Broadway:Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast literally is a tale as old as time. The movie, created by Walt Disney, came out in 1991. Its colorful cast of characters from Cogsworth, the clock, to Chip, the Teacup, have come back for an encore on Broadway, delighting more than 20 million people worldwide with its unique costumes, beautiful sets, and incredible special effects.

The Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast is about a young prince who is visited by an old woman. The prince, who was disgusted by her ugliness, turned the old woman away. All of a sudden, the old woman turned into a beautiful enchantress. The prince then began to apoligize, but the enchantress knew that there wasn’t any love in his heart. In an instant, she turns the prince into a gruesome beast, and places a spell on the entire castle. The Beast then locks himself in his castle. The only way for him to see what goes on outside the castle walls is his magical mirror. In order for the Beast to break the spell, he must love someone, AND have that person love him in return. The enchantress gives him a rose. When the last petal falls, his time is up, and if he hasn’t fallen in love, and earned that persons love in return, he will stay a beast-forever.

The show then shows a beautiful, intelligent girl named Belle. Belle has always wanted to live a life of adventure. She is the only girl who reads, and the only way for her to fit in is for her to marry the impolite Gaston.Belle wants somebody that understands her, and Gaston isn’t the person.

One day, while Belle’s father is on his way to a science fair, he comes across the Beast’s Castle. The Beast then finds Maurice, and inprions him. Belle, worried about her father, goes to look for him. When she finds him trapped in the castle, she offers to take her father’s place and be the Beast’s prisonor forever. The Beast agrees to this deal. Belle soon meets all of the wonderful enchanted residents of the castle. Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, and Cogsworth (three of the many enchanted items) make a plot for the two to fall in love. In order to find out if the plan works, you must go see the show!

Beauty and the Beast had 40 performances at the Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, Texas before beginning previews at the Palace Theatre on March 9, 1994. As of May 23, 2004, Beauty and the Beast had 4,181 performances in front of over 5.9 million people on Broadway and a total of 17,604 performances worldwide in front of over 24 million people. Beauty and the Beast has been performed in 15 countries and in 7 languages around the world.

The show received nine Tony® Award nominations:
• Best Musical
• Best Score
• Best Director (Robert Jess Roth)
• Best Book of a Musical (Linda Woolverton)
• Best Actor (Terrence Mann)
• Best Actress (Susan Egan)
• Best Supporting Actor (Gary Beach)
• Best Costumes (Ann Hould-Ward; winner)
• Best Lighting (Natasha Katz)

The Creative Staff also played an important role in making Beauty and the Beast such a marvel. Her are the names and jobs of the creative team.
ALAN MENKEN - Composer
HOWARD ASHMAN - Lyricist
TIM RICE - Lyrics
LINDA WOOLVERTON - Book
ROBERT JESS ROTH - Director
MATT WEST - Choreographer
STANLEY MEYER - Scenic Designer
ANN HOULD-WARD - Costume Designer
NATASHA KATZ - Lighting Designer
JONATHAN DEANS - Sound Designer
DAVID H. LAWRENCE - Hair Designer
JIM STEINMEYER - Illusion Designer
JOHN DODS - Prosthetics Designer
SCENIC TECHNOLOGIES - Production Supervisor
JOHN BRIGLEB - Production Stage Manager
BINDER CASTING / MARK BRANDON - Casting
KEITH BATTEN - Associate Director
KATE SWAN - Associate Choreographer
RICK SORDELET - Fight Director
GLEN KELLY - Dance Arrangements
JOHN MILLER - Music Coordinator
DANNY TROOB - Orchestrator
DAVID FRIEDMAN - Musical Supervision/Vocal Arrangements
MICHAEL KOSARIN - Music Direction/Incidental Music Arranger

Here are the names and roles of the main characters.

STEVE BLANCHARD - Beast
BROOKE TANSLEY - Belle
GRANT NORMAN - Gaston
JEFF BROOKS - Cogsworth
ALMA CUERVO - Mrs. Potts
PETER FLYNN - Lumiere
JAMIE ROSS - Maurice
ALDRIN GONZALEZ - Lefou
MATTHEW GUMLEY - Chip at certain performances
PATRICK HENNEY - Chip at certain performances
PAM KLINGER - Babette
MARY STOUT - Madame de la Grande Bouche


	Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast literally is a tale as old as time. The movie, created by Walt Disney, came out in 1991. Its colorful cast of characters from Cogsworth, the clock, to Chip, the Teacup, have come back for an encore on Broadway, delighting more than 20 million people worldwide with its unique costumes, beautiful sets, and incredible special effects. The Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast is about a young prince who is visited by an old woman. The prince, who was disgusted by her ugliness, turned the old woman away. All of a sudden, the old woman turned into a beautiful enchantress. The prince then began to apoligize, but the enchantress knew that there wasn’t any love in his heart. In an instant, she turns the prince into a gruesome beast, and places a spell on the entire castle. The Beast then locks himself in his castle. The only way for him to see what goes on outside the castle walls is his magical mirror. In order for the Beast to break the spell, he must love someone, AND have that person love him in return. The enchantress gives him a rose. When the last petal falls, his time is up, and if he hasn’t fallen in love, and earned that persons love in return, he will stay a beast-forever. The show then shows a beautiful, intelligent girl named Belle. Belle has always wanted to live a life of adventure. She is the only girl who reads, and the only way for her to fit in is for her to marry the impolite Gaston.Belle wants somebody that understands her, and Gaston isn’t the person. One day, while Belle’s father is on his way to a science fair, he comes across the Beast’s Castle. The Beast then finds Maurice, and inprions him. Belle, worried about her father, goes to look for him. When she finds him trapped in the castle, she offers to take her father’s place and be the Beast’s prisonor forever. The Beast agrees to this deal. Belle soon meets all of the wonderful enchanted residents of the castle. Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, and Cogsworth (three of the many enchanted items) make a plot for the two to fall in love. In order to find out if the plan works, you must go see the show! Beauty and the Beast had 40 performances at the Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, Texas before beginning previews at the Palace Theatre on March 9, 1994. As of May 23, 2004, Beauty and the Beast had 4,181 performances in front of over 5.9 million people on Broadway and a total of 17,604 performances worldwide in front of over 24 million people. Beauty and the Beast has been performed in 15 countries and in 7 languages around the world. The show received nine Tony® Award nominations: • Best Musical • Best Score • Best Director (Robert Jess Roth) • Best Book of a Musical (Linda Woolverton) • Best Actor (Terrence Mann) • Best Actress (Susan Egan) • Best Supporting Actor (Gary Beach) • Best Costumes (Ann Hould-Ward; winner) • Best Lighting (Natasha Katz) The Creative Staff also played an important role in making Beauty and the Beast such a marvel. Her are the names and jobs of the creative team. ALAN MENKEN - Composer HOWARD ASHMAN - Lyricist TIM RICE - Lyrics LINDA WOOLVERTON - Book ROBERT JESS ROTH - Director MATT WEST - Choreographer STANLEY MEYER - Scenic Designer ANN HOULD-WARD - Costume Designer NATASHA KATZ - Lighting Designer JONATHAN DEANS - Sound Designer DAVID H. LAWRENCE - Hair Designer JIM STEINMEYER - Illusion Designer JOHN DODS - Prosthetics Designer SCENIC TECHNOLOGIES - Production Supervisor JOHN BRIGLEB - Production Stage Manager BINDER CASTING / MARK BRANDON - Casting KEITH BATTEN - Associate Director KATE SWAN - Associate Choreographer RICK SORDELET - Fight Director GLEN KELLY - Dance Arrangements JOHN MILLER - Music Coordinator DANNY TROOB - Orchestrator DAVID FRIEDMAN - Musical Supervision/Vocal Arrangements MICHAEL KOSARIN - Music Direction/Incidental Music Arranger Here are the names and roles of the main characters. STEVE BLANCHARD - Beast BROOKE TANSLEY - Belle GRANT NORMAN - Gaston JEFF BROOKS - Cogsworth ALMA CUERVO - Mrs. Potts PETER FLYNN - Lumiere JAMIE ROSS - Maurice ALDRIN GONZALEZ - Lefou MATTHEW GUMLEY - Chip at certain performances PATRICK HENNEY - Chip at certain performances PAM KLINGER - Babette MARY STOUT - Madame de la Grande Bouche