Beauty and the Beast

Did You Know?

• The original fairytale of Beauty and the Beast was written in 1740 by a woman named Madame Gabrielle de Villeneuve. The tale was much more complicated, containing several magical subplots, and was not intended for children. Madame de Villeneuve wrote a novel version of the story for her court and salon friends because they enjoyed storytelling for their entertainment. Since then, it has been adapted, rewritten, and circulated throughout the world.
• Disney's Beauty and the Beast quotes Shakespeare in “The Mob Song,” Gaston quotes from Macbeth when he sings, “Screw your courage to the sticking place!” which is said by Lady Macbeth in Act I, scene 7.
• Disney’s Beauty and the Beast opened at the Palace Theatre on April 18, 1994 and closed at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on July 29, 2007. This original production played a total of 5,461 performances, making it the sixth longest-running show in Broadway history.*
• Around the world Disney's Beauty and the Beast has played in over 14 countries and 115 cities, including record-breaking box office runs in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom. Disney's Beauty and the Beast was the first Broadway musical to perform in Beijing, China in 1999. The show has been translated into six languages including Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, German, Portuguese and Korean.*
• The role of Chip on Broadway was a springboard for young actors. In total, 27 young actors played the role of Chip during Disney's Beauty and the Beast's run on Broadway. Many of them went on to perform in other Broadway shows such as Tarzan, Mary Poppins, Caroline, or Change, Les Misérables, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Fiddler on the Roof, Ragtime, Titanic, Annie Get Your Gun and many others.*
• In the movie, the wardrobe is a character that remains nameless, but in the musical she is named "Madame De La Grande Bouche" and seemingly makes a love connection with Cogsworth in the end.
• The scene where Belle teaches the Beast to read is only in the background of the movie, but is a prominent scene in the musical. Additionally, the book they read in the film is Romeo & Juliet while in the musical it is King Arthur.

*Fun facts taken from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. Student Script

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