2002, becoming the longest-running musical ever in Madrid. More recently, its record was surpassed by Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
, Hoy no me puedo levantar
Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar
Hoy no me puedo levantar is a Spanish musical, with music and lyrics by Nacho Cano, former member of the band Mecano. Based on 32 of the band's greatest hits and named after their first single, the musical centers on a pair of impoverished musicians trying to be part of La Movida Madrileña, after...
and Sam Mendes
Sam Mendes
Samuel Alexander "Sam" Mendes, CBE is an English stage and film director. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning work on his debut film American Beauty and his dark re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret , Oliver! , Company and Gypsy . He's currently working on the 23rd James Bond...
' Cabaret
Cabaret (musical)
Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions....
.
In 2007, a second version produced by Stage Entertainment
Stage Entertainment
The musical production company Stage Entertainment is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It has a very successful subsidiary in Germany based in Hamburg which almost has a monopoly in Germany.- History :...
premiered on October 3, at Teatro Coliseum, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, for a limited run of 6 months, but the closing was postponed due to a successful season. The original cast included Julia Möller reprising her role as Belle (later replaced by María Adamuz), David Ordinas as Beast, Pablo Puyol
Pablo Puyol
- Biography :He was born in Málaga. After starting biology, he studied drama in the Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático de Málaga. He started as a professional actor in Madrid with the musical Grease....
as Gaston, Raúl Peña as Lefou, Armando Pita as Lumiere, Angels Jiménez as Mrs Potts (later replaced by Rita Barber), Esteban Oliver as Cogsworth, Silvia Luchetti as Babette, María José Oquendo as Madame de la Grande Bouche and Lorenzo Valverde as Maurice. The production closed on January 11, 2009 and was transferred to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, where it ran from February 26, 2009 to January 10, 2010, at BTM, with some changes in the cast, including Mercè Martínez as Mrs Potts, Marta Capel as Babette and Albert Muntanyola as Maurice.
According to DisneyBeauty and the Beast has performed around the world in a total of 14 countries in 116 cities including Argentina (1998 and 2010), Australia (1995), Austria (1995), Brazil (2001 and 2009), Canada (1995), China (1999), Germany (1997), Ireland (2002 as part of the UK National Tour), Japan, (1995), Mexico (1997), Israel (2006), South Korea (2004), Spain (1999 and 2007), Poland (2008) and the United Kingdom (1997).
In 2005, Disney and Stage Entertainment
Stage Entertainment
The musical production company Stage Entertainment is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It has a very successful subsidiary in Germany based in Hamburg which almost has a monopoly in Germany.- History :...
produced a new version of the show using brand new sets and costumes. After touring Holland and playing in Antwerp, Belgium, Disney and Stage Entertainment brought the show to Berlin, Germany in 2006 after a (aprox.) one year-run at the Metronom Theater
Metronom Theater
Metronom Theater is a theatre in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
in Oberhausen. This production opened in 2007 in Madrid, Spain and in 2009 in Milan, Italy, with Arianna as Belle and Michel Altieri
Michel Altieri
Michel Altieri is an Italian actor, singer and recording artist. Born to a French mother and Italian father, Altieri grew up in Italy. After a career in musical theatre, straight plays, TV, and film in Italy and Europe, he is now primarily based in New York City...
as the Beast. The Broadway production played a second time in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
beginning in September 2007 and in Hiroshima, Japan beginning in February 2008. It opened in South Africa in September 2008. In 2004, Disney began to license the show to other companies for touring, and the show has been performed by professional and amateur companies in many countries.
Amateur productions
The show's rights became available (in association with Josef Weinberger Ltd.) to amateur performing groups and regional musical societies. The show has been performed in numerous countries, by theatre companies of both an amateur and professional level.Act I
On a cold winter night, an old beggar woman comes upon a glorious castle belonging to a young prince. She asks the master of the castle to allow her to stay the night, away from the cold, and in return she will give him a single rose, but the prince is vain and uncaring and turns her away solely for her appearance. As he does this, she warns him not to be fooled by appearances, as true beauty lies within, only to be rejected again. Seeing his horrible heart for what it truly is, she transforms into a beautiful enchantress and turns the prince into a hideous Beast and his servants into different objects. She gives him the rose to use as an hour-glass. The only way he can break the spell is to learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal falls.Years later, a beautiful young woman named Belle makes her way into town one morning in order to get a book from the local book seller. On the way she expresses her wish to live in a world like her books, full of adventure, while the townspeople note her unparalleled beauty but find her love of books odd (“Belle”). Belle has also attracted the attentions of Gaston (the local hunter and town hero) who admires her only for her beauty and not her intelligence.
Belle, however, is not oblivious to her peers’ views of her. She voices her concerns about it to her father, Maurice, an eccentric inventor, assures his daughter that she is anything but strange and he will always love her (“No Matter What”). The two then put the finishing touches on his invention and Maurice heads off to an invention fair donning a scarf knitted for him by Belle (“No Matter What (Reprise)”).
In the woods, Maurice becomes lost when a pack of wolves attacks him; he finds his way to a mysterious castle on the edge of the Crossroads and enters. The servants (Lumière, a maître d' turned into a candelabra, Cogsworth, the head of household turned into a clock, Babette, a maid turned into a feather duster that still seems to retain her flirtatious tendencies, Mrs. Potts, the head of the kitchen turned into a tea pot) and Chip, the son of Mrs. Potts. They welcome him but the castle’s master, a horrid Beast, arrives and orders Maurice to be locked away for trespassing.
Back in town Gaston proposes to Belle, which she politely rejects (“Me”). Appalled by Gaston’s forwardness, Belle once again voices her need for a life outside this provincial one (“Belle (Reprise)”). Gaston’s sidekick, LeFou, returns from the woods in a familiar scarf. Belle realizes her father is in danger and heads into the woods to look for him. She ends up at the castle where she finds her father locked away in a dungeon. She makes a deal with the Beast, Maurice goes free but she remains instead. They agree and Maurice is sent back to town without being allowed to say goodbye. Belle is given a guest room and ordered by the Beast to join him for dinner. She mourns her situation (“Home”), but Mrs. Potts and Madame de la Grande Bouche, an operatic wardrobe, attempt to cheer her up (“Home (Reprise)”).
Back in town, Gaston sulks at his loss of a bride. Lefou and the patrons attempt to cheer him up (“Gaston”), when Maurice rushes in claiming a Beast has Belle locked away, they laugh at him but Gaston formulates a plan (“Gaston (Reprise)”). Back at the castle, the Beast grows impatient as Belle has yet to join him for dinner. Cogsworth informs him she refuses to come, after a shouting match between Belle and the Beast (which ends in a victory for Belle) he tells her if she cannot eat with him then she will not eat at all. In his quarters, he sulks and notes his fate should the spell not break (“How Long Must This Go On?”). Eventually Belle does become hungry and ventures into the kitchen where the servants offer her dinner despite their master’s orders. They treat her to an amazing cabaret show (“Be Our Guest
Be Our Guest
"Be Our Guest" is a 1991 Academy Award-nominated song from the animated film, Beauty and the Beast. The music was written by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman. The song was sung by Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury, and other singers in the background chorus. The song was nominated for an Academy...
”).
After dinner, Belle gets a tour of the castle courtesy of Cogsworth and Lumiere, her curiosity leads her to enter the West Wing, a place the Beast told her was forbidden. Mesmerized by a mysterious rose floating in a bell jar, she reaches out to touch it but before she can, the Beast stops her and orders her to get out and rips her sleeve in the process. Appalled that he has touched her she flees the castle fearing for her life. Realizing his deadly mistake the Beast knows he will be a monster forever if he cannot learn to love her (“If I Can’t Love Her”).
Act II
In the woods, Belle is attacked by wolves and is only rescued when the Beast comes to her aid, but he is injured during the fight, and collapses and Belle helps him back to the castle instead of taking the chance to run home. She cleans his injuries and after a brief argument about whose fault this is, the Beast thanks her for her kindness and thus their friendship is born. Wanting to give her a thank-you gift, the Beast gives Belle his huge library, which excites her. She notes a change in the Beast’s personality as the servants note a change in Belle and the Beast’s relationship (“Something There”). They express their hope of being human once more (“Human Again”) while Belle asks the Beast to accompany her to dinner that night.Back in the village, Gaston meets with the asylum owner Monsieur D’Arque. They plan to lock Maurice away to blackmail Belle into marrying Gaston (“Maison des Lunes”). In the castle, the Beast and Belle attend a lovely dinner and personal ball, where they dance together in the ballroom (“Beauty and the Beast”). After, the Beast (who plans to tell Belle he loves her) asks her if she is happy here, she responds positively but notes that she misses her father. He offers her his Magic Mirror to view him: he is sick and lost in the woods. The Beast allows Belle to leave in order to save him; she departs after a tearful goodbye (“If I Can’t Love Her (Reprise)”).
Belle finds her father and brings him back to their house in the village. After she is able to nurse him back to health she explains the transformation she seems to have gone through while with the Beast (“A Change In Me”). A mob arrives, led by Gaston to take Maurice to the asylum. Belle proves her father’s sanity by showing the townspeople the Beast is real using the Magic Mirror but doesn’t realize the error in her gesture. The townspeople immediately fear the Beast, but Belle insists he’s gentle and kind. Gaston catches her tone and recognizes the Beast as his rival for Belle’s affections and organizes the mob to kill the Beast (“The Mob Song”).
At the castle, the objects are able to keep the lynch mob at bay but Gaston breaks through and finds the Beast in his tower. He engages in a fight with him, mercilessly beating him and taunting him. The Beast has lost the will to live at Belle’s departure and Gaston moves in for the killing blow when Belle arrives, the Beast immediately turns on Gaston but spares his life. The Beast and Belle are reunited just as Gaston plunges his dagger into the Beast’s back but loses his footing and falls to his death.
On the balcony Belle assures the Beast he will live but they both know she is helpless to save him. She begs him not to leave her because she has found home in his company (“Home - Reprise”), but despite this, he dies; Belle sobs on his body and says she loves him just before the last petal falls. A transformation takes place and the Beast is alive and human once more. Though Belle does not recognize him at first, she looks into his eyes and sees the Beast within and they kiss. The two sing of how their lives have changed because of love and they dance once more as the company, now changed back to their human form, gathers in the ballroom (“Transformation/Finale").
Characters
| Character | Description |
| Beast/Young Prince | A Prince transformed into a terrifying beast for his lack of compassion; hot-tempered and commanding, but with a warm, loving heart buried far beneath his gruff exterior. |
| Belle | A vibrant, intelligent young beauty who wants more out of life than an ordinary existence. |
| Gaston | The story's antagonist Antagonist An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend... . The vain, egotistical, ultra-masculine villain determined to marry Belle. |
| Lumiere | A suave, French French people The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups... , debonair enchanted candelabra. The valet of the castle. |
| Mrs. Potts | A warm-hearted, maternal enchanted teapot. The cook of the castle. |
| Babette | A saucy, enchanted feather-duster, and the object of Lumiere's affections. The chamber maid of the castle. |
| Madame de la Grande Bouche | A former opera diva turned into an enchanted wardrobe. |
| Cogsworth | A tightly-wound, enchanted stuffy mantle clock and the head of the Beast’s household. The butler of the castle. |
| Maurice | Belle’s loving, eccentric inventor father. |
| Chip | An enchanted teacup, and Mrs. Potts' little boy. |
| Monsieur d'Arque | The creepy, scheming proprietor of the local insane asylum, the Maison des Lunes. |
| Ensemble | Silly Girls, Enchanted Objects, Townspeople, Tavern Patrons, Mob. |
| Lefou | Gaston’s bumbling, toady sidekick. |
Musical numbers
Act I- Overture* — Orchestra
- Prologue — Orchestra
- Belle — Belle, Gaston, Silly Girls and Townspeople
- No Matter What* - Maurice and Belle
- Wolf Chase* — Maurice
- Me* — Gaston
- Belle (Reprise) — Belle Silly girls(junior Broadway)
- Home* — Belle
- Home (Reprise)* Mrs. Potts Madame de la Grande Bouche (junior Broadway)
- Gaston† — Lefou, Gaston, Silly Girls and Tavern Patrons
- Gaston (Reprise)† — Gaston and Lefou
- How Long Must This Go On?* — Beast#
- Be Our GuestBe Our Guest"Be Our Guest" is a 1991 Academy Award-nominated song from the animated film, Beauty and the Beast. The music was written by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman. The song was sung by Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury, and other singers in the background chorus. The song was nominated for an Academy...
† — Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, and Enchanted Objects, Ensemble - If I Can't Love Her* — Beast
#
Act II
- Entr'acte/Wolf Chase* — Orchestra
- Something There — Belle, Beast, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth
- Human Again‡ — Lumiere, Madame de la Grande Bouche, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Babette, Chip and Enchanted Objects, Ensemble
- Maison des Lunes* - Monsieur Darque, Gaston and Lefou#
- Beauty and the Beast — Mrs. Potts
- If I Can't Love Her (Reprise)* — Beast#
- A Change in Me§ — Belle#
- The Mob Song — Gaston, Townspeople, Ensemble
- The Battle* - Orchestra
- Transformation — Beast and Belle
- Beauty and the Beast (Reprise) — Company
† Expanded vocal or instrumental content, using either cut lyrics by Ashman or dance arrangements by Glen Kelly, or both.
‡ "Human Again" was written by Menken and Ashman for the movie, but was cut. On account of the musical's great success an entirely new animated sequence was set to this song and inserted into 2002's Special Edition DVD release.
§ "A Change In Me" was written into the show in 1998 and was retained thereafter.
- not in the Junior Broadway show
Cast information
Original Broadway Cast- Beast - Terrence MannTerrence MannTerrence Vaughan Mann is an American actor, director, singer, songwriter and dancer who has been prominent on the Broadway stage for the past three decades...
- Belle - Susan EganSusan EganSusan Egan is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage.-Early life and career:Egan was born in Seal Beach, California. She attended Orange County High School of the Arts and UCLA. In the meantime she started her career touring with the performance group The Young...
- Gaston - Burke MosesBurke MosesBurke William Moses is an American film and television actor. His brother is actor Mark Moses.Burke Moses first appeared on Broadway as a replacement in the role of Sky Masterson in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls...
- Lumiere - Gary BeachGary BeachGary Beach is an American actor, primarily in Broadway musical theatre.-Biography:Beach was born in Alexandria, Virginia and later went on to graduate from the North Carolina School of the Arts, the same school as Terrence Mann, his Beauty and the Beast costar.Beach and his partner, Jeffrey...
- Cogsworth - Heath LambertsHeath LambertsHeath Lamberts, CM was a Canadian actor.He was born James Langcaster in Toronto, Ontario, where, as a boy, he won singing contests at school, allowing him to perform with Toronto's Opera Festival Association...
- Maurice - Tom BosleyTom BosleyThomas Edward "Tom" Bosley was an American actor. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC sitcom Happy Days. He also was featured in recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote, and Father Dowling Mysteries...
- Mrs. Potts - Beth FowlerBeth FowlerBeth Fowler is an American actress and singer.Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Fowler was a teacher with a fondness for Broadway theatre when she decided to audition for Gantry in 1970. She was signed for the chorus and as understudy for the lead, but the show unfortunately closed on opening night...
- Chip - Amanda Calabrese
- Madame de la Grande Bouche - Eleanor Glockner
- Lefou - Kenny Raskin
- Babette - Stacey Logan
- Monsieur D'Arque - Gordon Stanley
Notable Broadway cast replacements (approximate dates given where available)
- Beast: Chuck WagnerChuck WagnerChuck Wagner is an American actor, Director, Musical Theatre Historian, and Teacher.-Education and early career:Wagner was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Hartsville, Tennessee. He attended public school in Gallatin, TN...
(1997–1998), James BarbourJames Stacy BarbourJames Stacy Barbour , a.k.a. James Barbour, is a singer and Broadway actor. He graduated from Hofstra University with a degree in Acting and a minor in Philosophy.- Theatre credits :...
(1998–1999), Jeff McCarthyJeff McCarthy-Television:He made guest star appearances on television shows such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Ed, Designing Women, Cheers, Freddy's Nightmares, Matlock, and In the Heat of the Night. McCarthy was the voice of the Chuck Jones' creation, Michigan J. Frog, for the WB television network...
(1995-1997 & 2004), Steve BlanchardSteve BlanchardSteve Blanchard is a stage actor best known for his musical theatre roles, being most closely associated with the role of Beast in the musical Beauty and the Beast, which he played both on Broadway and on tour for eleven years...
(who played the "Beast" for the last eight years of the Broadway run).
- Belle: Kerry ButlerKerry ButlerKerry Marie Butler is an American actress known primarily for her work in theatre.-Early life and career:...
(1996–1997), Deborah GibsonDeborah GibsonDeborah Ann "Debbie" Gibson is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. In 1987 she was pronounced the youngest artist to write, produce, and perform a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, with her song "Foolish Beat" and she remains the youngest female to write, record, and...
(1997–1998), Toni BraxtonToni BraxtonToni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
(1998–1999; first African American to play Belle on Broadway), Andrea McArdleAndrea McArdleAndrea McArdle is an American singer and actress best known for playing Annie in the Broadway musical Annie, as well as for her alto range and strong vocal belt.-Career:She was born in Philadelphia...
(1999–2000), Jamie-Lynn SiglerJamie-Lynn SiglerJamie-Lynn Sigler is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO television series The Sopranos.-Early life:...
(2002–2003, Broadway Debut), Megan McGinnisMegan McGinnisMegan McGinnis is an American Broadway Actress, who recently performed in the role of Éponine, in the revival of Les Misérables .- Broadway career :...
(2003–2004), Christy Carlson RomanoChristy Carlson RomanoChristy Carlson Romano is an American stage and film actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the sitcom Even Stevens and the animated series Kim Possible, in which she is the voice of the title character, as well as the voice of Yuffie Kisaragi in Kingdom Hearts and Final...
(2004), Ashley BrownAshley BrownAshley Brown is an actress who is best known for playing the title character in the United States national tour and Broadway productions of Mary Poppins.-Career:...
(2005–2006, Broadway Debut), Sarah LitzsingerSarah LitzsingerSarah Elizabeth Litzsinger is an American actress and singer, best known for her career in musical theatre.Litzsinger's family is from Carmel, Indiana. She made her Broadway debut in 1983 at age eleven, as the understudy for Young Norma Jean in the short-lived Marilyn: An American Fable...
(2000–2002, 2003, & 2006), Sarah Uriarte BerrySarah Uriarte BerrySarah Uriarte Berry is an American actress and singer.A native of California and a graduate of UCLA, Berry made her Broadway debut as Eponine in Les Misérables in 1993. She then went on to star as Belle in Beauty and the Beast in 1995. She replaced former college room-mate Susan Egan and left the...
(1995-1996 & 2006), Anneliese van der PolAnneliese van der PolAnneliese Louise van der Pol is a Dutch-American actress and singer. After an early career in musical theatre, she was cast as Chelsea Daniels in the Disney Channel Original Series That's So Raven, a role that gained her renown among young audiences. Van der Pol also has a career as a singer and...
(2007, Broadway Debut, Closing Cast). A total of seventeen actresses have played the part of Belle in the Broadway production, with Litzsinger playing it the longest.
- Gaston: Marc KudischMarc KudischMarc Kudisch is an American stage actor, who is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway.-Early life and education:...
(1995), Steve Blanchard (1997 - he later played Beast), Christopher SieberChristopher SieberChristopher Sieber is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Kevin Burke in Two of a Kind starring Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen and Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical. Christopher studied acting and musical comedy at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City...
(2001), Donny OsmondDonny OsmondDonald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
(2006)
- Lumiere: Lee Roy ReamsLee Roy ReamsLee Roy Reams is an American musical theatre actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, and director.Born in Covington, Kentucky, Reams earned a Master of Arts degree and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati...
(1995), Meshach TaylorMeshach TaylorMeshach Taylor is an American actor.He is perhaps best known for his role as Anthony Bouvier on the sitcom Designing Women. He also had a major role on the sitcom Dave's World, playing Sheldon Baylor, and appeared in Buffalo Bill.-Personal life:Taylor was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of...
(1998–1999, Broadway Debut), Paul SchoefflerPaul SchoefflerFor the operatic baritone, see Paul Schöffler.Paul Schoeffler is a Canadian stage, film, television and voice actor.-Biography:...
(2001), Bryan BattBryan BattBryan Batt is an American actor best known for his role in the AMC series Mad Men as Salvatore Romano, an art director for the Sterling Cooper agency. Primarily a theater actor, he has had a number of starring roles in movies and television as well...
(2001–2002), Patrick PagePatrick PagePatrick Page is an American actor and playwright living in New York City.-Career:Page’s Broadway credits include originating the role of The Grinch in Dr...
(1999-2001 & 2003), Jacob YoungJacob YoungJacob Wayne Young is an American actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his role as JR Chandler on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children...
(2006, Broadway Debut), John TartagliaJohn TartagliaJohn Nicholas Tartaglia is an American singer, actor, dancer, puppeteer.Tartaglia was born in Maple Shade, New Jersey, U.S.. He joined Sesame Street's puppetry team at the age of 16 part-time, performing as a right hand and many minor characters, including Phoebe and being the backup for Kevin...
(2006–2007), David DeVries (Closing Cast)
- Cogsworth: Jonathan Freeman (2006–2007)
- Babette: Ann MandrellaAnn MandrellaAnn Mandrella is a French actress, born in Besançon, France on the 3rd of August. She has performed in theatre productions throughout Europe and in New York City.-Biography:...
(2007 Closing Cast)
- Chip: Nick JonasNick JonasNicholas Jerry "Nick" Jonas is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor best known as one of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band he formed with his brothers Joe and Kevin. The Jonas Brothers originally started as an attempted solo singing career for Nick, but the record producer liked the...
(2002), Trevor Braun (Longest-running Chip), Henry HodgesHenry HodgesHenry Hodges is an American actor and singer. Beginning his acting career in regional theatre at the age of four, Hodges is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway; starring as "Chip" in Beauty and the Beast, as "Jeremy Potts" in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and as "Michael Banks" in Mary...
Recordings
The Original Broadway Cast Recording was released on April 26, 1994. The CD included Susan EganSusan Egan
Susan Egan is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage.-Early life and career:Egan was born in Seal Beach, California. She attended Orange County High School of the Arts and UCLA. In the meantime she started her career touring with the performance group The Young...
as Belle, Terrence Mann
Terrence Mann
Terrence Vaughan Mann is an American actor, director, singer, songwriter and dancer who has been prominent on the Broadway stage for the past three decades...
as Beast, Burke Moses
Burke Moses
Burke William Moses is an American film and television actor. His brother is actor Mark Moses.Burke Moses first appeared on Broadway as a replacement in the role of Sky Masterson in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls...
as Gaston, Gary Beach
Gary Beach
Gary Beach is an American actor, primarily in Broadway musical theatre.-Biography:Beach was born in Alexandria, Virginia and later went on to graduate from the North Carolina School of the Arts, the same school as Terrence Mann, his Beauty and the Beast costar.Beach and his partner, Jeffrey...
as Lumiere and Beth Fowler
Beth Fowler
Beth Fowler is an American actress and singer.Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Fowler was a teacher with a fondness for Broadway theatre when she decided to audition for Gantry in 1970. She was signed for the chorus and as understudy for the lead, but the show unfortunately closed on opening night...
as Mrs Potts. The song "A Change in Me
A Change in Me (Beauty and the Beast)
"A Change in Me" is a solo song from the Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast, sung by the protagonist, Belle. It was written by Tim Rice and Alan Menken. The song was not included in the original Broadway production...
" is not on the cast recording because the song was added to the production for Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
during her stint as Belle. After Braxton departed the production, the song was kept in. The song was also performed on Disney's national touring jukebox musical, Disney's On the Record (2004). Broadway's original Belle, Susan Egan
Susan Egan
Susan Egan is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage.-Early life and career:Egan was born in Seal Beach, California. She attended Orange County High School of the Arts and UCLA. In the meantime she started her career touring with the performance group The Young...
, recorded a cover of the song on her CD So Far.
The Original Australian Cast Recording was released in 1995. The principal cast included Rachael Beck
Rachael Beck
Rachael Beck is an Australian stage and television actress.-Career highlights:Beck's best known role is that of Martin Kelly's niece, Sam, on the popular sitcom, Hey Dad...!....
as Belle, Michael Cormick as Beast, Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Michael Jackman is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre, and television.Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters...
as Gaston, Ernie Bourne as Maurice, Toni Lamond as Madame De La Grande Bouche, Grant Smith as Lumiere, Robyn Arthur as Mrs Potts and Bert Newton
Bert Newton
Albert Watson "Bert" Newton, AM, MBE is an Australian television personality, known for hosting television series such as In Melbourne Tonight, Good Morning Australia and 20 to 1. Newton has also hosted the Logie Awards on numerous occasions through his career.-Early life:Newton was born in...
as Cogsworth.
The Original Vienna Cast Recording was released in 1996. The principal cast included Ethan Freeman as Beast, Caroline Vasicek as Belle, Kevin Tarte as Gaston, Vikto Gernot as Lumiere, Ann Mandrella
Ann Mandrella
Ann Mandrella is a French actress, born in Besançon, France on the 3rd of August. She has performed in theatre productions throughout Europe and in New York City.-Biography:...
as Babette, and Rosita Mewis as Mrs. Potts.
The Original London Cast Recording was released in 1997. The principal cast included Julie-Alanah Brighten as Belle, Alasdair Harvey as Beast, Burke Moses
Burke Moses
Burke William Moses is an American film and television actor. His brother is actor Mark Moses.Burke Moses first appeared on Broadway as a replacement in the role of Sky Masterson in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls...
as Gaston, Derek Griffiths
Derek Griffiths
Derek Griffiths is a British actor who appeared in numerous British children's television series in the 1960s to 1980s and more recently has played parts in TV drama.- Career :...
as Lumiere and Mary Millar
Mary Millar
Mary Millar was a British actress best remembered for her role as Rose in BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. She was born Mary Wetton in Doncaster, Yorkshire...
as Mrs Potts.
The Original Stuttgart Cast Recording was released in 1998. The principal cast included Uwe Kroger as Beast and Leah Delos Santos as Belle and Ann Mandrella
Ann Mandrella
Ann Mandrella is a French actress, born in Besançon, France on the 3rd of August. She has performed in theatre productions throughout Europe and in New York City.-Biography:...
as Babette.
The Original Madrid Cast Recording was released in 1999. The principal cast included Xenia Reguant as Belle, Carlos Marín
Carlos Marín
Carlos Marín is a Spanish baritone and member of the operatic pop musical quartet Il Divo.-Early life:Born in Mörfelden-Walldorf near Rüsselsheim but raised in Madrid, Spain, Carlos started his career in music early in life, recording his first album when he was eight years old, produced by...
as Beast, Lisardo Guarinos as Gaston, Víctor Ullate Roche as Lefou, Germán Torres
Germán Torres
Germán Torres is a former Mexican world boxing champion. His nickname was Ozeki.- Pro career :Torres turned pro in 1975 at the age of fifteen, and won the vacant WBC light flyweight title in his fifth attempt at attempting to win that title, with a decision win over Soon-Jung Kang in 1988...
as Lumiere, David Venancio Muro as Cogsworth and Kirby Navarro as Mrs Potts. A second cast recording for the new production was released in May 2008, starring Julia Möller as Belle, David Ordinas as Beast, Pablo Puyol
Pablo Puyol
- Biography :He was born in Málaga. After starting biology, he studied drama in the Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático de Málaga. He started as a professional actor in Madrid with the musical Grease....
as Gaston, Raúl Peña as Lefou, Armando Pita as Lumiere, Esteban Oliver as Cogsworth and Angels Jiménez as Mrs Potts.
Junior version
A "junior" version of the musical for middle and high school students was published by Music Theater International. This version only included a selected number of the songs, including "Belle", "Belle (Reprise)", "Home", "Home (Tag)", "Gaston", "Gaston (Reprise)", "Be Our Guest", "Something There", "Human Again", "Beauty and the Beast", "The Mob Song", "Home (Reprise)", and "Beauty and the Beast (Reprise)". Also In Belle (reprise), The Silly Girls take Belle's part in the beginning of the song.Planned film adapation
A live film adaptation of the musical was in the works according to Alan MenkenAlan Menken
Alan Menken is an American musical theatre and film composer and pianist.Menken is best known for his numerous scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas have each won him two Academy Awards...
. However, in a recent Den of Geek interview, Alan Menken stated the planned film version of the Beauty and the Beast stage musical "was canned."
Awards and nominations
Olivier Award for Best Musical, 1998| Award | Outcome | |
| Tony Awards | ||
| Best Musical | ||
| Best Book of a Musical (Linda Woolverton Linda Woolverton Linda Woolverton is an American writer who wrote the screenplay for Disney's animated feature film Beauty and the Beast and co-wrote the screenplay for the The Lion King. Woolverton then went on to write the Broadway musical version of Beauty and the Beast and assisted in adapting The Lion King to... ) |
||
| Best Original Score (Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice) | ||
| Best Actor in a Musical (Terrence Mann) | ||
| Best Actress in a Musical (Susan Egan) | ||
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Gary Beach) | ||
| Best Costume Design (Ann Hould-Ward) | ||
| Best Lighting Design (Natasha Katz) | ||
| Best Direction of a Musical (Robert Jess Roth) | ||
| Drama Desk Awards | ||
| Outstanding Musical | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Terrence Mann) | ||
| Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Susan Egan) | ||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical (Burke Moses Burke Moses Burke William Moses is an American film and television actor. His brother is actor Mark Moses.Burke Moses first appeared on Broadway as a replacement in the role of Sky Masterson in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls... ) |
||
| Outstanding Choreography (Matt West) | ||
| Outstanding Orchestrations (Danny Troob) | ||
| Outstanding Lyrics (Howard Ashman, Tim Rice) | ||
| Outstanding Music (Alan Menken) | ||
| Outstanding Sound Design (T. Richard Fitzgerald) | ||
| Outstanding Special Effects (Jim Steinmeyer Jim Steinmeyer Jim Steinmeyer is an internationally respected designer of magical illusions and theatrical special effects. His best known illusions include Origami, Interlude, and Walking Through a Mirror. He is also an author, consultant and producer.... , John Gaughan John Gaughan John Gaughan is a manufacturer of magic acts and equipment for magicians based in Los Angeles, California. His style of work is classic, not based heavily on machinery and technology.... ) |
||
| John Kraaijkamp Musical Awards | ||
| Beste grote musical (Best big musical) | in 2006 | |
| Beste Vrouwelijke Hoofdrol in een Grote Musical (Best Female Lead in a big musical) (Chantal Janzen Chantal Janzen Chantal Janzen is a Dutch actress and musical star. She starred in The Preacher, Full Moon Party and Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo and presented Idols.... as Belle Belle Belle is the feminine form of the French word which means beautiful.It may also refer to:-Business:* Belle Baby Carriers, a U.S. baby carrier manufacturer* Belle International, a Chinese footwear retailer-Computers and software:... ) |
||
| Beste Mannelijke Hoofdrol in een Grote Musical (Best Male Lead in a big musical) (Carlo Boszhard Carlo Boszhard Carlo Boszhard is a Dutch TV personality, singer, impersonator, and host. His brother is Ron Boszhard.-Career:His career started in 1989, hosting a part of the AVRO program "Pauze TV" . In 1990, he switched to RTL 4, where he would present "De gek van de week-show" , which wasn't successful... as Lumiere Lumière -Characters:*Lumière , one of the two main characters of the 2002 anime series Kiddy Grade*Lumiere, a character in the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast-Places:*Lumière, a restaurant in Vancouver, Canada... ) |
||
| Beste Vrouwelijke Bijrol in een Grote Musical (Best Supporting Actress in a big musical) (Nicole Berendsen as Babette) | ||
| Beste Vrouwelijke Bijrol in een Grote Musical (Best Supporting Actress in a big musical) (Carolina Mout as Madame de la Grande Bouche) | ||
External links
Information about Regional US and International productions- Indianapolis Civic Theatre (Production Photos)
- Theatre Cedar Rapids Beauty and the Beast (Production Photos) Cedar Rapids, IA
- Chattanooga Theatre Centre (Production Photos) Chattanooga, TN
- Music Theatre Louisville (Archive Page) Louisville, KY
- Actor's Playhouse (Review) Coral Gables, FL
- Finnish version,2007, Helsinki City Theatre Helsinki, Finland
- Mexican Production Mexico
Others
- Beauty & the Beast official website
- Beauty and the Beast info page on StageAgent.com - Beauty and the Beast plot summary & character descriptions