At the end of 1997, either in November or December, I went to see the Alan Menken / Howard Ashman / Tim Rice / Linda Woolverton musical "Beauty and the Beast" when the First National Tour played at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL. The production was originally scheduled to performed in Chicago from October 4th, 1997 to March 1st, 1998. At the time, I didn't realize how long Chicagoans had to wait for this tour. The production had been running since November 7th, 1995, when the First National Tour launched at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. The tour then made stops in St. Louis, Detroit, Washington D.C, Atlanta, New Orleans, Tempe, Seattle, Portland (OR), San Diego, Denver, and Dallas. Then, finally, the $12 million touring production of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" came to Chicago.
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| Frederick C. Inkley and Kim Huber in "Beauty and the Beast." |
Besides the National Tour, productions had opened in Toronto, Melbourne, Los Angeles, and Vienna (only to name a few productions). These early productions came with quite a price. By that, I am referring to the production cost. The Broadway, Los Angeles, and First National Tour Productions each cost $12 million (though it is rumored the Broadway Production cost almost twice as much). The World Premiere Production in Houston (1993) was said to cost $10 million. The London Production cost £10 million (about $12.6 million). The Toronto Production cost $17 million. The Melbourne Production cost $14 million, and the Vienna production cost $2.8 million. I'm not sure why the Vienna Production cost so much less, because it was just as lavish as the other productions. In 1999 the Broadway Production was downsized and transferred from the Palace Theatre to the smaller Lunt-Funtanne Theatre, thereby lowering production cost by 30%. The same year the First National Tour closed (in Louisville), and the Second National Tour was launched (in Tulsa). I tried to find out the production cost of the Second National Tour but could not. All I know is that the Second National Tour featured more backdrops and scenery that made shorter tour stops possible. I don't know whether or not the Second National Tour featured a revolving stage like the First National Tour and previous productions.
The musical was a lot like the movie, from what I remember. There were most of the same lines, just said in different ways. Kim Huber (Belle) and Fred Inkley (Beast) starred in the production. Also in the cast was Paige Davis (of "Trading Spaces") as Babette. The cast also featured Tony Lawson (Gaston), Dan Sklar (Lefou), Patrick Page (Lumiere), Jeff Brooks (Cogsworth), and Barbara Marineau (Mrs. Potts). Tommy John Skleros and Asher Book shared the role of Chip. Patrick Page would go on to originate the role of Hades in the Broadway Production of "Hadestown." This touring production of "Beauty and the Beast" featured scenic design by Stan Meyer and costume design by Ann Hould-Ward. The scenery was definitely something to remember. I mostly remember giant champagne bottles shooting sparks at the end of the "Be Our Guest" number. I believe one theatre critic was referring to this scene when they wrote "More Pyrotechnics Than the Fourth of July!"
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| Patrick Page, Jeff Brooks, and Grant Cowan in "Beauty and the Beast." This photo also showcases Ann Hould-Ward's amazing costume design. |
Seeing this musical was made possible by the school field trip that the chorus went on when I was in sixth grade. I wasn't in chorus, but luckily there were extra tickets available after the deadline for chorus to get first dibs on tickets had passed. This was around the same time that the Third National Tour of "Les Misérables" was in town at the Auditorium Theatre, so tickets for that field trip were in higher demand. Having seen "Les Misérables" a few years before, I was looking forward to seeing a new show, and wasn't disappointed. I enjoyed seeing "Beauty and the Beast."
"Beauty and the Beast" enjoyed lengthy runs in other metropolitan cities too. The Toronto Engagement of "Beauty and the Beast" ran from July 25th, 1995 through August 30th, 1997 at the Princess of Wales Theatre. The Los Angeles Production of "Beauty and the Beast" ran from October 12th, 1995 through September 29th, 1996 at the Shubert Theatre. The Broadway Production of "Beauty and the Beast" ran from April 18th, 1994 through September 5th, 1999 at the Palace Theatre, prior to transferring to the Lunt-Funtanne Theatre, where it performed from November 12th, 1999 through July 27th, 2007. The first preview performance of the Broadway Production was on March 9th, 1994. The Vienna production (which was also the European Premiere) of "Beauty and the Beast" (or "Die Schöne und das Biest") ran from September 28th, 1995 through June 30th, 1997 at the Raimund Theater. The Melbourne Production (also the Australian Premiere) ran from July 8th, 1995 through August 11th, 1996 at the Princess Theatre. The Mexico City Production of "Beauty and the Beast" ("La Bella y la Bestia") ran from May 8th, 1997 through June 28th, 1998 at the Teatro Orfeón. That was also the first Spanish-speaking production of the musical (translated by Anthony Wakefield), which featured the set previously used by the 1995-6 Los Angeles Production.
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| Tony Lawson (center) and the First National Tour cast of "Beauty and the Beast." |
As March 1st, 1998 approached, I suppose ticket sales were profitable enough for the Chicago Engagement of "Beauty and the Beast" to be extended. So, the production was held over in Chicago until March 29th, 1998. The show was successful in Chicago, considering the competition at the time. At the Shubert Theatre (now called the CIBC Theatre), the Premiere Chicago Engagement of "Rent" had been playing since November of 1997. "Les Misérables" was over at the Auditorium Theatre, but was leaving in February. Lastly, over at the Theatre Building Chicago (now called Stage 773), the Premiere Chicago Production of Susan Hill's "The Woman in Black" kept getting its run extended.
Later in 1998, "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Cats" would return to Chicago, and "Ragtime" would make its Chicago Premiere at the newly restored Ford Center of the Performing Arts- Oriental Theatre (Now called the Nederlander Theatre). Oddly, I haven't seen a show at The Chicago Theatre since I saw "Beauty and the Beast." I may never see one there again... <<Audible Gasp>>. I don't mean to imply that Chicago was the last metropolitan city that "Beauty and the Beast" performed at. Boston had to wait until 1998 for the First National Tour to stop at their Wang Theatre. Not only that, but Philadelphia and San Francisco had to wait for the Second National Tour for their local premieres of "Beauty and the Beast."
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| Paige Davis and Patrick Page in "Beauty and the Beast." |
In the Summer of 2025, a 30th Anniversary Touring Production of "Beauty and the Beast" will begin captivating audiences throughout North America. Not only that, but the production will feature members of the original creative team--including scenic designer Stan Meyer. The production will not be identical to previous productions of "Beauty and the Beast." Instead, it will be a reinvented production of sorts. I hope I can see it.
While I have seen a variety of plays and musicals from grand-scale to less-is-more, I must admit I like the grand-scale shows most of all. "Beauty and the Beast" was one of those shows. That shouldn't be surprising, since I also liked "The Phantom of the Opera," "Hadestown," "Les Misérables," and "Wicked." I'm grateful I got to see the First National Tourof "Beauty and the Beast." The next time "Beauty and the Beast" came to Chicago was at the end of 2001, but that was the Second National Tour, which I'm sure was scaled down a bit. Even if it was still a decent production, I doubt if I would have gotten to see it. On that note of gratitude, I immensely enjoyed this tale as old as time.
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| Stan Meyer's jaw-dropping scenic design from "Beauty and the Beast." |
**I'm almost certain that most, if not all, of the production photos were taken by Joan Marcus.
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