Beauty and the Beast is a musical, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Josiah Hall. Adapted from Walt Disney Animation Studios's 1991 film – which in turn was based on "Beauty and the Beast" by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont – it tells the story of an unkind prince who has been magically transformed into an unsightly creature as punishment for his selfish ways. To revert into his true human form, the Beast must learn to love a bright, beautiful young lady who he has imprisoned in his enchanted castle and earn her love in return before it is too late.
Critics, most of whom hailed the original film as one of the finest musicals in years, instantly noted its Broadway musical potential when it was first released in 1991, encouraging Disney CEO Michael Eisner to venture into Broadway. All eight songs from the animated film were reused in the musical, including a resurrected musical number which had been cut from the motion picture. Original songwriter Menken composed six new songs for the production alongside lyricist Rice, replacing Ashman, who died during the production of the film. Woolverton, who was writing the film's screenplay, adapted her own work into the musical's libretto, and specifically expanded upon the characterization of the Beast. Woolverton expanded the storylines of the castle staff from servants who would already have been transformed into household objects referring to the 1991 animation, to have humans slowly turning into inanimate objects. Costumes were designed by Ann Hould-Ward, who based her creations on both the animators' original designs as well as the Rococo art movement after researching how clothing and household objects looked during the 18th century.
After completing tryouts in Houston, Beauty and the Beast premiered on Broadway on April 18, 1994, starring Susan Egan and Terrence Mann as the eponymous Belle and Beast, respectively. The musical opened to mixed reviews from theater critics, but was a massive commercial success and well received by audiences. Beauty ran on Broadway for 5,461 performances for thirteen years (1994–2007), becoming Broadway's sixth longest-running production in history at the time of closure. As of December 2025, it is still the eleventh longest running show. The musical has grossed more than $1.7 billion worldwide and played in thirteen countries and 115 cities. It has also become a popular choice for junior, amateur and high school productions.
Background and inception
Still recovering from Walt Disney's demise, Disney's animated films continued to experience a decline in quality while struggling to attain critical and commercial success during the 1970s and 1980s from Walt Disney's death. Eager to redeem himself, Ashman agreed to work on Disney's animated film The Little Mermaid (1989), which he and Menken would famously decide to approach as though they were scoring a Broadway musical. during which Ashman and Menken became responsible for teaching the art of transforming traditional animated films into animated musicals.thumb|279x279px|Disney CEO Michael Eisner eventually green-lit a Broadway adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.|left
Inspired by The Little Mermaids success, production on an animated musical adaptation of the "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale began shortly afterward, during which Ashman finally confessed to Menken that he was dying of AIDS, a secret he had been keeping from the studio in fear of being discriminated against or fired. While the film, written by screenwriter Linda Woolverton, The film was released to immediate critical acclaim and commercial success, Once again, Academy Awards were won for Ashman and Menken's music. Several critics noticed the film's live musical potential, among them prolific New York Times theater critic Frank Rich. while hailing the film as a "better [musical] ... than anything he had seen on Broadway" in 1991.
Virtually unknown at the time, Robert Jess Roth was appointed the production's director based on his various successes directing live shows at the Disney theme parks. although Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a stage adaptation of Disney's animated film of the same name, had premiered in New York in 1979, produced by Radio City Music Hall Productions, Inc. The writer expanded the story by both "fleshing out" each character and allowing room for new musical numbers. Namely, Woolverton made the Beast a more threatening yet sympathetic figure; Meanwhile, the book-loving Belle was adapted into a more headstrong and determined heroine. Perhaps Woolverton's most significant modification involves the enchanted objects, and the decision to have the enchantress' spell gradually transform the castle's staff of loyal servants into household objects throughout the entire duration of the musical, as opposed to having already done so immediately at the beginning. Taking her job seriously, Woolverton worked relentlessly on revising the script, and often took the cast's suggestions into consideration (though not always yielding to their opinions). the actress was initially reluctant to audition for Beauty and the Beast because she thought that "it was a terrible idea for Disney to put a cartoon on Broadway." Additionally, Egan felt she was not attractive enough to play a character touted "the most beautiful girl in the village", but her agent managed to convince her otherwise. Beach had seen Beauty and the Beast premiere at the El Capitan Theatre, prior to which he had watched a stage rendition of the film, and thoroughly enjoyed both. Beach was particularly drawn to Jerry Orbach's rendition of "Be Our Guest" in his role as Lumiere, thinking, "Now why can't I get a part like that". Two years later, Beach received a call from casting director Jay Binder inviting him to play Lumiere during their workshop of Beauty and the Beast, but kept turning down the offer due to having prior commitments to an upcoming show starring comedian Carol Burnett. It was only at Burnett's insistence that Beach finally accepted. Ultimately, the collaboration resulted in approximately half of the Broadway score having co-writing credits by Menken and Ashman, while the remaining half are Menken and Rice compositions. On working on the musical without Ashman, Menken explained that "The main challenge ... was blending the lyrics of Tim Rice with those of Howard. In the end, the finished score has a quality all its own; a hybrid between" Ashman and Rice's styles. Elaborating on the main difference between writing songs for the stage as opposed to film, Menken stated that the lack of close-ups and montages in a live musical production creates a requirement for more singing material in order "to provide the same kind of illumination that intimate facial expression provides." The idea for the song originated while Braxton was still in negotiations with Disney to appear in the show for a total of three months, but various circumstances led to the singer constantly delaying signing the contract. It was not until Braxton had dinner with Menken, Rice and West that she finally agreed to sign the contract under the condition that a brand new song be written specifically for her, which an intoxicated Rice had drunkenly offered and promised. Braxton premiered the song in the form of a live performance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show. Eisner especially enjoyed the song, demanding that it be included in international productions as well, to which he personally traveled in order to teach it to the cast. Meyer found it "tricky" to translate two-dimensional environments from on screen into a three-dimensional world on stage. Conceptualization began in summer 1992. For research purposes, Disney encouraged Hould-Ward to reference the animated film; Linda also researched clothing worn throughout the late 18th century, and spent one year researching household items the way they looked during the mid-1700s. However, Hould-ward also decided her own creations would not exactly replicate the film's. Basing the costumes on the Rococo art movement, The gown became the first costume built for the production to accommodate Disney's mandate to market the dress in photoshoots and commercials starring Susan and Terrence, six months prior to rehearsals. While transforming animation into real life, Hould-Ward also worked on adding the physic to each costume, When Disney first approached Katz to offer her the job, several of Katz's cohorts – specifically other lighting designers – attempted to discourage her from accepting in fear of changing the appearance of musical theater forever. 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. The production cost an estimated $12 million, arguably higher, 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.
TV ice-show special (1996)
On December 8, 1996, Disney's Beauty and the Beast: A Concert on Ice, an ice show adaptation, was broadcast on CBS. The special was produced by Micawber Productions and Rodan Productions and featured songs from the musical. It starred Ekaterina Gordeeva as Belle and Victor Petrenko as The Beast with Scott Hamilton as Lumiere while Steve Binder directed and was hosted by James Barbour and Susan Egan.
West End production (1997–1999)
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. It also featured 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.
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.
The production won the American Express Award for Best New Musical at the 1998 Laurence Olivier Awards, against other nominees Enter the Guardsman, The Fix and Lady in the Dark.
West End revival (2022)
The UK and Ireland reimagined tour which opened in August 2021, played a limited London Palladium engagement from June 24 through September 17, 2022. It starred Shaq Taylor as The Beast, Courtney Stapleton as Belle, and the rest of the tour's cast.
US national tours
The show had five US national tours. The first national tour launched on November 15, 1995 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, and closed in 1999. It featured Kim Huber as Belle, Fred Inkley as the Beast, Patrick Page as Lumiere, and Paige Davis as Babette. Patrick Page and Paige Davis met and fell in love during the tour and married.
A 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.
The 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. Under the direction of the original Broadway creative team, the show featured all new sets and costumes. The tour was the longest in the show's history, running until July 2016.
A new North American tour based on the UK and Australian productions opened in June 2025 at the Cadillac Palace Theater in Chicago, with Kyra Belle Johnson as Belle, Stephen Mark Lukas as Gaston, and Fergie L. Philippe as the Beast.
UK national tours
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.
thumb|The musical's branding and promotional graphics were updated in 2020 for the UK national tour. The designs have since been adopted for the 2023 Australian tour, and the 2025 US Tour, though a future Broadway revival might use it.
In September 2020, it was announced that the production embarked on a new UK and Ireland tour, which was scheduled to open at the Bristol Hippodrome on August 25, 2021, with stops in Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Sunderland, Birmingham, Manchester and Dublin with further dates to be confirmed. The production starred Courtney Stapleton and Emmanuel Kojo as Belle and the Beast respectively, while other cast members include Tom Senior, Martin Ball, Gavin Lee, and Sam Bailey. The branding and promotional graphics, including posters, venue banners, and advertising, were updated for this and subsequent tours. The new design features silhouettes of Belle and the Beast embracing over a rose, their shapes dissolving into a swirling tower of rose petals on a purple background. The imagery is accompanied by metallic logo and type, based on the Rococo style typeface, Span, by Jamie Clarke.
In October 2021, Kojo was suspended (and later fired) from playing the role of The Beast due to allegations of inappropriate language to women working in the show. After an investigation was launched, Beast understudy Alyn Hawke was promoted to temporary principal until Shaq Taylor stepped in as full-time replacement in early 2022. [https://www.beautyandthebeastmusical.co.uk/alyn-hawke]
International productions
Beauty and the Beast has been performed in more than 40 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States. Over 35 million people have seen the show worldwide and it has grossed more than $1.7 billion.
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 was performed by the Shiki Theatre Company. The musical continued to tour Japan until May 2017. An updated, permanent production opened at the Maihama Amphitheater at Tokyo Disney Resort, produced by Shiki Theatre Company in association with Disney Theatrical Productions, in October 2022.
The Toronto production opened at the Princess of Wales Theatre on July 25, 1995, and closed on August 30, 1997. The production starred Kerry Butler as Belle and Chuck Wagner as the Beast, with 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 theater's history.
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 returned, including Susan Egan, Terrence Mann, Gary Beach, Beth Fowler, Burke Moses and Tom Bosley. 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.
A production opened in Vienna, Austria in 1995. The principal cast included Ethan Freeman as the Beast, Caroline Vasicek as Belle, Kevin Tarte as Gaston, and Viktor Gernot as Lumiere. Steve Barton joined the cast in 1996 as the Beast.
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 March 4, 2005, Beauty and the Beast had its Scandinavian premiere at The Göteborg Opera with Fred Johanson as the Beast and Annica Edstam as Belle.
On June 16, 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 September 2005, a production in Budapest, Hungary premiered at the Budapesti Operettszínház.
In South America, Argentina was the first country to produce it, with Marisol Otero as Belle, Juan Rodó as Beast, Diego Jaraz as Gaston, Gustavo Monje as LeFou, Pablo Lizaso as Lumière, 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. 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 Brazil'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 Lumière, 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 at that time. In 2007, a second version produced by Stage Entertainment premiered on October 3, at Teatro Coliseum, Madrid, for a limited run of six 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 Lumière, 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 the BTM, with some changes in the cast, including Mercè Martínez as Mrs. Potts, Marta Capel as Babette, Patricia Paisal as Madame de la Grande Bouche 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 Lumière, 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.
In 2005, Disney and Stage Entertainment produced a new version of the show, directed by Glenn Casale, 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 Barcelona, Spain; and Milan and Rome, Italy, with Arianna as Belle and Michel Altieri as the Beast. A Russian production of the show opened in 2009 in Moscow, Russia; with television actress Yekaterina Guseva and Stage Entertainment actress Natalya Bystrova alternating the role of Belle.
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. 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.
thumb|305x305px|Russian revival at the [[Rossiya Theatre in Moscow, 2014.]]
On October 24, 2013, the Glenn Casale production of Beauty and the Beast opened at Théâtre Mogador in Paris, France. A Russian revival was staged at the Russia theatre, in Moscow starring Anastasia Yatsenko and Yulia Iva alternating as Belle. One of the Belles in the original Russian cast, Natalya Bystrova, revisited the role for selected performances. The production came back to the Netherlands at Circustheater in The Hague, starring Anouk Maas as Belle, Edwin Jonker as Beast and Freek Bartels as Gaston.
Beginning October 2014, Disney Theatrical Productions, NETworks, and Broadway Entertainment Group launched an international tour in celebration of Beauty and the Beasts 20th anniversary on stage. The tour opened at the Zorlu Center in Istanbul, Turkey, and closed in January 2016 at Dubai World Trade Centre, having visited Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Greece, Italy, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Egypt, Lebanon, Romania, and Qatar.
In 2016, Disney and Marmelade produced an updated version for the Flemish Region of Belgium. The original cast included Josje Huisman as Belle, Jan Schepens as Beast, Dieter Troubleyn as Gaston, Peter Van de Velde as Lumière, Frank Hoelen as Maurice, Ivan Pecnik as Cogsworth (called Tickens), Eline De Munck as Babette, Peter Thyssen as LeFou, Barbara Dex as Mrs. Potts and Saskia Schäfer as Madame de la Grande Bouche (called La Commodia). The show premiered on December 10, 2016, at Flanders Expo in Ghent.
In 2018, an Estonian non-replica production was produced by Disney Theatrical Productions at the Vanemuine Teater with Saara Pius & Kärt Anton sharing the role of Belle, Kalle Sepp & René Soom in the role of The Beast, Mihkel Tikerpalu & Oliver Timmusk in the role of Gaston, Norman Salumäe & Samuel Pilpak in the role of LeFou and Juss Haasma & Silver Laas in the role of Lumière.
A new Australian production based on the 2021 UK tour has opened now at Sydney's Capitol Theatre in June 2023, and will go to Melbourne and Brisbane in 2024. It stars Shubshri Kandiah as Belle and Brendan Xavier as Beast.
Amateur rights
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 on both an amateur and professional level.
In 2008, Music Theatre International released licensing rights for Disney's Beauty and the Beast JR., a 60-minute adaptation of the musical intended for younger performers.
The libretto was revised by the original creative team for the 2021 UK tour. Most of the changes (except for the new reduced orchestration, which isn't available for licensing), were added to the official licensed script in June 2021. Some of the changes include the removal of "Maison des Lunes" and "The Battle", optional cuts to dance breaks and making "No Matter What" an optional song. The "Silly Girls" were renamed "Les Filles de la Ville".
Original casts
{| class="wikitable"
!rowspan=2|Characters
!Broadway
!Los Angeles
!Australia
!Toronto
!Vienna
!1st US tour
!West End
!2nd US tour
!1st UK tour
!2nd UK tour
!West End revival
!Australia revival
! 5th US tour
|-
!1994
!colspan=5|1995
!1997
!1999
!2001
!2021
!2022
!2023
!2025
|-
|align="center"|Belle
|align="center" colspan="2"|Susan Egan
|align="center"|Rachael Beck
|align="center"|Kerry Butler
|align="center"|Caroline Vasicek
|align="center"|Kim Huber
|align="center"|Julie-Alanah Brighten
|align="center"|Susan Owen
|align="center"|Annalene Beechey
|align="center" colspan="2"|Courtney Stapleton
|align="center"|Shubshri Kandiah
|align="center"|Kyra Belle Johnson
|-
|align="center"|The Beast
|align="center" colspan="2" |Terrence Mann
|align="center"|Michael Cormick
|align="center"|Chuck Wagner
|align="center"|Ethan Freeman
|align="center"|Fred Inkley
|align="center"|Alasdair Harvey
|align="center"|Grant Norman
|align="center"|Alistair Robins
|align="center"|Emmanuel Kojo
|align="center"|Shaq Taylor
|align="center"|Brendan Xavier
|align="center"|Fergie L. Philippe
|-
|align="center"|Gaston
|align="center" colspan="2" |Burke Moses
|align="center"|Hugh Jackman
|align="center"|Dan Chameroy
|align="center"|Kevin Tarte
|align="center"|Tony Lawson
|align="center"|Burke Moses
|align="center"|Chris Hoch
|align="center"|Ben Harlow
|align="center" colspan="2" |Tom Senior
|align="center"|Jackson Head
|align="center"| Stephen Mark Lukas
|-
|align="center"|Lumière
|align="center" colspan="2" |Gary Beach
|align="center"|Grant Smith
|align="center"|André Thérien
|align="center"|Viktor Gernot
|align="center"|Patrick Page
|align="center"|Derek Griffiths
|align="center"|Ron Wisniski
|align="center"|Stephen Matthews
|align="center" colspan="2" |Gavin Lee
|align="center"|Rohan Browne
|align="center"|Danny Gardner
|-
|align="center"|Mrs. Potts
|align="center" colspan="2" |Beth Fowler
|align="center"|Robyn Arthur
|align="center"|Judy Marshak
|align="center"|Rosita Mewis
|align="center"|Betsy Joslyn
|align="center"|Mary Millar
|align="center"|Janet MacEwen
|align="center"|Julia Goss
|align="center" colspan="2" |Sam Bailey
|align="center"|Jayde Westaby
|align="center"|Kathy Voytko
|-
|align="center"|Cogsworth
|align="center"|Heath Lamberts
|align="center"|Fred Applegate
|align="center"|Bert Newton
|align="center"|Paul Brown
|align="center"|Heinz Zuber
|align="center"|Jeff Brooks
|align="center"|Barry James
|align="center"|John Alban Coughlan
|align="center"|Barry James
|align="center" colspan="2" |Nigel Richards
|align="center"|Gareth Jacobs
|align="center"|Javier Ignacio
|-
|align="center"|LeFou
|align="center"|Kenny Raskin
|align="center"|Jamie Torcellini
|align="center"|Zachary McKay
|align="center"|Cliff Saunders
|align="center"|Eric Minsk
|align="center"|Dan Sklar
|align="center"|Richard Gauntlett
|align="center"|Michael Raine
|align="center"|Anthony Clegg
|align="center" colspan="2" |Louis Stockil
|align="center"|Nick Cox
|align="center"|Harry Francis
|-
|align="center"|Maurice
|align="center" colspan="2" |Tom Bosley
|align="center"|Ernie Bourne
|align="center"|Terry Doyle
|align="center"|Rudolf Wasserlof
|align="center"|Grant Cowan
|align="center"|Norman Rossington
|align="center"|Ron Lee Savin
|align="center"|Billy Boyle
|align="center" colspan="2" |Martin Ball
|align="center"|Rodney Dobson
|align="center"|Kevin Ligon
|-
|align="center"|Babette
|align="center"|Stacey Logan
|align="center"|Heather Lee
|align="center"|Alinta Carroll
|align="center"|Elizabeth Beeler
|align="center"|Ann Mandrella
|align="center"|Leslie Castay
|align="center"|Rebecca Thornhill
|align="center"|Jennifer Shrader
|align="center"|Kate Graham
|align="center" colspan="2" |Emma Caffrey
|align="center"|Hayley Martin
|align="center"|Cameron Monroe Thomas
|-
|align="center"|Madame de la Grande Bouche
|align="center"|Eleanor Glockner
|align="center"|Mary Jo Catlett
|align="center"|Gloden Mercer
|align="center"|Jo-Anne Kirwan Clark
|align="center"|Marika Lichter
|align="center"|Mary Stout
|align="center"|Di Botcher
|align="center"|Monica M. Wemitt
|align="center"|Karen Davies
|align="center" colspan="2" |Samantha Bingley
|align="center"|Alana Tranter
|align="center"|Holly Ann Butler
|-
|align="center"|Chip
|align="center"|Brian Press
|align="center"|Adam Wylie
----Jeremy Lelliott
|align="center"|Paul Cheyene
----Anthony Hammer
----Zach Meyers
|align="center"|Gil Filar
----Noah Reid
|
|align="center"|Alex Bowen
----Braden Dickie
|align="center"|Ben Butterfield
----Dayle Hodge
----Simon Kennedy
|align="center"|Michael Mags
----Miles Meehan
|align="center"|Oliver Taylor
----Sion Eifion
|align="center"|Manasseh Mapira
----Iesa Miller
----Theo Querico
----Rojae Simpson
----Joshua Smith
|align="center"|Benjamin Dalton
----Sekhani Dumezweni
----Zarian Marcel Obatarhe
----Rojae Simpson
|align="center"|Romeo Angelkovski
----Akiva Guigen
----Christopher Joseph
----Orlando Steiner
|align="center"|Beatrice Goddard Beggs
----Levi Blaise Coleman
|}
Notable cast replacements
Notable Broadway cast replacements (approximate dates given where available)
- Belle: Sarah Uriarte Berry (1995–1996 & 2006), Kerry Butler (1996–1997), Debbie Gibson (1997–1998), Toni Braxton (1998–1999; first African American to play Belle on Broadway), Andrea McArdle (1999–2000), Sarah Litzsinger (2000–2002, 2003 & 2006), Jamie-Lynn Sigler (2002–2003, Broadway debut), Megan McGinnis (2003–2004), Christy Carlson Romano (2004), Ashley Brown (2005–2006, Broadway debut), Anneliese van der Pol (2007, Broadway debut, closing cast). A total of 17 actresses have played the part of Belle in the Broadway production, with Litzsinger playing it the longest.
- Beast: Jeff McCarthy (1995–1997 & 2004), Chuck Wagner (1997–1998), James Barbour (1998–1999), Steve Blanchard (who played the Beast for the last eight years of the Broadway run).
- Gaston: Marc Kudisch (1995–1997), Steve Blanchard (1997–1999), Christopher Sieber (2001), Donny Osmond (2006 & final Broadway performance)
- Lumière: Lee Roy Reams (1995), Meshach Taylor (1998–1999, Broadway debut), Patrick Page (1999–2001 & 2003), Paul Schoeffler (2001), Bryan Batt (2001–2002), Jacob Young (2006, Broadway debut), John Tartaglia (2006–2007)
- Cogsworth: Peter Bartlett, Jonathan Freeman (2006–2007)
- Chip: Harrison Chad, Sean Curley, Nick Jonas
Notable Canada cast replacements
- Beast: Steve Blanchard
Notable Vienna cast replacements
- Beast: Steve Barton
Notable West End cast replacements
- Belle: Michelle Gayle
- Beast: John Barrowman, Earl Carpenter
- Mrs. Potts: Gemma Craven
- Maurice: Billy Boyle
Notable 1st UK Tour cast replacements
- Belle: Dianne Pilkington
- Gaston: Earl Carpenter
Characters
{| style="wikitable" border="0"
| width=20% style="background:lightblue"| Character
| Description
|- valign="top"
|Belle
| A vibrant, intelligent young beauty who wants much more in life than living in a small town. She is perceived to be quite odd. Voice type: Mezzo-Soprano
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| The Beast
| A prince transformed into a terrifying beast for his lack of compassion; short-tempered and commanding, but with a warm, loving heart buried far beneath his gruff exterior. Voice type: Baritone
|-valign="top"
| Gaston
| The story's antagonist. The vain, egotistical, narcissistic, ultra-masculine villain determined to marry Belle. Voice type: Baritone
|- valign="top"
| Lumière
| A suave, French, debonair enchanted candelabra. The maître d' of the castle. Voice type: Baritone
|- valign="top"
| Mrs. Potts
| A kind-hearted, maternal enchanted teapot. The head of the castle's kitchen. Voice type: Mezzo-Soprano
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| Cogsworth
| A tightly wound, enchanted stuffy mantle clock and head of the Beast's castle. Voice type: Baritone
|- valign="top"
| LeFou
| Gaston's bumbling sidekick. Voice type: Tenor
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| Maurice
| Belle's loving, eccentric inventor father. Voice type: Baritone
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| Babette
| A saucy, flirtatious featherduster who seeks Lumière's affections. The maid of the castle. Voice type: Soprano
|-valign="top"
| Madame de la Grande Bouche
| A former opera diva turned into a wardrobe. Voice type: Soprano
|- valign="top"
|Chip
| A young teacup; Mrs. Potts' son. Voice type: Boy soprano
|-valign="top"
| Monsieur D'Arque
| The freaky, scheming proprietor of the local insane asylum, the Maison des Lunes. Voice type: Tenor
|-valign="top"
| Ensemble
| Silly Girls, Enchanted Objects, Townspeople, Tavern Patrons, Mob.
|}
Musical numbers
;Act I
- Overture*#¶ — Orchestra
- Prologue — Narrator
- Belle — Belle, Gaston, Silly Girls, Ensemble
- No Matter What*#¶ — Maurice, Belle
- No Matter What [Reprise]/Wolf Chase*# — Maurice
- Me*# — Gaston, Belle
- Belle (Reprise) — Belle
- Home* — Belle
- Home (Reprise) — Mrs. Potts
- Gaston† — LeFou, Gaston, Silly Girls, Ensemble
- Gaston (Reprise)† — Gaston, LeFou
- How Long Must This Go On?*# — Beast
- Be Our Guest† — Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Ensemble
- If I Can't Love Her*# — Beast
;Act II
- Entr'acte/Wolf Chase* — Orchestra
- Something There — Belle, Beast, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth
- Human Again*‡ — Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Chip, Madame de la Grande Bouche, Babette, Cogsworth, Ensemble
- Maison Des Lunes*#¶ — Gaston, LeFou, Monsieur D' Arque
- Beauty and the Beast — Mrs. Potts
- If I Can't Love Her (Reprise)* — Beast
- A Change in Me*§# — Belle
- The Mob Song — Gaston, Ensemble
- The Battle*¶ — The Company
- Home (Reprise II)* — Belle
- Transformation* — Beast, Belle, Ensemble
- Beauty and the Beast (Reprise) — The Company
<nowiki>*</nowiki> New song/Expanded score
† 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.
¶ Cut from the show for the 2021–23 UK Tour/MTI revision (Maison Des Lunes) and optional (No Matter What).
# not in the Junior Broadway show, but some Junior versions have retained the song.
Instrumentation
Music Theatre International offers two orchestrations for Beauty and the Beast.
The "Standard Orchestration", of the licensed version of the show is the bigger orchestration, based on the original Broadway arrangements and the revisions for the Stage Entertainment production. It is scored for three synthesizers (the first playing piano and celeste, the second augmenting different sections and the third augmenting the string section), a drum kit (including glockenspiel), a percussion section, double bass, three woodwind players, three French horns in F, two trumpets in B-flat, trombone, divided violins (with a minimum of two players), cello, and a 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 and both trumpeters double on piccolo trumpet.
The original Broadway orchestration, orchestrated by Danny Troob, featured a string section of 6 violins and 2 celli, and two additional woodwind players. The first played flute and piccolo, the second oboe and English horn, the third piccolo, flute and clarinet in B-flat, the fourth piccolo, flute, clarinet in B-flat and bass clarinet in B-flat, and the fifth on bassoon and contrabassoon. The excised reed parts and the larger string section were used for the synthesizer parts upon their removal for the licensed orchestration..
The "Alternate Orchestration", offered by Music Theatre International when licensing the show, is a reduced orchestration for 11 players. It is scored for percussion (including Drum Kit, Glockenspiel and other instruments), double bass, three woodwind players, a brass section consisting of a trumpet (doubling on flugelhorn) and French horn, violin, cello, synthesizer and piano (optionally doubling synthesized harp and celeste). This orchestration has the option to be piano conducted (the conductor plays the piano part and conducts), though some shows have a separate conductor and pianist.
For the Stage Entertainment productions of the show; Danny Troob re-orchestrated the score for 14 players. This new arrangement was mostly based on the licensed orchestration, with the string section played on keyboard 3. It was scored for three synthesizers, a percussion section, (including drums and glockenspiel), double bass, three woodwind players, two French horns in F, a trombone (doubling on bass trombone and tuba), two trumpets in B-flat, and a harp. However, Stage Entertainment soon started reducing the size of their orchestras for the production, replacing musicians with the electronic software KeyComp. The pit for the Paris production and for the 2016 Dutch revival were composed of seven musicians (two keyboards, three woodwind players, a percussion section, and a single French horn).
The third UK tour of the musical introduced reworked dance arrangements, and a new orchestration and vocal arrangements (some of them closer to the 2017 movie). The score was reorchestrated for 10 players, who play using the electronic software KeyComp. It is scored for two synthesizers, two woodwind players, 1 trombone (doubling bass trombone), 1 French horn in F, 1 trumpet in B flat, 1 violin, 1 cello and a player playing both percussion and a drum kit.
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 Lumière, Tom Bosley as Maurice, Anna McNeeley as Madame de la Grande Bouche and Beth Fowler as Mrs. Potts. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on December 7, 2000.
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 Lumière, 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 Lumière, 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 Lumière 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 Lumière, 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 Lumière, Esteban Oliver as Cogsworth and Angels Jiménez as Mrs. Potts.
The Original Dutch Cast Recording was released in 2005. The principal cast included Chantal Janzen as Belle, Stanley Burleson as Beast, René van Kooten as Gaston, Carlo Boszhard as Lumière, Ger Otte as Tickens (Cogsworth) and Mariska van Kolck as Mrs. Potts.
Critical reception
Reception towards the tryouts in Houston were so enthusiastic that the production was extended for two weeks. Also writing for The New York Times, Vincent Canby disparaged the musical entirely as "relentlessly bland, busy, upbeat and robotlike", criticizing the production for resembling "a dinner theater". Canby felt that the new Menken-Rice songs were "inferior" to the originals, likened the special effects to Fourth of July sparklers, criticized the sound engineering for ranging from too loud to barely audible, and panning Woolverton's book for failing to supplement her screenplay. Minor praise was awarded to the performances of Lamberts, Beach and Fowler, as well as Mann's climactic beast-to-prince transformation. In addition to predicting that Beauty and the Beast would be derided by traditional Broadway theatre-goers and critics alike, Variety writer Jeremy Gerard was largely negative in his own review. While admitting that the production "boasts several real pluses", Gerard criticized the show for appearing "bloated, padded, gimmick-ridden, tacky and ... utterly devoid of imagination." The critic voiced his strong disapproval of the costumes while dismissing the set as "something designed to be seen by people in moving seats, maybe at Disneyland", panning West's choreography and ultimately deriding Roth's directing and blocking of actors who "look generally like they're following dotted lines on the stage."
Audiences did not share critics' negative opinions, After having been left unimpressed upon viewing the original Broadway production, Varietys Matt Wolf was pleasantly surprised by the musical's West End debut one year later.
Awards and nominations
"Be Our Guest" was used as the commercial for the 1994 Tony Awards. in addition to producing the musical Aida. The success of Beauty and the Beast inspired Eisner to invest in his own theater to house future stage adaptations of the studio's animated classics.
Original arrangements of some of the show's original songs can be heard playing in the Belle's Village area of Fantasyland in Tokyo Disneyland, which opened September 28, 2020.
References
External links
;Information about Regional US and International productions
- Indianapolis Civic Theatre (Production Photos)
- Chattanooga Theatre Centre (Production Photos) – Chattanooga, TN
;Others
- Beauty and the Beast UK
- Beauty and the Beast Belgium
- Beauty and the Beast info page on StageAgent.com – Beauty and the Beast plot summary and character descriptions