October 2019

Written by: Danae Edwards

This winter, Beale Street Theater has partnered with Disney to bring a bit of magic to Kingman, Arizona. Beauty and the Beast Jr. originated from the Broadway musical by the same name, starring Susan Egan as Belle and Terrence Mann as The Beast/The Prince. When the musical opened in April of 1994 it received mixed reviews from critics, but the audience loved it. It became a fast grossing musical earning over $1.4 billion and playing in over 13 countries and 115 cities worldwide. How did this musical become successful, running for 5,461 shows in over 13 years? To answer that we must go back to the 1970s and 1980s. 

Disney was still trying to recover over the death of Walt Disney in 1966 when they became aware that during the 1960s and 1970s the animated films were becoming dull. Despite having no animation experience, the CEO, Michael Eisner, was hired to oversee the company’s next animated project. Eisner first hired Peter Schneider, who was responsible for hiring more people who were passionate about live theatre. He also hired Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menkan. They had created the off-Broadway show Little Shop of Horrors and were hired to create the music for Disney’s next animated film. They accepted and went to work creating The Little Mermaid, which gained a massive following after its initial release. 

Inspired by the success of their last animated film, the studio decided to adapt another fairy tale for the screen. As Beauty and the Beast began production, Ashman revealed to Menkan that he was dying of AIDS, a secret that he had kept to himself in fear of being discriminated against or fired from Disney. Before the film was finished, executive Ron Logan, presented the idea to create a musical out of Beauty and the Beast. Eisner deflected it immediately. Beauty and the Beast premiered in New York, on March 10th, 1991. All the while, Ashman grew increasingly ill while being cared for in Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Center in New York, New York. Four days after the premiere, he passed away. The film was released eight months later in November.

Beauty and the Beast became a very successful film once it was released to the public, even surpassing The Little Mermaid in popularity and becoming the first animated film in history to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Film critics all said that the film had the potential for the stage, including a review that said it was a “better [musical] … than anything he had seen on Broadway” during that time. This review was the review that would provide the confidence for the people at Disney, including Eisner, to consider adapting Beauty and the Beast for the stage. A little too late for Ashman.

Since he had various successes directing live shows for Disney theme parks, Robert Jess Roth was asked to direct Disney’s Beauty and the Beast for the stage, despite not being a well-known director at the time. Roth had asked Eisner about investing in a Broadway show before, but Eisner had declined, saying that it was too expensive. Roth’s adaption of The Nutcracker, however, impressed Eisner so much that he asked Roth if he’d be interested in adapting Beauty and the Beast for the stage. Since the film hadn’t been released to home video, Roth spent an entire day re-watching the movie in the theater, trying to see how it would work on stage. At a hotel in Aspen, Roth presented Eisner a Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast, using quite a few illustrations to portray his ideas. Eisner was to oversee all the creative elements from the smallest details to the largest details.

Even though there were quite a few skeptics concerning the beloved film being made into a Broadway show, it also had a lot of people behind it, including set designer, Stanley Meyer as well as the writer for the film, Linda Woolverton, who also wrote the script for the musical. Tim Rice stepped into Ashman’s shoes and helped Menkan write six new songs for the musical. Costumes were designed by Ann Hould-Ward, and Natasha Kats was responsible for lighting, but critics were still unsure how it would do on stage. Nonetheless, Beauty and the Beast opened on April 18th of 1994 through September 5th, 1999 at the Palace Theater. After its run at the Palace Theater, it was moved to its permanent home at the Lunt-Fontanne theater where it spent over eight years entertaining guests of all ages. With a span of 13 years, it became Broadway’s longest-running show with over 5,000 performances.  This “tale as old as time” brought many different audiences into the live theater to fall in love once again. 

Beauty and the Beast took place in mid-1700s France. As we all know, Belle and her father lived in a “provincial town” on the coast of France before the French Revolution. So, what was France like during this time?

          Well, mid-1700s France was, basically, at the peak of its power. King Louis XV had started ruling in 1715 until 1774 and had absolute power with the Catholic Church of France on his side. France was second only to Great Britain in trade, and it had the largest unified territory, sporting 22 million people. The population was at least 3 times more than England, and 6 times more than the lands around it like the Netherlands and Sweden.

          Unfortunately, in her quick and intense rise to power, France’s ordinary citizens were being left behind. Farmers had trouble keeping up with the rising population, as there were too few acres to grow on for each farming family. Technology in farming was also discouraged by the monarchy. Farmers could never keep money to help themselves because their taxes consistently rose. Good thing Belle and her father weren’t farmers, eh?

          On the side of the arts and the upcoming Enlightenment period, however, France was a power house. King Louis XV had moved the capitol to Versailles and built an entire village for his family and surrounding nobles. His official mistress, Madame Pompadour, was known as the patron of the arts and literature. Like Belle, she loved reading. In fact, she had her own huge library, just like the Beast did, with thousands of books to choose from. When the Enlightenment—a period of philosophical and scientific breakthroughs—was rising, Madame Pompadour was leading the movement.

          So, where could Belle have been in all of France?

          It is thought that the “provincial town” Belle and her father lived in was inspired by La Rochelle, an actual small provincial town that the original author, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Gallon de Villeneuve, was born in. The saying goes, “La Rochelle: belle et rebelle” Beauty and Rebel, and that was exactly what this town was known for. Though still just as illiterate as most of France once was at that time, La Rochelle was steps ahead of the rest of the country. Protestant when France was Catholic, La Rochelle fought for religious peace and individualism for centuries.

          In fact, about the time Belle and the Beast met, the Enlightenment had already made it way towards La Rochelle. This would soon be a great time for the town, as its water trade benefitted greatly. Their harbors would be taking more ships and creating larger entrances for trade. Maybe that’s why the town bustles the way we always see it do in the musical? It would also be understandable as to why we would find such an enlightened pair such as Belle and her father in this sweet little town. They were merely ahead of the curb.

          During the time, the Beast was obviously not known throughout the town, as most nobles like him kept to themselves. Aristocrats tended to be absent from the people, hairy or not. Beast, however, did fit this period just as well in the story as in reality. His castle offered many Baroque-style features but had an Enlightenment touch with the impressive library he kept.

          Of course, not as glorious as true fairytales, France during the mid-1700s was just as exciting and wild as Beauty and the Beast portrays it, except, you know, without the enchanted silverware.

Beauty and the Beast as we know it today is wrapped in magic, love, and singing pots. But is that how it started? To appreciate what we have, we must also look at what was.

          Stories like Beauty and the Beast have been around for centuries. Before this tale was written on French paper, oral storytelling of beautiful women marrying beasts that turned into just as beautiful men were common. These traditions took place throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, and India. In fact, Africa and China are both known for their stories of a snake marrying a young girl. In Norway, a white bear marries a human bride.

          Then, in 1740, a woman named Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Gallon de Villeneuve wrote a French booked called La Jeune Américaine, et las Contes Marins which translates to The Young American and Tales of the Sea. Inside this book were many stories, one of which was “La Belle et la Bête”. This version was long and had some parts… children could do without.

          Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont agreed, and thus made an abridged version (also in French) in 1757 for Magasin de Enfants (The Young Misses Magazine). This version was translated into English (finally!) as what we know today as “Beauty and the Beast.” This version is the most familiar to us, although some parts are still very different—no singing pots for example. You can actually read Beaumont’s version, in English here.

          Beauty and the Beast is a wonderful story, adapted into a musical for audiences of all ages to enjoy. The tale speaks of the importance of goodwill, humility, and the strength of love against all things, including curses.

          We hope that you will enjoy our rendition of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. this December, as many have enjoyed this tale for so long. Keep a lookout for tickets!

Happy Musical Monday! This past week, Beale Street Theater held open auditions for their production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. 100 participants danced, sang, and acted their hearts out, and on Friday night, the final cast list was posted. 38 people made the cut, and Beale Street Theater was excited to announce the talented group on Instagram Saturday.

          Beauty and the Beast Jr. has some familiar faces we all know and love. Joey Roehrick—Toronto from The Legend of the Lone Texas Walker Ranger—will be playing Cogsworth, the anxious head butler turned into a mantel clock. Cogsworth’s less anxious friend, Lumiére, will be played by Trayvon Mack, an entertaining talent Beale Street Theater has enjoyed in roles throughout the years.

          Beale Street Theater has also always emphasized their interest in families working together, and this show is no different. At least 3 families found themselves cast in the winter musical, including the Esplins and Demkes. Throughout the entire show, audiences will be able to spot families enjoying a hobby together, accustomed actors working their spotlight moments, and new faces discovering themselves as artists.

          The director of this production, Sidney Valdez, has stated that she is excited for the upcoming months with her wonderful cast. Look out for a great show this winter and keep your eye on all the other fantastic events coming your way from Beale Street Theater!