BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Beauty and the Beast is the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial French town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an evil enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. Time is running out; if the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

The Story...

Susan Egan as "Belle" and Terrence Mann as "The Beast" in Beauty and the Beast.

This is a love story about a girl named Belle, who longs for a different life. The town bully, Gaston, has decided that she is to be his wife, even though she doesnt care for him. Meanwhile, Belles father is captured at the castle by the Beast. Upon hearing this news, Belle goes to the castle and offers to take her fathers place since he is ill and apparently dying from the cold and damp. The Beast allows her to do this on the condition that she spend the rest of her life with him. As time passes, the Beast realizes how cruel he has been and begins to soften under the expert tutelage of the household staff. Meanwhile, Gaston plots to force Belle to marry him by threatening to lock up her father in a sanitarium. Because of this distressing threat, Belle begs the Beast to let her go to her father. He relents and insists that she take a magical mirror as something by which to remember him. He has finally learned to love. Belle tries to use the mirror to prove to the townsfolk that her father is not insane by showing them the Beast in the glass. This doesnt work, however, since Gaston has already convinced the town that the Beast is dangerous. Gaston then decides to gather a team of men to go and kill the Beast. Belle goes to warn the Beast, and arrives just as Gaston is about to kill him. The Beast thinks Belle has returned to love him and fights Gaston. Instead of killing him, the Beast simply orders him to leave, but Gaston stabs the Beast in the back, causing him to plunge to his death. Just as the Beast is about to die, Belle confesses her love for him and breaks the spell. The Beast transforms into a handsome prince, the castle returns to glory, and they all live happily ever after.

Behind the Scenes...

The cast of Beauty and the Beast performs "Be Our Guest."

Walt Disney Theatrical Production's Beauty and the Beast, which was nominated for nine 1994 Tony Awards, had its world premiere at Theater Under the Stars in Houston, Texas, on December 2, 1993, where it broke box office records. In New York, it officially opened on April 18 at the Palace Theater on Broadway, where it continues to perform to sellout audiences. The musical broke Broadway's all-time box office record with a one-day sales total of $1,296,722. The show is also currently running in eight other cities, including Los Angeles, Toronto, Melbourne and Vienna. With theatrical wizardry and imaginative design, Disney's Beauty and the Beast is transferred from screen to stage, enhancing the elements that made the animated film a world favorite. The Tony Award-winning costumes are by Ann Hould-Ward (Sunday in the Park with George and Into the Woods) and lighting design by Natasha Katz (the revivals of Gypsy and Peter Pan). Director Robert Jess Roth, Scenic Designer Stan Meyer and Choreographer Matt West have worked together as a team for the past three years developing projects for Disney. Jim Steinmeyer and John Gaughan worked together as the illusionists. Steinmeyer has invented effects that have been performed by David Copperfield, Siegfried and Roy, Harry Blackstone and many others. "The Broadway musical uses a combination of the top theater, film and creative minds working in the entertainment industry today," said Producer Robert W. McTyre. "The classic tale takes on an exciting new dimension that is only possible through the magic of theater."