Walt Disney Theatrical

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New Amsterdam Theater in New York City

Walt Disney Theatrical Productions, informally known as Walt Disney Theatrical, is the stageplay and musical production arm of The Walt Disney Company. It advertises as Disney on Broadway in New York City.

The company has gained a reputation within the industry for creating professional and popular (both critically and financially) performances, starting with the acclaimed Beauty and the Beast in 1994 and most recently with The Little Mermaid in 2008. The company is led by Thomas Schumacher, and forms a part of one of the four units of The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Studio Entertainment. The division also manages Disney Live Family Entertainment, which incorporates Disney on Ice and Disney Live, produced by Feld Entertainment.

Contents

[edit] Animation adaptations

Advertisement for Beauty and the Beast

[edit] Beauty and the Beast

The show began previews in New York City in March 1994 and officially opened at the Palace Theatre in April. The musical was the first Broadway adaptation by Disney, based on the movie by Linda Woolverton and with music and lyrics by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. Several new songs were written for the Broadway musical, including Home, a ballad sung by Belle which quickly became the signature song of the musical. It had a continuous run and the final performance took place on July 29, 2007 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre to make room for another Disney production, The Little Mermaid. The show was Broadway's sixth-longest running production.

It has been performed internationally first in Melbourne, Australia and has also been performed in London, Toronto, Kyoto, Seoul, Stuttgart, Sydney, Mexico City, Guayaquil, Johannesburg, Madrid, and has also toured around the USA and United Kingdom. In the Netherlands this production was co-produced by Joop van den Ende's Stage Entertainment. The production had new sets and costumes.

[edit] The Lion King

A new Lion King Theater was constructed to house the show in Hamburg

The show debuted in Minneapolis in July 1997, before becoming a runaway hit and moving to Disney's restored New Amsterdam Theater in New York City that October where it was performed until June 13, 2006. The show then moved to the Minskoff Theatre to make room for Mary Poppins. The show uses a range of theatrical techniques, and is not a conventional musical, yet is probably the most popular production Disney Theatrical have ever conceived and one of the most loved productions in the world. It has consistently been one of the highest grossing musicals on Broadway every week, always performing to nearly-sold out audiences. The production won the Tony Award for Best Musical at the 1998 Tony Awards.

Its popularity has spawned several additional open-ended performances around the world, including in London, Toronto, Hamburg, Scheveningen, Sydney, Melbourne, Shanghai, Tokyo, Paris, Nagoya, Seoul, Johannesburg and Taipei.

[edit] Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame

The show was based on the animated flim The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It premiered in Berlin, Germany in 1999. This was adapted into a darker, more gothic musical production, re-written and directed by James Lapine and produced by the Walt Disney Theatrical branch, in Berlin, Germany. Considered to be a great boost for tourists in Germany, the musical Der Glöckner von Notre Dame (translated in English as The Bellringer of Notre Dame) was very successful and played from 1999 to 2002, before closing. A cast recording was also recorded in German.

[edit] Tarzan

The show was based on the movie of the same name and the novel Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and debuted on Broadway on May 10, 2006 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. The show was heavily publicized with Phil Collins and the lead actors promoting the new musical on several media shows including The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Live with Regis and Kelly. After playing at the Richard Rodgers Theatre for over a year the show closed on July 8, 2007.[1]

On April 15, 2007 the musical debuted in Europe in The Netherlands as the successor of The Lion King in Scheveningen. A Broadway musical had never previously arrived in the Netherlands so soon after its Broadway premiere. Phil Collins was a special guest at the 2006 Johnny Kraaijkamp Musical Awards. There he announced the news that Tarzan was coming to the Netherlands. For this production, the creative team made a lot of changes. They were able to do that because the Circustheater has more possibilities.

In 2008 a new production opened in Germany. A casting show on TV called "Ich Tarzan, Du Jane" ("I Tarzan, you Jane") searched for actors for the roles of Tarzan and Jane.

A revamped tour version had previously been announced to debut in January 2009 in Atlanta at the Theatre of the Stars. The new production was supposed to feature the same music and book, and directed and choreographed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, with scenic design by Kenneth Foy, aerial design by Paul Rubin and lighting design by Ken Billington.[2] This production has since been canceled due to a supposed mismanagement of funds by Theatre of the Stars.[3]

[edit] The Little Mermaid

The musical began Broadway previews on November 3, 2007 and opened on January 10, 2008 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, even through trouble due to the Local One stagehands strike, which ended on November 28, 2007. The world premiere took place at The Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Center of the Performing Arts in Denver, Colorado. The show features all songs in the movie and will boast nine new songs written by Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater. The book for the new musical is by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Doug Wright, with direction by Francesca Zambello, choreography by Stephen Mear, scenic design by George Tsypin, costume design by Tatiana Noginova and lighting design by Natasha Katz. Despite receiving mixed reviews by critics, the show's pre-broadway run in Denver has become the most successful tryout for a Disney musical by selling nearly 95,000 seats. The musical on Broadway opened to mixed reviews but with the audience response generally positive. [1]

The show features Chelsea Morgan Stock as Ariel, Norm Lewis as King Triton, Faith Prince as Ursula, Eddie Korbich as Scuttle, Drew Seeley as Prince Eric, Brian D'Addario and Major Curda as Flounder, and Rogelio Douglas Jr as Sebastian.

The musical closed on August 30, 2009 after 685 performances and 50 previews.[2]

[edit] The Man In The Ceiling

This show is currently a work in progress adapted from the novel with the same title. Disney will be producing the new theater venture. Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party, The Addams Family) is writing the original music. Original book author and Pulitzer Prize-winner Jules Feiffer is writing the book for the musical. Dates have yet to be released.

[edit] Live action adaptations

[edit] Mary Poppins

Cameron Mackintosh's stage adaptation of Mary Poppins had its world premiere at the Bristol Hippodrome starting with previews from September 15, 2004 before officially opening on September 18 for a limited engagement until November 6. The production then moved to the Prince Edward Theatre on December 15, 2004. It was announced in June 2007 that this production would close on January 12, 2008, after a run of more than three years.

A UK tour of Mary Poppins commenced in June 2008 and ended in April 2009.

It opened on Broadway on November 16, 2006, following a month of previews in the New Amsterdam Theater. A United States tour of the show began in March 2009.

A Dutch production will open in season 2009/2010 in the Circus Theater in Scheveningen.

[edit] High School Musical

The stage version of the hit Disney Channel movie High School Musical is currently a popular stage show done by over 2,500 local theatres. It had its world professional premiere at the Theatre of the Stars in Atlanta, Georgia. A US tour began on August 1, 2007 and ended on August 10, 2008. A West End production opened in July for a limited run. A touring production is currently running in Spain and the Netherlands and other productions have been announced for South Africa and Australia.

[edit] High School Musical 2

A stage version of the sequel movie High School Musical 2 was released as a stage version in October 2008. Like the original, the show is divided into two productions: A one-act, 70-minute show and a two act production. MTI is also handling rights to these shows as well.

[edit] Original productions

[edit] Aida

Based on the opera by Giuseppe Verdi, it tells the story of a Nubian slave who falls in love with an Egyptian captain. It was written by Elton John and Tim Rice, and debuted in 2000 on Broadway, before finishing in 2004 after 1882 performances, including previews. The Broadway production won four Tony Awards including Best Actress (Heather Headley), Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design and Best Music. Since its run on Broadway, it has had a U.S. national tour and productions around the world.[4][5][6]

[edit] Hoopz

Hoopz is an original musical about the rise of the Harlem Globetrotters. A workshop held in June 2000 was co - directed by Kenny Leon and Savion Glover and choreographed by Glover. With a script by Reg E. Gaines, Hoopz was to tell the true story of the team that helped break the color barrier in professional sports. The workshop combined the coordination and skillful handling of a basketball known to the Globetrotters with Glover's choreography.[7]

In December 2000, it was announced that Disney Theatricals had appointed a new creative team for the in-development musical. Glover, Leon, and Gaines "were dismissed after a recent unsuccessful workshop." New to the creative team were playwright Suzan-Lori Parks and director Marion McClinton.[8] As of 2003, although Jeanine Tesori and Suzan-Lori Parks had been in talks to compose music for the show, they ultimately did not work on the show.[9]

In an interview in September 2006, Thomas Schumacher, the president of Disney Theatrical Productions, said: "we gave up Hoopz and we gave up our rights to the Harlem Globetrotters. That was an issue of we had a limited window when we had the rights to make a musical out of it."[10]

[edit] On the Record

Debuting in November 2004, the show brought together sixty classic Disney songs from 1930 right up to 2004. They are woven together loosely by a storyline which is set in a recording studio with young (and old) performers using the songs to express their moods and the interrelationships among the characters they portray. The show played at the National Theatre in Washington D.C., as well as other theatres on a national tour.

[edit] Peter and the Starcatchers

Disney Theatrical Productions and La Jolla Playhouse (California) adapted Peter and the Starcatchers, which is a prequel to the Peter Pan story, into a play with music. The new play is written by Rick Elice, directed by Roger Rees and co-directed by Alex Timbers, and is based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. It was produced as part of La Jolla Playhouse's Page to Stage program, and ran from February 13, 2009 through March 8, 2009.[11]

[edit] Complete List of Official Musical Productions produced or co-produced by Walt Disney Theatricals

Disney's Beauty and the Beast

Houston, Texas (Theatre Under The Stars 1993) - Tryout Broadway, New York (Palace Theatre 1994-1999 / Lunt-Fontanne Theatre 1999-2007) - Premiere Los Angeles, California (Shubert Theatre 1995-1996) US National Tour 1 (1995-1999 including Seattle, Portland, Denver, Detroit, San Diego, Atlanta, Tempe, Dallas, New Orleans, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Boston, Washington D.C, Chicago) US National Tour 2 (1999-2003 including Philadelphia, Tampa, Orlando, Memphis, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Hartford, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Providence, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Tampa, Tempe, Tucson, Tulsa, Minneapolis) Toronto, Canada (Princess of Wales Theatre 1995-1998) Mexico City, Mexico (1997) Mexico City, Mexico (2007) Buenos Aires, Argentina (1998) São Paulo, Brazil (2001) Tokyo, Japan (Akasaka Musical Theatre 1995) Japan National Tour 1 (1995-1999 including Osaka, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Nagoya) Japan National Tour 2 (2004 including Kyoto, Osaka, Sendai, Sapporo, Fukuoka) Melbourne, Australia (Princess Theatre 1995) Sydney, Australia (Capitol Theatre 1997) Seoul, South Korea (2004) Beijing, China (1999) Johannesburg, South Africa (2008 Teatro at Montecasino) Cape Town, South Africa (2009 Artscape Opera) London, United Kingdom (Dominion Theatre 1997-1999) Dublin, Ireland (The Point Theatre 2002) UK National Tour (2001-2003 Liverpool, Bristol, Birmingham, Southampton, Manchester, Edinburgh) Vienna, Austria (Raimund Theater 1996) Stuttgart, Germany (Palladium Theater 1997) Oberhausen, Germany (Metropol Theater 2006) Berlin, Germany (Theater am Potsdamer Platz 2007) Madrid, Spain (Teatro Lope de Vega 1999) Madrid, Spain (Teatro Coliseum 2007) The Netherlands National Tour (2005-2006 including Hoorn, Tilburg, Almere, Gouda, Den Bosch, Amsterdam, The Hague, Drachten,, Apeldoorn, Groningen, Oss, Breda, Roosendaal, Eindhoven, Maastricht, Scheveningen) Antwerp, Belgium (2006) Moscow, Russia (MDM Theatre 2008) São Paulo, Brazil - REVIVAL (2009)

Disney presents The Lion King

Minneapolis, Minnesota (1997) - Tryout Broadway, New York (New Amsterdam Theatre 1997-2006/Minskoff Theatre 2006) - Premiere Los Angeles, California (Pantages Theatre 2000-200) Las Vegas, Nevada (Mandalay Bay Theatre 2009) US National Tour (2002 Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Worth, East Lansing, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Tampa, Houston, St. Louis, Memphis, Columbus, Boston, Providence, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit) Mexico City, Mexico (2007) Toronto, Canada (Princess of Wales Theatre 2000) Canada (Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton) Sydney, Australia (Capitol Theatre 2003-2005) Melbourne, Australia (Regent Theatre 2005-2006) Seoul, South Korea (Charlotte Theatre 2006) Taipei, Taiwan (2008) Tokyo, Japan (Shiki Theatre 1998) Japan National Tour (1999 Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya, Sapporo) Shanghai, China (2006) Johannesburg, South Africa (Teatro at Montecasino 2007-2008) London, United Kingdom (Lyceum Theatre 1999) Hamburg, Germany (Theater im Hafen 2001) Scheveningen, The Netherlands (Fortis Circustheater 2003-2006) Paris, France (Théàtre Mogador 2007-2009) Madrid, Spain (Teatro Lope de Vega 2009)

Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Berlin, Germany (Theater am Potsdamer Platz 1999-2002)

Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida

Atlanta, Georgia (Alliance Theatre 1998) – Tryout Chicago, Illinois (Cadillac Theatre 1999) – Tryout Broadway, New York (Palace Theatre 2000-2004) - Premiere US National Tour (Tampa, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale, Hartford, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Louisville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh, Rochester, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Tempe, Tucson, Tulsa, Washington, D.C) Toronto, Canada (2003) Osaka, Japan (2002) Japan National Tour (Kyoto, Fukuoka, Tokyo 2004-2006) Seoul, South Korea (2005-2006) Scheveningen, The Netherland (Fortis Circustheater 2002-2004) Essen, Germany (Colosseum Theater 2003-2005) Germany National Tour (2005-2007 Berlin, Leipzig, Bremen, Frankfurt, Munich) Bregenz, Austria (2005) Zurich, Switzerland (2006) São Paulo, Brazil (2008) Békéscsaba, Hungary (2009)

Disney’s On The Record

US National Tour (2004-2005 including Cleveland, Chicago, Louisville, Ordway, Philadelphia, Richmond, Detroit, East Lansing, Indianapolis, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Fort Myers, San Antonio, Houston, San Diego, Denver, Washington D.C, Boston)

Disney and Cameron Mackintosh present Mary Poppins

Bristol, United Kingdom (Hippodrome Theatre 2004) – Tryout London, United Kingdom (Prince Edward Theatre 2004-2008) – Premiere UK National Tour (2008-2009 Plymouth, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Cardiff) Scheveningen, The Netherlands (Fortis Circustheater 2009) Broadway, New York (New Amsterdam Theatre 2006) US National Tour (2009 Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Dallas, Tampa) Melbourne, Australia (tba 2010)

Disney presents Tarzan

Broadway, New York (Richard Rodgers Theatre 2006-2007) Scheveningen, The Netherlands (Fortis Circustheater 2007-2009) Hamburg, Germany (Theater Neue Flora 2008)

Disney’s High School Musical

US National Tour (2007-2008 Chicago, East Lansing, Buffalo, Atlanta, Rochester, Columbus, Cleveland, Baltimore, St. Louis, Appleton, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Raleigh, Des Moines, Little Rock, Tucson, Memphis, Nashville, Washington, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Spokane, Portland, San Jose, Costa Mesa, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Denver, Salt Lake City) Canada (Toronto, Vancouver) UK National Tour (2008-2009 including Manchester, Liverpool, Bromley, Nottingham, Wimbledon, Stoke-On-Trent, Woking, Norwich, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Milton Keynes, Bristol, Leeds, Plymouth, Crawley, Southampton, Hull, Newcastle, Brighton, Canterbury, Northampton, Leeds, Sunderland, Salford, Southend, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Belfast, Derry) Ireland (2009 Dublin, Killarney, Castlebar) London, United Kingdom (Hammersmith Apollo 2008) Spain National Tour (2008-2009 including Bilbao, Benidorm, Madrid, Zaragoza, Malaga, Barcelona, Seville, Vigo Granada, Valencia, Castelon, Murcia, Alcoi) The Netherlands National Tour (2009 Hoorn, Zoetermeer, Tilburg, Almere, Nijmegen, Gouda, Den Bosch, Amsterdam, The Hague, Drachten, Dordrecht, Veenedaal, Zaandam, Heerlen, Dronten, Rotterdam, Ijmuiden, Amsersfort, Hoogeveen, Uden, Middelborg, Roermond, Alkmaar, Rijswijk, Apeldoorn, Groningen, Oss, Breda, Roosendaal, Eindhoven, Maastricht, Enschede, Venlo, Venray, Leuuwarden, Utrecht) Italy National Tour (2008-2009 including Bologna, Milan, Rome, Mantova, Brescia, Ravenna, Pisa, Genova, Ancona, Brindisi, Fermo, Bari, Pordenone, Assisi, Montecatini, Firenze, Trento) Johannesburg, South Africa (2009) Cape Town, South Africa (2008) Australia National Tour (2008-2009 Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide) [All cities after Sydney cancelled]

Disney’s The Little Mermaid

Denver, Colorado (Ellie Caulkins Opera House 2007) – Tryout Broadway, New York (Lunt-Fontanne Theatre 2007) - Premiere

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Disney's 'Tarzan' to close July 8 on Broadway". USA Today. 24 June 2007. http://www.usatoday.com/life/theater/news/2007-06-23-tarzan_n.htm. Retrieved 20 April 2009. 
  2. ^ Gans, Andrew (2008-01-04). "Revamped Tarzan Will Debut in January 2009 in Atlanta". Playbill.com. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/114006.html. Retrieved 2008-01-05. 
  3. ^ Hetrick, Adam (2008-12-01). "American Musical Theatre of San Jose Cancels Productions of 42nd Street, Tarzan and Closes Doors". Playbill.com. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/123849.html. Retrieved 2008-12-02. 
  4. ^ Ehren, Christine and Simonson, Robert."Aida Bids Addio to Los Angeles, Travels on to Boston, Philly, Chicago in 2002",playbill.com, January 5, 2002
  5. ^ Aida factsmtishows.com, accessed August 6, 2009
  6. ^ Aida tour listingtimrice.co.uk, accessed August 6, 2009
  7. ^ Simonson, Robert."Disney's Hoopz, Helmed by Leon and Glover, May Workshop in Spring 2000",playbill.com, 1999
  8. ^ Simonson, Robert.Disney's Musical Hoopz Gets New Creative Team",playbill.com, December 30, 2000
  9. ^ Jones, Kenneth."Hoopz Musical Still in Development, Minus Parks and Tesori",playbill.com, December 31, 2003
  10. ^ Gans, Andrew."PLAYBILL.COM'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Thomas Schumacher",playbill.com, September 19, 2006
  11. ^ Jones, Kenneth."Can He Fly? Disney and La Jolla Will Test Wings of Starcatchers — a Peter Pan Prequel", playbill.com, July 28, 2008


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