Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the beautiful Broadway production, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a new-reimagined production that will be touring North America. The announcement was made by Disney Theatrical Group, under the direction of Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart and Thomas Schumacher.
“We’ve heard from audiences for three decades now that Beauty and the Beast has touched them in a profound way – these characters, songs and this sweeping story,” said Thomas Schumacher, Chief Creative Officer, Disney Theatrical Group. “How proud we are, then, to bring this refreshed and human take on the show – with the scale and spectacle the title deserves – to longtime fans and an entirely new generation. This Beauty is for them.”
The production is based on the animated classic of the same name. The Tony Award®-winning Broadway production originally ran for 13 years (1994 – 2007). It is still one of the Top 10 longest-running Broadway shows of all time. Productions of Beauty and the Beast also have been mounted around the world. In fact, there have been theatrical productions of Beauty and the Beast in 37 countries and it has been translated into 17 languages. This has led to over 25 million people getting to see this “tale as old as time.”
Technical rehearsals for this new tour will be held and launched in June 2025 in Schenectady, NY at Proctors. The production will officially open in July 2025 in Chicago, IL at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. It will then move to the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN in August. Disney Theatrical Productions shared that casting for the tour that is expected to be a two-year route will be announced later.
What is known, however, is some of the production team. This production will reunite members of the original Tony Award®-winning artistic team. This will include composer Alan Menken (who wrote the film’s beloved score with the late lyricist Howard Ashman), lyricist Tim Rice, book writer Linda Woolverton, with direction and choreography by Matt West, scenic design by Stanley A. Meyer, costume design by Ann Hould-Ward and lighting design by Natasha Katz.
“We are thrilled to have once again gathered this world-class creative team on Beauty and the Beast, under the masterful direction of original team member Matt West. Together they created a beloved show in 1994, and today they’re telling that story with all the charm and romance of the original production, and newly resonant for today’s audiences. It’s a pleasure to be back in the room with this peerless team as they re-discover and expand Beauty and the Beast,” shared Executive Producer Anne Quart.
Disney Theatrical Productions released the following information about Beauty and the Beast:
Based on the 1991 Academy-Award winning animated feature film, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast premiered on Broadway in 1994 where it was nominated for nine Tony® Awards, winning for Best Costume Design, and ran for 13 years. It still ranks as one of the longest-running and highest-grossing Broadway shows of all time. Since its debut, the title’s visibility and success has expanded globally with subsequent productions produced around the world.
The structure and tone of the story and score – as conceived for the 1991 film by its executive producer and lyricist Howard Ashman with a continued evolution for the Broadway adaptation three years later – made Disney history. Only once before – in Menken and Ashman’s previous film musical The Little Mermaid – had a Disney film been structured like a stage musical where the songs are integral to plot and characterization. This Menken/Ashman innovation is credited with the 1990’s Disney animation renaissance that went on to create such film classics as Aladdin, The Lion King and Hunchback of Notre Dame and helped re-introduce the book musical form to popular culture.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, directed & choreographed by Matt West, features Alan Menken’s Academy Award®-winning score, songs by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman (including the Academy Award®-winning title song and the show-stopping “Be Our Guest”), plus songs written especially for the stage by Alan Menken and Tim Rice (including “If I Can’t Love Her” and “A Change In Me”). The production features a book by Linda Woolverton, author of the original screenplay. Sets are by Stanley A. Meyer, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward (Tony Award® winner for Beauty and the Beast) and lighting by Natasha Katz.
New dance music arrangements are by David Chase. Longtime Menken collaborators Michael Kosarin and Danny Troob are music supervisor/arranger and orchestrator, respectively.
Completing the design team, John Shivers is sound designer, Darrel Maloney is projection & video designer, and David H. Lawrence is hair & make-up designer. Jim Steinmeyer is the illusion designer, as he was on the original 1994 production. Jason Trubitt is the production supervisor and Myriah Bash is the general manager. Anne Quart serves as executive producer.
Previous Disney-produced North American Tours of Beauty and the Beast played for almost eight years from November 1995 through August 2003, for a combined total of 2,893 performances to more than 5.7 million audience members.
At this time, the full tour schedule has not been released. Daps Magic will monitor this story and provide updates on where Beauty and the Beast will be able to be seen when the full tour is announced. Are you excited about this new production of Beauty and the Beast from Disney Theatrical Productions? Are you looking forward to seeing it when it goes on tour? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
