A traditional fairytale first published in France in the mid-18th century, “Beauty and the
Beast” is an enduring story of love and friendship that has been translated into hundreds
of versions worldwide. When Walt Disney Pictures released the animated feature film
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in 1991 with a score by composer Alan Menken and the
late lyricist Howard Ashman, it was hailed as an instant classic with critics praising its
“songs worthy of a Broadway musical.” The film went on to win Academy® Awards for
Best Song and Best Original Score and made history as the only animated feature ever
nominated for Best Picture. Given the power of the film’s story and music, the decision
was made to bring Disney’s Beauty and the Beast to the Broadway stage.
Disney Theatrical Productions assembled the creative team and worked hard to combine
the strengths of the beloved film with the possibilities that only live theatre can offer.
Linda Woolverton adapted her Disney’s Beauty and the Beast screenplay to the stage,
adding new scenes to fill out the story for the stage. The Oscar®-winning score was
expanded to include several new songs by Menken and veteran lyricist Tim Rice. Beauty
and the Beast opened at the Palace Theatre on April 18, 1994, played on Broadway for
over 13 years (5,461 performances, finishing its run at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre),
ultimately becoming the eighth longest-running musical in Broadway history.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast has logged over 15,000 performances in more than 120
cities and 21 countries such as Canada, Japan, Mexico, Ireland, South Korea, United
Kingdom, Spain, Brazil and Argentina. The play has been translated into 8 languages:
Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Italian.