Beauty and the Beast Live On Stage[edit]
| Beauty and the Beast Live On Stage
|
|
| Belle and the Beast during Beauty and the Beast Live On Stage.
|
| Disney's Hollywood Studios
|
| Land
|
Sunset Boulevard
|
| Attraction type
|
Stage Show
|
| Opening date
|
November 22 1991
|
| Ride duration
|
25 minutes
|
| Based on
|
Disney's Beauty and the Beast
|
| Number of Seats
|
1500
|
| Disney Genie +
|
Yes
|
|
|
Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage is an attraction located in Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Attraction History[edit]
Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage opened on November 22, 1991 in the Theater of the Stars [1]. The premiere took place on the same day that the film Beauty and the Beast was released. The original show featured five songs- Be Our Guest, "Belle" / "Gaston", "Something There", "The Mob Song", and "Beauty and the Beast". Although initially conceived as a temporary attraction, the immense popularity of the show led it to become permanent [2]. In 1993, the Theater of the Stars was closed to make way for the construction of Sunset Boulevard [3]. On May 28, 1993 Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage was moved to the Backlot Theater on New York Street [4], before being moved back into a newly constructed Theater of the Stars in 1993 [3].
The biggest change to Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage took place in March of 2001, when the structure of the show was changed [5]. The new show featured songs in a more chronological order, making it more like the film. Besides reordering the songs, a new prologue song titled "Prologue: The Enchantress" and the song "Belle (Reprise) were added to the attraction [6].
Attraction Plot[edit]
Beauty and the Beast Live on stage begins with a prologue titled "Prologue: The Enchantress". During the prologue, guests see the young prince turned into a beast, as the narrator describes the unfolding events:
"Once upon a time in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind. One winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived appearances, for beauty is found within. She had seen that there was no love in his heart and as punishment she transformed him into a hideous beast and put a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. If he could learn to love another and earn their love in return, the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?"
As the prince (now turned into a beast) leaves the stage, the curtain behind him rises to reveal the residents of a small French town. Belle then takes center stage, singing the song named after her. As she sings, the townspeople act out the mundane tasks she describes. During the song, Gaston appears on stage, proclaiming his love for her. He sings of his plans to marry Belle, as the townspeople begin singing the song "Gaston", which describes his many merits. After the song ends, Gaston approaches Belle, proposing to her. When Gaston tells her that her dreams are about to come true, Belle exclaims that he knows nothing about her dreams before singing "Belle (Reprise)". As the scene changes back to the prince's castle, the narrator explains:
"Belle got more adventure, then even she, in her wildest imagination could have dreamt. For through a series of strange circumstances, she found herself held captive inside a dark and foreboding castle, inhabited by a very odd collection of cabinetries."
Belle and Gaston. Photo by FlickR user Ashley.
As the narrator talks, Lumière, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts and Chip appear on stage. They then explain that they are inviting Belle (and the audience) to dinner. Lumière welcomes the guests as he announces that "the dining room proudly presents, your dinner". Dancing tableware then begin to sing "Be Our Guest", as Belle watches on in amazement. As the song ends, the scene shifts to the west wing of the castle, where the Beast growls and yells that Belle will only see him as a beast. Mrs. Potts, Lumière, Cogsworth and Chip hopefully explain however, that she might be the one who can break the spell. When Belle enters the room, the Beast yells that he told her never to enter the wing. After an argument, the others tell Beast to apologize, which he does. Belle and the Beast then start to sing "Something There" as they begin to fall in love.
After Something There ends, the scene shifts to Gaston telling the villagers that they must kill the Beast or he (Beast) will kill them and their children. As the villagers and Gaston prepare for battle they sing "The Mob Song". Gaston and the villagers then reach the castle. As the mob attacks, Lumière, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Chip and the Beast fight Gaston and the villagers. As Gaston taunts the Beast for loving Belle he stabs the Beast in the heart. As he is seemingly dying, Belle tells him that the whole thing is her fault, and that she loves him.
Although initially it seems as though the Beast is dead, Belle's love is enough to reverse the curse. The enchantress then appears back on stage, turning the Beast back into a young prince. The prince and Belle then dance together as Mrs. Potts sing's "Beauty and the Beast". After leaving the stage momentarily, the prince and Belle return in their royal clothes. As the song "Beauty and the Beast" ends, the two kiss, ending the show. After the show, all of the performers come out and take a bow, and a rose is given by Belle and the Prince to a lucky audience member.
Fun Facts and Trivia[edit]
- In 1991 (the year that Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage premiered) clips from the show were shown during the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade [7].
- The show was also featured on an episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show, when Oprah visited Walt Disney World [8].
- The large bats that appear in the forest scene have 8 foot wingspans [9].
Watch the Show![edit]
To see the current version of Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, click play below!
References
- ↑ http://www.studioscentral.com/attractions/beauty-and-beast
- ↑ http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2004/11/23/501.aspx
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.studioscentral.com/column/why-its-there/theater-stars
- ↑ https://www.mouseplanet.com/10692/Celebrating_the_Silver_Anniversary_of_Disneys_Hollywood_Studios
- ↑ http://www.themouseforless.com/walt-disney-world/parks/disneys-hollywood-studios/beauty-and-the-beast-live-on-stage/
- ↑ http://www.frontierlandstation.com/fastpass-history-beauty-beast-live-stage/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0GxnD6UXS4EX6eegZApXEwHSg9Vo2vVl
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woH6Mdv0Fnc
- ↑ http://allears.net/tp/mgm/m_beauty.htm
