| Beauty and the Beast | |
|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Beauty_and_the_Beast_(cover_art)_%E2%80%93_The_Broadway_Musical.jpg) Vocal Selections cover art | |
| Music | Alan Menken |
| Lyrics | Howard Ashman Tim Rice |
| Book | Linda Woolverton |
| Basis | Beauty and the Beast by Linda Woolverton |
| Productions | 1993 Houston (tryout) 1994 Broadway 1995 Australia 1995 Vienna 1995 1st US tour 1997 West End 1999 2nd US tour 2001 1st UK tour 2001 3rd US tour 2010 4th US tour 2021 2nd UK tour 2022 West End revival 2023 Australia revival 2025 5th US tour |
| Awards | Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical |
Beauty and the Beast is a Disney stage musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton. Adapted from Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Beauty and the Beast – which in turn had been based on the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" by French author Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont –[1] Beauty and the Beast 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, who hailed the film as one of the year's finest musicals, 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),[2] becoming Broadway's sixth longest-running production in history at the time of closure. To date, it is still the tenth longest running show. The musical has grossed more than $1.7 billion worldwide and played in thirteen countries and 115 cities.[citation needed] It has also become a popular choice for junior, amateur and high school productions.[3]
- ^ Dietz, Dan (2016). The Complete Book of 1990s Broadway Musicals. United States: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 154–156. ISBN 9781442272149. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2020 – via Google Books.
- ^ Grossman, Julie (2015). Theater, Film, And Their Hideous Progeny: Adaptation and ElasTEXTity. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-137-39902-1.
- ^ Zoglin, Richard (May 15, 2008). "Bye Bye, Birdie. Hello, Rent". Time. 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.