Arts News

Anneliese van der Pol joins Beauty and the Beast

By Amy Somensky Feb 7, 2007, 5:27 GMT

New York: Anneliese van der Pol, a cast member of tv's That's So Raven, will be the final actress to play Belle in Disney's Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast when she joins the musical on April 3rd. 04/19/2004 - Anneliese Van Der Pol - Mean Girls Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals - Cinerama Dome Theater - Hollywood, CA © Scott Alan / Photorazzi

04/19/2004 - Anneliese Van Der Pol - Mean Girls Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals - Cinerama Dome Theater - Hollywood, CA © Scott Alan / PhotorazziAfter thirteen years on Broadway, Beauty and the Beast, will play its final performance at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater on July 29, 2007.The cast of the musical currently includes Deborah Lew as Belle, Steve Blanchard as The Beast, Stephen R. Buntrock as Gaston, John Tartaglia as Lumiere, Jonathan Freeman as Cogsworth, Jeanne Lehmann as Mrs. Potts, Meredith Inglesby as Babette, Mary Stout as Madame de la Grande Bouche, and Aldrin Gonzalez as Lefou. Trevor Braun and Marlon Sherman alternate the role of Chip.The musical features lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, music by Alan Menken, and a book by Linda Woolverton. Beauty and the Beast is the elaborate stage production of Disney's animated classic that can currently be seen at the Lunt- Fontanne Theater. Belle is a beautiful, misunderstood young woman who falls in love with the deformed beast who has captured her. Little does she know that a spell was cast on him and it can only be broken (and he can return to his true form) if she truly falls in love with him. For tickets to the final performances of Beauty and the Beast click here.