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Beauty and the Beast (musical)

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This article is about the musical. For film of the same name by Disney, see Beauty and the Beast (1991 film).
Beauty and the Beast
Vocal Selections cover art
MusicAlan Menken
LyricsHoward Ashman
Tim Rice
BookLinda Woolverton
BasisBeauty and the Beast
Productions

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 produced by Disney Theatrical Productions. Based on the 1991 film of the same name, which was in turn adapted from the French fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Beauty and the Beast tells the story of a prince who is transformed into a hideous beast as punishment for his cruel and selfish ways, and an adventurous young woman named Belle whom he imprisons in his castle. In order to become human again, the Beast must earn Belle's love before it's too late. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical. Beauty ran on Broadway for 5,461 performances between 1994 and 2007, becoming Broadway's ninth longest-running production in history.

The musical has grossed more than $1.4 billion worldwide and played in thirteen countries and 115 cities.[citation needed] It has also become a popular choice for high school productions.[1]

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 Rich 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 Michael Eisner and Jeffrey 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."[2] 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.

A mini version of the film was performed by the film actors at a birthday part of the one the studio heads, and this sparked the genesis of the musical as a legitimate project. Paige O'Hara was offered the role of Belle but she turned it down in order to perform in an Australian production of South Pacific, which she was already committed to.[3]

Productions

Beauty and the Beast premiered in a joint production of Theatre Under The Stars and Disney Theatricals at the Music Hall, Houston, Texas, from November 28, 1993, through December 26, 1993.[2]

Original Broadway production

The musical opened on Broadway 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 5,461 performances, and is Broadway's ninth-longest running production in history (as of December 2014).[4] 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.[citation needed]

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 own orchestrations and arrangements 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.[5] 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 "princess" films on Broadway at the same time would divide audiences and cause competition between the two shows. At this point, Disney also had three other shows running at the same time: The Lion King, Tarzan, and Mary Poppins. It was reported that Disney Theatrical planned to revive the show on Broadway for the 2008 holiday season, but Disney did not pursue this.[6]

Original London production

The West End production opened at London's Dominion Theatre on April 29, 1997, starring Julie-Alanah Brighten as Belle and Alasdair Harvey as the Beast.[7] It also featured Burke Moses 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.[citation needed]

Over the course of the production, notable replacements included Michelle Gayle and Annalene Beechey as Belle, John Barrowman and Earl Carpenter as the Beast, Alex Bourne as Gaston, and Billy Boyle and Terry Doyle as Maurice. The production ended on December 11, 1999.[citation needed]

The production won the 1998 American Express Award for Best New Musical Olivier Award, against other nominees Enter the Guardsman, The Fix and Lady in the Dark.[8]

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 with Marc G. Dalio as Gaston. Notable replacements on the tours have included Sarah Litzsinger, 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.[9][10] Under the direction of the original Broadway creative team, the show features all new sets and costumes.

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 (reprising his role from the London production) 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.

Other productions

Los Angeles

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 Stacy 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.[citation needed]

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.

United Kingdom

Beauty and the Beast was staged at the Warwick Arts Centre, February 8–11, 2012.[needs update]

International productions

On July 15, 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 Beck as Belle, Hugh Jackman as Gaston, and Ernie Bourne as Maurice.

In 1995, the musical opened in Japan and is performed by the Shiki Theatre Company. The musical continues to tour Japan.

In December 1997, the musical opened in Stuttgart at the Palladium Theatre, Stuttgart and played there until December 22, 2000. Leah Delos Santos played Belle and Uwe Kröger played the Beast and Marc G. Dalio played Gaston.

In 1999, the musical opened in China.

On June 16th 2005, the musical began its Philippine run at the Meralco Theater. Produced by Atlantis Productions, it featured KC Concepcion alternating with Karel Marquez as Belle, Jett Pangan as The Beast, and Calvin Millado as Gaston.

In South America, Argentina was the first country to produce it, with Marisol Otero as Belle, Juan Rodó as Beast, Diego Jaraz as Gastón, Gustavo Monje as LeFou, Pablo Lizaso as Lumiêre, Mónica Nuñez as Mrs. Potts, Omar Pini as Cogsworth, Alejandra Radano as Babette and Rodolfo Valss as Maurice. It ran from November 26 1998 at the Teatro Ópera in Buenos Aires until August 15 1999, before opening again in 2010. 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 The Sound of Music. 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 incarnation of Beauty And The Beast failed to create any critical buzz, or to be a box office success.

In Spain there have been three 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.

In 2012, the Stage Entertainment version was relaunched as a touring production, beginning performances on September 6, at Teatro Calderón, Valladolid. The original cast of this third Spanish production included Talía del Val as Belle, Ignasi Vidal as Beast, Daniel Diges as Gaston, Raúl Peña as Lefou, Diego Rodríguez as Lumiere, Mone as Mrs Potts, Frank Capdet as Cogsworth, Marta Capel as Babette, Eva Diago as Madame de la Grande Bouche and Enrique R. del Portal as Maurice.

According to Disney[11]Beauty and the Beast has been 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),Greece (2007), Poland (2008) and the United Kingdom (1997).[12]

In 2005, Disney and Stage Entertainment produced a new version of the show using brand new sets and costumes. After touring the Netherlands and playing in Antwerp, Belgium, Disney and Stage Entertainment brought the show to Berlin, Germany in 2006 after a (approx.) 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. The Broadway production opened in South Africa in September 2008 and ran until March 2009.[13] 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.

On October 24, 2013 "Beauty and the Beast" opened at Théâtre Mogador in Paris, France.[14]

Beginning October 2014, Disney Theatrical Productions, NETworks and Broadway Entertainment Group launched an international tour in celebration of Beauty and the Beast's 20th anniversary on stage. The tour opened at the Zorlu Center in Istanbul, Turkey. Additional stops include Kazakhstan, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. [15]

In February 2015 it was announced that "Beauty and the Beast" would come back to the Netherlands. This production will tour the country just like the 2005 version did.

Amateur productions

The show's rights became available (in association with Josef Weinberger Ltd.) to amateur performing groups and regional musical societies.[16] The show has been performed in numerous countries, by theatre companies of both an amateur and professional level.

Film adaptation

Main article: Beauty and the Beast (2017 film)

In 2009, it was reported that a live film adaptation of the musical was in the works according to Alan Menken.[17][18] However, in a Den of Geek interview, Alan Menken stated the planned film version of the Beauty and the Beast stage musical "was canned."[19] In June 2014, it was announced that a new live-action film version of Beauty and the Beast is in the works with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Bill Condon (Chicago, Dreamgirls, Gods and Monsters) directing and Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) writing the script.[20][21] Condon originally planned on including most, if not all, of the Menken/Rice songs from the Broadway musical.[22] However, in June 2015, Menken said the film will not include the songs that were written for the Broadway musical but will instead feature new music along with the songs from the animated movie.[23]

Plot

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 various household 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.

10 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. He assures his daughter that she is anything but strange (“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 of the castle include 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 horrid Beast arrives and orders Maurice to be locked away in the dungeon 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 wearing the scarf Belle knitted for Maurice. 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, at the local tavern, 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 accidentally shoving her in the process. Fearing for her life, Belle flees from the castle. 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. Instead of taking the chance to run home Belle helps him back to the castle. 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. She sees that Maurice is sick and lost in the woods and fears for his life. Even though The Beast knows there is only a few hours left till the last petal falls from the rose. He allows Belle to leave in order to save her father, 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 she was 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 servants 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 and taunting him. The Beast has lost the will to live at Belle’s departure. As Gaston moves in for the killing blow, Belle arrives. The Beast immediately turns on Gaston and is prepared to kill him, but spares his life after seeing the fear in his eyes. The Beast and Belle are reunited, but this reunion is cut short as Gaston plunges his dagger into the Beast’s back. This act of violence causes Gaston to lose his footing and he 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 II)”), but despite this, he dies; Belle sobs on his body and says she loves him just before the last rose 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/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 much more than her provincial life.
Gaston The story's antagonist. The vain, egotistical, narcissistic, ultra-masculine villain determined to marry Belle.
Lumiere A suave, French, 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.
Lefou Gaston’s bumbling, toady sidekick.
Ensemble Silly Girls, Enchanted Objects, Townspeople, Tavern Patrons, Mob.

Differences between the musical and film

  • In the film's prologue it is stated that "the rose she (the Enchantress) had offered, truly an enchanted rose, that is, would bloom until the Beast's 21st year." In the stage adaptation this is changed. "The rose she (the Enchantress) had offered was truly an enchanted rose which would bloom for many years."
  • During the opening song “Belle,” instead of sitting at a fountain and singing about the contents of her favorite book to a passing herd of sheep, Belle grabs the arm of a nearby townsperson and shows them instead.
  • The three town Bimbettes plead Gaston to choose one of them over Belle on his way to her cottage- he smugly assures them that his marriage to Belle will have no effect on any future rendezvous he will most likely have with them.
  • Gaston’s marriage proposal to Belle takes place in her front yard as she attempts to hang laundry; there are also no villagers present to witness Gaston’s humiliation until after she runs inside.
  • Philippe the horse is removed from the story. Instead, Belle knits Maurice a scarf for good luck for his trip to the inventors’ fair. After he becomes prisoner of The Beast, the scarf is found in the woods by LeFou- having been sent there by Gaston to fetch a deer for the feast after his presumed marriage to Belle- and worn back to town (not knowing who it belongs to), thereby alerting Belle to her father’s disappearance. She heads into the woods on foot.
  • Maurice’s wood-chopping machine is not located in the basement of the home he and Belle share- instead it is on the back of a bicycle-like contraption, which he rides to the fair in place of Philippe.
  • LeFou sings many of the male villagers’ lines during “Gaston.”
  • The Feather Duster's name is Babette. In the film, it never says her name just like the wardrobe (though in one of the sequels, her name is said to be Fifi).
  • The Wardrobe in Belle’s room (unnamed in the Disney film) is called Madame de la Grande Bouche and revealed to be a former famous opera diva.
  • The dog-turned-footstool of the castle is not present in this version.
  • Chip the teacup, though present, has his role greatly diminished due to the difficulty of pulling off his character convincingly. The head of his actor is usually stuck through the tops of tables and rolling carts wearing a teacup-shaped helmet. He is not seen individually mobile until after the spell is broken and he is human again.
  • The roles of LeFou, Monsieur d'Arque, Babette, and the Wardrobe have been expanded.
  • Belle and the Beast’s argument about her joining him for dinner takes place inside of her bedroom- instead of opposite sides of a closed door.
  • Belle joins Lumiere and the other dancing dishes during “Be Our Guest,” instead of remaining seated at a table and merely observing the spectacle.
  • The magic behind the transformations is slightly modified: Instead of being fully transformed (as shown in the movie), the characters are slowly transforming into their respective objects. Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and Babette the Feather Duster lament this fact, revealing that some of the servants have already completely transformed and cannot speak, see, or move; they fear the same will happen to them if the spell is not broken soon.
  • As Lumiere and Cogsworth take Belle on a tour (right before she sneaks off to explore the West Wing), the Beast makes his way to her room with a plate of food in hopes of making amends with her. However, he overhears Belle voicing her distaste of him, and throws the plate away in anger and sulks off.
  • A scene only briefly seen in the background in the film is expanded upon, where Belle teaches the Beast to read. Additionally, the book they read in the film is Romeo & Juliet while in the musical it is King Arthur.
  • During the Mob Song, Belle and Maurice are not imprisoned in their own basement; instead Belle decides to get a head start on the angry villagers and sneak off to the castle halfway through the musical number but Maurice warns her not to go alone & goes with her.
  • During the fight on the roof, Belle is physically below Gaston and Beast, calling up to them rather than reaching down from a higher balcony.
  • Gaston repeatedly stabs Beast in the back rather than only once before losing his balance.

Musical numbers

* 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, due to the complications it made on the film's timeline. It was repurposed for the Broadway play, and on account of the musical's great success, an entirely new animated sequence based on the Broadway version 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 for the debut of Toni Braxton and was retained thereafter.

# not in the Junior Broadway show

Instrumentation

Music Theatre International offers two orchestrations for Beauty and the Beast.

The principal, larger orchestration is based on the original Broadway orchestration. It requires three keyboards, drums, percussion, double bass, three woodwind players, three French horns, two trumpets, trombone, divided violins, cellos, and harp. The first woodwind player doubles on flute and piccolo, the second on English horn and oboe, and the third on clarinet, bass clarinet, and flute. The trombonist doubles on bass trombone and tuba.

The original Broadway orchestration featured two additional woodwind players. The first played flute and piccolo, the second English horn and oboe, the third piccolo, flute, and clarinet, the fourth piccolo, flute, clarinet, and bass clarinet, and the fifth on bassoon and contrabassoon. The excised reed parts were folded into the keyboard parts upon their removal for the licensed orchestration.

The optional reduced orchestration requires two keyboards, percussion, double bass, three woodwind players, a trumpet, a French horn, and solo violin and cello.

Cast information

Original Broadway Cast

Notable Broadway cast replacements (approximate dates given where available)[5][25]

Recordings

The Original Broadway Cast Recording was released on April 26, 1994. The CD included Susan Egan as Belle, Terrence Mann as Beast, Burke Moses as Gaston, Gary Beach as Lumiere and Beth Fowler as Mrs Potts.

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, Viktor 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.

Junior version

A "junior" version of the musical for middle and high school students was published by MTI. 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 instead of Belle having to sing the whole song. Also in "Something There", Madame de la Grande Bouche and Babette sing as well.

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

Year Award Category Nominee Result
1994 Tony Awards
Best Musical Nominated
Best Book of a Musical Linda Woolverton Nominated
Best Original Score Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Linda Thompson Nominated
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Terrence Mann Nominated
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical Susan Egan Nominated
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Gary Beach Nominated
Best Direction of a Musical Robert Jess Roth Nominated
Best Costume Design Ann Hould-Ward Won
Best Lighting Design Natasha Katz Nominated
Drama Desk Award
Outstanding Musical Nominated
Outstanding Actor in a Musical Terrence Mann Nominated
Outstanding Actress in a Musical Susan Egan Nominated
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Burke Moses Nominated
Outstanding Choreography Matt West Nominated
Outstanding Orchestrations Danny Troob Nominated
Outstanding Lyrics Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Linda Thompson Nominated
Outstanding Music Alan Menken Nominated
Outstanding Sound Design T. Richard Fitzgerald Nominated
Outstanding Special Effects Jim Steinmeyer and John Gaughan Nominated

Original London production

Year Award Category Nominee Result
1998 Laurence Olivier Award Best New Musical Won
Best Theatre Choreographer Matt West Nominated
Best Costume Design Ann Hould-Ward Nominated

References

  1. ^ Zoglin, Richard.Bye Bye, Birdie. Hello, Rent"TIME magazine, May 15, 2008. Reported in its May 15, 2008 issue that this musical ranked as the fourth most frequently produced musical by U.S. high schools in 2007.
  2. ^ a b Evans, Everett (1993-11-28). "Disney Debut; First stage musical, Beauty, will test waters in Houston". The Houston Chronicle. p. 8. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help) Cite error: The named reference "chronicle" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dafZc5xGLNE
  4. ^ "Long Runs on Broadway". www.playbill.com. 2014-12-14. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
  5. ^ a b Haun, Harry (2007-07-06). "Bye Bye Beauty". www.playbill.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Hill, Jim (2008-06-03). ""High School Musical 5 & 6" ?! "Beauty & the Beast" headed back to Broadway ?!". www.jimhillmedia.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-03. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' Lights Up London's West End Tonight" (Press release). PR Newswire. 1997-04-1997. Retrieved 2007-08-26. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Olivier Winners 1998". Olivier Awards. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
  9. ^ [1] networksontour.com [dead link]
  10. ^ Gans, Andrew."New Beauty and Beast Tour Now Playing Providence; Peoria Is Next" Playbill.com, February 12, 2010
  11. ^ Disney disneyonbroadway.com, accessed September 5, 2011[dead link]
  12. ^ Jones, Kenneth. "MTI Will License Disney's Aida and Beauty and the Beast for Regional and Amateur Markets" Playbill.com, September 22, 2003
  13. ^ South Africa production beautyandthebeast.co.za, accessed September 5, 2011 [dead link]
  14. ^ Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST to Make French-Language Debut in Paris, October 2013
  15. ^ http://www.playbill.com/news/article/broadway-creative-team-of-beauty-and-the-beast-will-reunite-for-internation-217065. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ^ "'Beauty and the Beast' josef-weinberger.com, accessed September 5, 2011
  17. ^ Marmiroli, Adriana."Alan Menken Adesso musical anche in Italia"La Stampa, 5/6/2009 (in Italian)
  18. ^ Hill, Jim."Hollywood bets big on 'Beast,' considers remake of 'My Fair Lady'" jimhillmedia.com (blog), July 1, 2009
  19. ^ Brew, Simon (2011-01-11). "Alan Menken interview: Tangled, movie scores, musicals, Enchanted 2, Snow Queen and more". denofgeek.com. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
  20. ^ "Disney taps Bill Condon to direct a live-action 'Beauty and the Beast'". ew.com. 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  21. ^ "Bill Condon to Direct Live-Action 'Beauty and the Beast' Film for Disney (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  22. ^ "'Twilight' director Bill Condon will translate Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' to live action (UPDATED)". Hitfix. June 4, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  23. ^ "Alan Menken Confirms 3 New Songs for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Film; Broadway Tunes Will Not Be Included". broadwayworld.com. 2015-06-05. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
  24. ^ Beauty and the Beast Broadway Playbill
  25. ^ "Beauty and the Beast at IBDB.com". www.ibdb.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ Gans, Andrew (2003-01-28). "One "Soprano" Exits, Another Returns". www.playbill.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-01. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ Schoeffler to Light Up Bway's Beauty and the Beast, March 21-May 13
  28. ^ http://www.andrewkeenanbolger.com/resume.php
Information about Regional US and International productions
Others
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