Beauty and the Beast (theatrical production)

Beauty and the Beast
Vocal Selections cover art
Music	Alan Menken
Lyrics	Howard Ashman Tim Rice
Book	Linda Woolverton
Basis	Beauty and the Beast
Productions	1993 Houston (tryout) 1994 Broadway 1995 Los Angeles 1995 Melbourne 1995 Toronto 1995 Vienna 1995 US Tour 1995 Tokyo 1997 Mexico City 1997 London 1997 Stuttgart 1998 Buenos Aires 1999 Beijing 1999 US Tour 1999 Madrid 2001 UK Tour 2001 US Tour 2002 São Paulo 2004 Seoul 2005 Gothenburg, Sweden 2005 Budapest 2005 Manila 2005 Netherlands Tour 2005 Oberhausen 2006 Israel Tour 2007 Helsinki 2007 Antwerp 2007 Mexico City 2007 Madrid 2008 Johannesburg 2008 Moscow 2009 São Paulo 2009 Milan 2010 US Tour 2010 Buenos Aires 2010 Germany Tour 2012 Spain Tour 2013 Paris 2014 Oslo 2014 International Tour 2014 Moscow 2015 India Tour 2015 The Hague

Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton. Adapted from Walt Disney Pictures' Academy Award-winning 1991 animated musical film of the same name – which in turn had been based on the classic French fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont –Beauty and the Beast tells the story of a cold-hearted prince who has been magically transformed into an unsightly creature as punishment for his selfish ways. To revert back into his true human form, the Beast must first earn the love of a bright, beautiful young woman whom he has imprisoned in his enchanted castle before it is too late.

Critics immediately noted the film's Broadway musical potential when it was first released in 1991, who hailed it as one of the year's finest musicals, encouraging Disney CEO Michael Eisner to bravely 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 had died during production of the film. Woolverton, who had written the film's screenplay, adapted her own work into the musical's libretto, and specifically expanded upon the characterization of the Beast. Woolverton also expanded the storylines of the castle staff from servants who had already been transformed into household objects into humans who were gradually 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 theatre critics, but was a massive commercial success and well received by audiences. Beauty ran on Broadway for 5,461 performances between 1994 and 2007, becoming Broadway's tenth longest-running production in history. The musical has grossed more than $1.4 billion worldwide and played in thirteen countries and 115 cities. It has also become a popular choice for high school productions.