It is very rare that a stage show opens the same day as the animated feature of the same name does. However, Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage did just that. Opening on November 22, 1991, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage tells the story of Beauty and the Beast, the movie that was released on the same day. While it has been tweaked through the years, much of it remains the same.
The show tells the story of Beauty and the Beast in approximately 25 minutes. There are many similarities to the movie, but also quite a few difference. This is no surprise as Disney condensed the entire film into under a half hour for the stage version. It has been performed in a couple of locations since it opened in 1991. Originally, it was performed at the Theater of the Stars. However, when Sunset Boulevard was under construction in 1993, the show was moved the Backlot Theater on New York Street for a time. In 1994, it returned to the new Theater of the Stars that had by then rebuilt.
When the show opened, it was a bit different than the show that is seen today. The original version had fewer songs and not quite as many connections to some elements of the animated movie.
Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage Original Version
- “Be Our Guest”
- “Belle”/”Gaston”
- “Something There”
- “The Mob Song”
- “Beauty and the Beast”
In 2001, Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage was updated. This update brought elements from both the movie and also the Broadway musical into it. It also re-ordered the songs that are performed in the show to make them more in line with what guests would recognize from the movie. The current version of the show is the longest-running stage-show at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage Current Version
- “Prologue: The Enchantress”
- “Belle”/”Gaston”
- “Belle (Reprise)”
- “Be Our Guest”
- “Something There”
- “The Mob Song”
- “Beauty and the Beast”
- Exit “Beauty and the Beast” with Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson
Have you seen Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage? What do you think of it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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