North American Tour of Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Opens Tonight in Chicago
The first Disney-produced North American tour of Beauty and the Beast in over 25 years launches its run in Chicago.
The highly anticipated North American tour of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast officially opens tonight, July 10, at Broadway In Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St.) for a strictly limited engagement through August 2. This marks the first Disney-produced North American tour of the beloved musical in more than 25 years.
Presented by Disney Theatrical Group, under the direction of Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart, and Thomas Schumacher, the tour brings a reimagined staging of the Broadway classic to audiences across the country. The Chicago run launches the production, which pays tribute to the original 1994 Broadway version while introducing refreshed design elements and choreography for a new generation of theatergoers.
Based on Disney’s 1991 Academy Award-winning animated feature, Beauty and the Beast premiered on Broadway in 1994, earning nine Tony Award nominations and winning for Best Costume Design. It went on to become one of the top-grossing and longest-running shows in Broadway history, currently ranking 10th overall. The story's structure—where songs drive plot and character—helped define the Disney animation renaissance of the 1990s and contributed to the popularity of subsequent titles such as Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
The production is directed and choreographed by Matt West, who also helmed the original Broadway staging. It features music by Alan Menken, lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, and additional lyrics by Tim Rice. The book is by Linda Woolverton, who also penned the original screenplay.
The creative team includes scenic design by Stanley A. Meyer, costume design by Tony Award winner Ann Hould-Ward, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by John Shivers, projections and video by Darrel Maloney, and hair and makeup by David H. Lawrence. Michael Kosarin and Danny Troob return as music supervisor/arranger and orchestrator, respectively, with new dance arrangements by David Chase. Illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer also returns, having worked on the original Broadway production.
Jason Trubitt serves as production supervisor, Myriah Bash as general manager, and Anne Quart as executive producer.
Previous Disney tours of Beauty and the Beast ran from 1995 to 2003, playing nearly 2,900 performances and reaching close to six million theatergoers.
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