Photo Coverage: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at Paper Mill Celebrates Opening Night

Paper Mill Playhouse's Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Disney's Beauty and the Beast with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, has officially opened.

BroadwayWorld was there and you can check out photos below!

Directed by Mark S. Hoebee, with choreography by Alex Sanchez and music direction by Michael Borth, the principal cast features Belinda Allyn (Paper Mill's West Side Story) as Belle, Joel Blum (Show Boat) as Maurice,Jenelle Chu (Bernhardt/Hamlet) as Babette, Kevin Curtis (Paper Mill's A Chorus Line) as Lefou, Donna English (Paper Mill's Lend Me a Tenor)as Madame de la Grande Bouche, Stacia Fernandez (Paper Mill's Bandstand) as Mrs. Potts, Gavin Lee (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Lumiere,Kevin Ligon (Hello Dolly!) as Cogsworth, Stephen Mark Lukas (The Book of Morman) as Gaston, Tally Sessions (Paper Mill's South Pacific) as The Beast, with Gianni David Faruolo (Fun Home) and Antonio Watson (This Ain't No Disco) alternating in the role of Chip. They will be joined by Joe Bigelow, Monica Cioffi, Brittany Conigatti, Justin DeParis, Stephen DiBiase, Jennifer Evans, Annie Gagen, David Michael Garry, Leeds Hill, Brett Michael Lockley, Michael Milkanin, Corinne Munsch, Brett Pederson, Alexa Racioppi, Taylor Rosenberger, Molly Rushing, Bronwyn Tarboton, Matthew Vincent Taylor, and Cynthia Thorne.

Singing teapots and candlesticks, an evil spell, and an unlikely love story are all part of the magic of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, an international sensation that has played to more than 35 million people in 13 countries. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, the stage production includes all of the original songs from the movie by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, plus additional gems by Menken and Tim Rice. The whole family will be enchanted by this gorgeous production, featuring stunning costumes and sets, spectacular dance numbers, and, of course, a fairy-tale ending.

The production team includes scenic design by Kelly James Tighe, costume design by Leon Dobkowski, lighting design by Charlie Morrison, sound design by Matt Kraus, hair and wig design by Leah J. Loukas, makeup design by Dena Olivieri, and fight direction by Rick Sordelet and ChristIan Kelly-Sordelet.The production stage manager is Andrea Cibelli. Casting by Telsey + Company, Rebecca Scholl, CSA.

Tickets for Disney's Beauty and the Beast may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at www.PaperMill.org.

Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter Keddy