Remembering BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (April 18, 1994 - July 29, 2007)

Four years ago on this day "Beauty and the Beast" played its final performance on Broadway after an incredible 13-year run on Broadway. It was really sad to see a wonderful musical like this one close. "The Little Mermaid" really could have turned out better. When I heard the 1991 film "Beauty and the Beast" was being turned into a musical I was skeptical bout it because I thought nothing could beat the 1991 film. However, I remember seeing the original Broadway cast perform on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1994 and I was very fascinated with it. When I saw it live at the Dallas Musical Hall on tour I fell in love with the show. It was also a real treat for me to see Patrick Page steal the show as Lumiere and then see him do it again as Scar in the tour of "The Lion King" five years later. I was also really jealous that my sister got to see Christy Carlson Romano as Belle in 2004 since I loved her on the Disney Channel. The show also marked the Broadway debut of one of my favorite peformers Ashley Brown, who I later got to see as Mary Poppins on tour. I thought the national tour I saw last year was great, but I really hope the show will return to Broadway one day.

Updated On: 8/13/12 at 10:50 AM

I've always had mixed feelings about this show. I like the music but had big issues with the technical side of things. I love the design for the castle, but hated the colour scheme. I also thought the costumes were quite garish, perticularly the costumes for the household objects.

But I loved the scenery and the transformations scene to scene and ofcourse the transformation scene.

What I did not like also is the second time I saw it (Only saw it twice, 1st in London and 2nd in Toronto, (US Tour) was that in the tour, they seemed to really beat the audience over the head with the idea that the longer the curse lasts the more they turn into objects, like they really were on and on about that for some reason.

I'd love to see it come back though, but not like the recent tour, not as a coppycat revival, but as a new big budjet revival. (not not for another 10 years at least)

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I'd love to see a revival sometime soon. If for no other reason than to get a new cast recording which would hopefully include the Overture and the new version of "A Change in Me." I really love the score and the Overture is one of my favorites. It's a shame that it has gone unrecorded on every single cast album.

*sigh* My first show. :)

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^ It is kind of pointless lyrically, but the melody is gorgeous and when you have a Belle that can belt the sh*t out of it it's a fun song.

Haha, well our Belle did not "belt the sh*t out of it'. I think it's much better as a "stand alone" song than as part of the show

Beauty and the Beast was my first Broadway musical! I was in fourth grade and I fell inlove!

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^ The castle set in the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre was smaller and so was Belle's village. Also the setting for the ballroom scene was completey different than the one at the Palace.

This was when Deborah Gibson was doing the show at the Palace:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnhlLr_DcHE

This was when the show was at the Lunt-Fontanne (the ballroom dance scene looks different):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZsI_MiqDJA

There were also no candles rising from the ground during the "Be Our Guest" scene at the Lunt-Fontanne. Still, I thought the downscale production at the Lunt-Fontanne worked very well.

Updated On: 2/20/12 at 12:13 PM

Craig---I'd never seen that video before. Really excellent job of producing, shooting and editing. Bravo!

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I actually feel like I've heard that before.
But even still, it seems so silly to use the National Tour set instead. Disney is all about spectacle, and I feel like the scaling down must've changed the feel of it...

In August of 1994, this became my first Broadway show. I saw it after the move, as well as on July 28, 2007. I still believe that it's an extremely well crafted musical and the best stage production that Disney has produced. I got teary watching that montage, Craig!

^ Never say never. Look hoe how quickly "Gypsy"and "La Cage Aux Folles" got revived.

If they ever revive it I think I know who should play Belle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NwteslgNMo