Happy 23rd Anniversary to Disney’s first attempt at Broadway which was Beauty and the Beast. The show (based on the beloved 1991 Oscar nominated Animated film of the same name) opened at Broadway’s Palace Theatre on this day playing there till September 5th, 1999 before transferring to the Lunt Fontanne Theatre for the remainder of its run till July 29th, 2007. It played a total of 46 previews and 5,461 performances. It’s currently the 10th Longest Running Show in Broadway History!!!
Currently, Disney’s acclaimed Live Action remake of the film is still playing in Theaters. Hear all the beloved songs from the film by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman. Plus 3 new songs written especially for the film by Menken and Tim Rice. None of the songs that Menken and Rice wrote for the Broadway show are in the film. However, one of the Broadway songs HOME (Belle’s big Act 1 ballad) is heard as an instrumental piece in the film.
Because the live action remake of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is doing so well, do you think that a revival of the Broadway show will be next?
Footage is from 2005 when Ashley Brown (later became Broadway’s original star of Mary Poppins) made her Broadway Debut as the 15th actress to play Belle. Performing opposite her as The Beast is Steve Blanchard (who recently appeared in the film performance of Disney’s Newsies) who made history as the show’s Longest Running “Beast”.
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