Disney Theatrical Group has announced that a reimagined production of Beauty and the Beast will embark on a North American tour in June 2025.
“We’ve heard from audiences for three decades now that Beauty and the Beast has touched them in a profound way—these characters, songs and this sweeping story,” Thomas Schumacher, Chief Creative Officer of Disney Theatrical Group said in a statement. “How proud we are, then, to bring this refreshed and human take on the show—with the scale and spectacle the title deserves—to longtime fans and an entirely new generation. This Beauty is for them."
The tour will hold technical rehearsals and begin performances at Schenectady's Proctors Theatre in June 2025, before an official opening at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre in July. In August, the tour will stop at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre. Casting and a full itinerary for the two-year tour route will be announced at a later date. A spokesperson for Disney says there's currently no Broadway plans for this new production (though in 2019, Schumacher teased a Broadway revival was in the works).
Several creatives from the original Broadway team will reunite to create the new production, including composer Alan Menken (who wrote the film’s beloved score with the late lyricist Howard Ashman), lyricist Tim Rice, book writer Linda Woolverton, director and choreographer by Matt West, scenic designer Stanley A. Meyer, costume designer Ann Hould-Ward, lighting designer Natasha Katz, and illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer.
The reimagined tour will also feature new dance music arrangements by David Chase, music supervision and arrangements by Michael Kosarin, orchestrations by Danny Troob, sound design by John Shivers, projection and video design by Darrel Maloney, and hair and makeup design by David H. Lawrence. Jason Trubitt is the production supervisor and Myriah Bash is the general manager. Anne Quart serves as executive producer.
“We are thrilled to have once again gathered this world-class creative team on Beauty and the Beast, under the masterful direction of original team member Matt West. Together they created a beloved show in 1994, and today they’re telling that story with all the charm and romance of the original production, and newly resonant for today’s audiences. It’s a pleasure to be back in the room with this peerless team as they re-discover and expand Beauty and the Beast,” said Quart in a statement.
Based on Disney's 1991 Academy Award-winning film, Beauty and the Beast opened on Broadway April 18, 1994. The production closed July 29, 2007 after 46 previews and 5,461 regular performances, making it the current 10th longest-running Broadway show of all time. The original production was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won one, for Best Costume Design.
Previous Disney-produced North American tours of Beauty and the Beast played for almost eight years from November 1995 through August 2003, for a combined total of 2,893 performances to more than 5.7 million audience members. The show is currently running in Australia.
Visit BeautyandtheBeastTheMusical.com. See a video from the current Australian production below.
