New York : After a 13-year run, Beauty and the Beast plays its final performance today at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater. The musical originally opened at the Palace Theater on April 18, 1994. It then transferred to the Lunt-Fontanne on November 11, 1999. In total it will have played 5,464 performances. The closure makes way for another Disney musical to open, The Little Mermaid , which begins performances on November 3rd and officially opens on December 6th.
Disney Theatrical producer Thomas Schumacher said previously in a statement, "For many theatergoers, Beauty and the Beast has been their first introduction to the magic of Broadway musicals. That’s a wonderful legacy for all of us at Disney Theatrical Productions, and we’re so proud of the show’s record-breaking run on Broadway, throughout the country and around the world. Though the Broadway production is coming to a close, through our relationship with Music Theatre International (MTI), Beauty and the Beast will continue to live on in regional and high school productions around the world."
Composer Alan Menken also said in a previous statement, "Beauty and the Beast has meant so much to me, both in remembering the joy of creating the animated film and seeing how audiences have embraced it on Broadway for all of these years. "I have had the pleasure of watching so many diverse and talented performers sing these roles in the past 13 years. While it saddens me to say goodbye to Beauty and the Beast, I am excited to watch The Little Mermaid take shape as a Broadway musical, and to be a part of its exciting journey to the stage."
The cast at the time of closing includes Anneliese van der Pol as Belle, Steve Blanchard as The Beast, David Devries as Lumiere, Glenn Rainey as Cogsworth, Jeanne Lehmann as Mrs. Potts, Jamie Ross as Maurice, Ann Mandrella 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. Donny Osmond, who played an extended engagement as Gaston at the end of last year, will return to the role for today's final performance.
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.
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