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Chicago Tribune
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
How Disney's ‘Beauty and the Beast' first brought families to Broadway
The new Disney tour of 'Beauty and the Beast' playing this summer at the Cadillac Palace Theatre is introducing bookish Belle, clever Chip and garrulous Gaston to younger generations who were not even born in 1993 when Disney decided to take a stab at turning an animated movie into a Broadway musical. They're also unlikely to know the significance of this particular musical in the history of the art form. But in fact, 'Beauty and the Beast' sparked a revolution in bringing family audiences back to Broadway. And the success of the show changed the face of the Disney organization. In the 1980s, the British producer Cameron Mackintosh had come to dominate the market for massive musical spectacles with a succession of shows: 'Cats,' 'Phantom of the Opera,' 'Les Misérables' and 'Miss Saigon.' These productions played London and New York and toured all over the world, running for years in cities from Cleveland to Green Bay, providing a boon to historic theaters like the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, which programmed such musicals for years. Mackintosh's secret? His touring productions, which crisscrossed the country in fleets of trucks, were fully the equal of the shows in London and New York. The touring circuit had previously been dependent on stars, but humans are finicky and capricious. Mackintosh had figured out that the better business model was to make the entire production the star. That way, few knew and even fewer cared about who was or was not playing Fantine, say, on a given night. Mackintosh was an independent. The big U.S. studios, like Disney, had previously concluded that Broadway, with its high production costs and risks, did not offer enough of a potential payoff to be worth their time. But by the early 1990s, they were beginning to realize how much money Mackintosh had been making. Something else had happened, too. Disney had decided to reboot its animated franchise with a series of new musical movies that were heavy on songs. The studio had found an enormously gifted duo named Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who'd made a splash in New York with a 1986 off-Broadway show named 'Little Shop of Horrors.' Although Ashman died from AIDS at the age of 40 during the creation of the film version of 'Beauty and the Beast' (just weeks before its release), the pair wrote eight songs for the movie, following up on their 1989 success with 'The Little Mermaid,' a film that had won two Academy Awards. Even more than 'Mermaid,' 'Beauty and the Beast' was very much constructed as a classic Broadway musical, with Belle set up as a Gigi-like heroine. The title song won an Oscar for best original song and the rest of the score was filled with gems. Which could not be said of most of the live shows on Broadway at the time. Frank Rich, then the chief critic for the New York Times, wrote a seminal article in December 1991 calling the movie musical 'The Hit That Got Away,' saying 'the best Broadway musical score of 1991 was that written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman for the Disney animated musical 'Beauty and the Beast.' Rich noted, pointedly, that the pair had never worked as a team on a Broadway musical. 'Disney had just not thought stage musicals were the right business for them,' Menken said in a recent telephone interview. 'But although 'Beauty and the Beast' was an animated movie, it actually had a really strong stage sensibility.' And, of course, it had those hit songs, including some that had hit the cutting-room floor and could be put back into use. Disney's chairman at the time, Michael Eisner, had also read Rich's article and was well aware of the movie's theatricality. So he ordered up a Broadway stage version of 'Beauty and the Beast.' Up until that point, Disney had never done a full-blown musical, nothing much, really, beyond its early theme-park performances with foam heads and ice shows. 'Michael was a giant fan of theater. He was a former theater student, so he cared deeply about the form,' said Thomas Schumacher, by far the most important Disney executive when it comes to what became a succession of stage musicals, developing in sophistcation and specifically theatrical artistry, but moving through a door opened by 'Beauty and the Beast.' In essence, the show became the animated movie translated to the stage. That was all that it occurred to Disney to do. (That would change, to spectacular effect, with 'The Lion King' as Schumacher became the head of what morphed into Disney Theatricals, and Julie Taymor was brought on board and creative people wrestled with the problem of a movie starring a cast of animals, not period French folk.) 'I think of 'Beauty and the Beast' was the show we did that is the closest to the original Walt Disney ethos,' Menken said. 'The look of it. The style of it. The Bavarian village. And, of course, it's the most theatrical, given Gaston, Belle and 'Be Our Guest.'' The film had been Menken's last collaboration with Ashman, searing the memory of his beloved creative partner. The famed British lyricist Tim Rice had come on board to help Menken with the stage musical. But when it came to writing the additional songs clearly necessary for a full-blown musical, Menken no longer had Ashman, who had pitched the idea for an animated movie version of 'Beauty and the Beast' in the first place. 'I found a cassette one day,' Menken said, 'from back when we were using cassettes. I think I was going to record over it. But when I played it, I heard Howard and I working on a song for 'Beauty and the Beast.' We were struggling to find the right tone and the right music.' They found it of course — a romantic, swirling aesthetic, filled with gorgeous melodies and all of the vibrancy of the original animated film. Only with living people. As part of its animated sensibility, director Robert Jess Roth's original production of 'Beauty and the Beast' had plenty of knock-out theatrical tricks, including a clever idea to put Chip, the talking cup from the film, on his own on-stage tray, seemingly making him a head-only character. Above all, the show delighted audience with its 'Be Our Guest' centerpiece, a dancing-flatware tribute to Disney's 'Fantasia,' as well as its famous moment of beastly transformation wherein Belle finally got all of her heart's desires. The show was never a critical favorite; reviews on Broadway were tepid, for the most part. 'There was a lot of cynicism,' Menken said, 'about Disney moving in on Broadway. We were pretty much treated with derision.' Any such derision did not hinder the show's success. The original Broadway run of 'Beauty and the Beast' production would play for 5,461 performances (some 13 years), and became the tenth longest running show in Broadway history. According to Schumacher, the original production has seen more global reproductions than 'The Lion King' or pretty much any other title you might mention. 'It is beloved around the world,' Schumacher said, simply enough. 'Beauty and the Beast' also brought kids and their parents to Broadway. Disney quickly realized that these titles could attract groups of four or more and, in the years that followed, Schumacher's team developed sophisticated pricing and marketing strategies that were aimed at families and would also be used for 'The Lion King' and 'Aladdin,' shows still playing in New York and attracting an audience that constantly renews itself as kids age into their target demographics. None of that would have happened without the massive success of 'Beauty and the Beast' — a new kind of musical that was a long way from 'Cabaret,' 'A Chorus Line' and 'Chicago' and that proved Broadway didn't have to be just for adults. Review: New tour of 'Beauty and the Beast' lives up to all the expectationsNow, the all-new U.S. tour, which has freshened the title without removing its traditional appeal, is focused on a new generation of families. For Menken, of course, the success of 'Beauty and the Beast' came in the wake of his heartbreak over Ashman's death. But he wrote a new song, 'Home,' for the stage show in tribute to his friend and 'seamless collaborator.' 'Home,' with its lilting melody, was the repurposing of a separate song, 'My Old Friend,' Menken had written after Ashman's death. By consciously doing so, Menken found a way to write Ashman into the stage version of 'Beauty and the Beast' and not just the animated movie into which the late genius had poured his heart. 'Is this home?' Belle sings in 'Home' of a castle that seems at first like a very chilly spot, before the Beast transforms into her true love. 'Is this what I must learn to believe in?' she sings, gaining in her certitude. 'Try to find something good in this tragic place …' Belle finds that good. So did Menken. So did Disney. And audiences in Chicago, few of whom know his history, currently are enjoying the good that came from 'Beauty and the Beast' every night.
Chicago Tribune
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: New tour of ‘Beauty and the Beast' lives up to all the expectations
As a bookish millennial and former theater kid, I feel like a walking cliché when I say that I'm hopelessly nostalgic about 'Beauty and the Beast.' I'm no Disney adult (the theme parks hold no interest for me), but the stage musical is tied up with a whole lot of my teenage memories. Do these formative experiences make me biased toward the show? Maybe. Do they also raise my expectations for any new productions, just like Colin Firth (or Matthew Macfadyen, depending on who you ask) ruined other leading men for a generation of Jane Austen fans? Yes. All that to say: with every sentimental feeling I can still summon as a jaded 30-something, I'm happy to report that Disney's new North American tour, now playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, delivers just about everything I could hope for in 'Beauty and the Beast' — lovely music, dazzling costumes and standout choreography that made me fall in love with new moments in the show. The musical's score by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, expands on the songbook of the 1991 animated film and many of the additional numbers are among my favorites. Although I was disappointed that this tour cuts Belle's sweet duet with her father, 'No Matter What,' I greatly enjoyed Kyra Belle Johnson's rendition of 'Home,' Belle's first-act solo. Her voice has that clear, bell-like timbre that's so quintessentially Disney princess. And it's certainly worth the wait when Fergie L. Philippe finally reveals his rich baritone just before intermission in the Beast's tormented number, 'If I Can't Love Her.' Directed and choreographed by Matt West (the original Broadway choreographer), this production really gains momentum about halfway through the first act, with the comedic antics of the Beast's enchanted household staff and two major dance sequences that delighted the opening night crowd. Gaston (Stephen Mark Lukas), Lefou (Harry Francis) and company perform the raucous tavern song, 'Gaston,' with gusto, waving pompoms as they cheer on their favorite narcissist and clanking their tankards to the beat. West later pulls out all the stops for 'Be Our Guest,' with the help of several of the original Broadway designers, including Stanley A. Meyer (set), Ann Hould-Ward (costumes) and Natasha Katz (lighting). Led by Danny Gardner as Lumiere, the cheeky, limber candelabra-turned-MC, the ensemble energetically cycles through choreography that includes classic chorus lines, tap dancing and a neat bit that resembles synchronized swimming, projected in real-time from an overhead camera. West's choreography shines in a quieter manner in 'Human Again,' as Lumiere, Mrs. Potts (Kathy Voytko), Cogsworth (Javier Ignacio), Chip (Levi Blaise Coleman on opening night), Madame (Holly Ann Butler) and Babette (Cameron Monroe Thomas) dream of being transformed from household objects back into their original bodies. As they imagine all the things they'll do when the castle's spell is broken, white-clad members of the ensemble double as their human forms in a sort of dream ballet, performing graceful pirouettes, lifts and waltz steps that aren't possible in the singers' current, semi-inanimate forms. It's easily the most moving version of this number that I've seen. Other design elements that deserve a nod are Hould-Ward's many striking costumes, which sparkle and shimmer with vibrant flair. I appreciated the small touch of Belle, patron saint of bookworms, wearing oversized reading glasses in several scenes. Jim Steinmeyer also contributes some nifty illusions to this production, the most impressive being Chip's cart. As usual, the young teacup rolls around looking like a disembodied head, but here, the illusion is especially convincing, as the bottom of the cart appears to be fully transparent when other actors walk behind it. Darrel Maloney's projections and video were the only design elements that didn't work for me. With highly saturated colors and overly crisp lines, they sometimes resemble artificial intelligence-generated illustrations and don't integrate well with the physical set pieces. This is less of a problem during the castle scenes, with their dark interiors and night skies, but in Belle's village, the backdrops often took me out of the fairytale setting. This touring cast features plenty of Broadway talents, including Voytko, a longtime Chicago actor who made headlines in 2021 by stepping in for Sutton Foster last-minute to star opposite Hugh Jackman in 'The Music Man.' The most touching casting choice, though, is the late Angela Lansbury as the voice of the prologue narrator. The beloved stage and screen actress, who voiced Mrs. Potts in the original film, died in 2022, shortly after the closing of the West End revival on which this tour is based. When Lansbury's familiar voice delivers the show's opening line, 'Once upon a time, in a faraway land,' there's a bittersweet sense of the baton being passed to younger generations of actors, entrusting them with this tale as old as 'Beauty and the Beast' (3.5 stars) When: Through Aug. 2 Where: Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes Tickets: $40 and up at
Chicago Tribune
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Of Notoriety: Drury Lane regional stage debut ‘The Da Vinci Code' comes with little guilt
I remember a couple years ago feeling rather guilty sitting in a theater seat at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago in March of 2023 and watching 'The Book of Mormon' on the Wednesday of Holy Week, just days before Easter. Last week, I spent my Holy Thursday in a theater seat at Drury Lane Theatre Oak Brook ready for the regional stage premiere of 'The Da Vinci Code,' based on the popular conspiracy and mystery novel by Dan Brown. Yet again, I was prepared for my own Catholic guilt given the layers and lore associated with the story as it relates to the Roman Catholic faith. What I saw during the almost three hours was a work dazzling yet dark, defiant while delivered with imagination, clever device and a heavy dose of entertaining symbolism laced with some history. I never once felt an urge for a return to my church confessional for another round of penance before Easter. Drury Lane Theatre's 'The Da Vinci Code,' adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel, and directed by Elizabeth Margolius, is a thrill-ride rollercoaster with religious waves emphasizing every scene. While it was a blockbuster hit with book sales for author Brown when it published in 2003, it was never one of the selections highlighted by Oprah Winfrey's book club. The 2006 movie adaptation starring Tom Hanks was also a box office success. I have neither read the novel nor seen the film. My introduction to quirky Professor Robert Langdon, as played by Chicago theatre favorite Jeff Parker and his cryptologist sidekick Sophie Neveu, played so equally wonderful by Vaneh Assadourian, came after the curtain rose at Drury Lane's stage premiere. The deservedly long run for this production continues through June 1 at Drury Lane Theatre. 'It's a provocative play,' as it is described by Drury Lane's Managing Director Wendy Stark Prey, who thought it was the perfect work to kick-off Drury Lane's 2025-2026 season. Drury Lane uses a mostly stark stage to immerse the audience into a world of shadows in the Vatican catacombs, marble and gold adorned altars and jet-setting adventures across the London and Paris landscapes. Video effects and minimal costuming and few props are needed to transport the audience along on this dark adventure following a path of grisly murders and the hope of historical biblical treasures. The rest of the cast of 'The Da Vinci Code' includes Bradley Armacost as Sir Leigh Teabing, an incredible actor who was last seen a year ago on the Theatre at the Center stage in Munster portraying C.S. Lewis in Provision Theatre's one-man show. He is joined by Jennifer Cudahy slipping in and out of the identities of a museum docent to a church volunteer, along with John Drea sharing dual roles of Rémy and Philip with Ray Frewen as Jaques Saunière, Anthony Irons as Bezu Fache, Shane Kenyon as Silas, Janice O'Neill as nun Sister Sandrine, and then later as the identity of Marie and Leslie Ann Sheppard as Collet. Tickets range from $85-$165 at 630-530-8300 and The rest of the season follows with 'Always…Patsy Cline' (June 11 – Aug. 3); 'Dial M for Murder' (Sept. 3 -Oct. 26); 'Sister Act' (Nov. 12-Jan. 11, 2026) and 'On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan' (Jan. 28 – March 22, 2026). Founded by Anthony DeSantis more than 70 years ago, until his passing at age 93 in 2006, Drury Lane Theatre remains a family-run organization under the leadership of President Kyle DeSantis, grandson of the late founder. To date, the theatre has staged more than 2,000 productions and has been nominated for more than 360 Joseph Jefferson Awards.
Chicago Tribune
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
With the Tony-winning costumes in 'Moulin Rouge! The Musical,' over-the-top extravagance is just right
Each time the nationally touring production of 'Moulin Rouge!' rolls into a new city, an entire truck is required to transport the show's costumes: a rainbow palette of corsets, cancan skirts, tailcoats, top hats and heeled boots that evokes the opulence of the 1899 Parisian setting. In total, the production travels with 297 costumes for the principal actors and ensemble performers, plus about 200 for understudies and swings. Wardrobe supervisor Michael Hannah oversees this demanding operation, assisted by three touring members of the wardrobe department. In each city, the production hires local theater professionals for additional roles: a stitcher, a launderer and nine dressers who learn the show from Hannah's team. Together, they execute the complex backstage choreography that delivers eight shows a week for audiences. 'Moulin Rouge! The Musical' is currently playing through April 20 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. Based on the 2001 film by Baz Luhrmann, the jukebox musical takes its name from a famous French nightclub — founded in the 19th century and still open today — and follows a fictional romance between cabaret performer Satine and bohemian songwriter Christian. As with the movie, the musical is a visual spectacle; among the 10 Tony Awards the Broadway production won in 2021, Catherine Zuber took home the honor for best costume design of a musical. The Tribune recently took a backstage tour of the Cadillac Palace with Hannah and Arianna Rosario, who stars as Satine in the touring company. Among the items on display were the diamond-inspired dress and 20-yard boa in which Satine makes her dramatic entrance, a beaded green dress that she wears with fairy wings during an absinthe-fueled dream sequence, cancan skirts with colorful ruffles on their undersides, bejeweled boots custom-made in Italy by LaDuca Shoes, a red velvet coat embroidered with the Moulin Rouge's iconic windmill, and several pieces designed to look like they were hand-painted by the French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The musical's first act opens with the Moulin Rouge on the verge of closing, unless Satine can seduce a wealthy duke into becoming its patron — but for the moment, these financial woes are hidden behind the club's glamorous veneer. The production design 'recreates a period of time that went bankrupt because it was so lavish and exorbitant,' Hannah said. 'It's got to be spectacular. It's got to be glittery. It's got to be larger than life. … We have to make the audience feel that they're seeing something that is just so overdone, overwhelming, and I think we achieve that.' Hannah added, 'I have to give it to our producers because they don't cut corners. If I need a new costume for something or if I want to replace something, I've never been told 'no.'' An important part of his job is 'to keep it looking new and fresh and to keep the viewpoint and the wishes of the designer, because if it looks shabby, it's not going to work.' The overall sense of spectacle was one reason Rosario, who was a fan of the original film, was drawn to the musical. She performed in the Broadway company for over a year and has been with the tour for a year and a half, initially appearing as the alternate for Satine and stepping into the role full-time in September 2024. 'My life has consisted of a lot of 'Moulin Rouge,' but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. I love the show,' she said. Playing Satine, Rosario has a dozen costume changes, some of which are only 45 seconds long, and she's either onstage or changing costumes for most of the show. 'What people don't seem to realize is that the backstage part of the show is as choreographed as the onstage part,' Hannah said. Rosario added, 'Even just getting water backstage is choreographed in, and I have little bottles — props on stage — where I can take a sip of water if I need to, because there's just no time to fit anything else in.' Hannah said of Rosario's relentless pace, 'That's kind of the leading lady's thing, but she's amazing. She's wonderful to work with, and it's a well-oiled machine back here.' 'Moulin Rouge' represents the finale of a long and storied career for Hannah, who has served as wardrobe supervisor for major productions such as 'Les Misérables,' 'Cabaret' and 'Aladdin.' Although he's worked on Broadway, film and television productions, he has always been a traveler at heart. Thirty-five years ago this month, he embarked on his first national tour in Chicago with 'The Phantom of the Opera,' and now, he bids the touring life a fond farewell in the same city. After April 13, the 'Moulin Rouge' tour will continue with a new wardrobe supervisor, and Hannah will retire to his home in Florida, where he looks forward to spending more time with his dog. 'I've always worked in my field, and that's lucky for somebody in show business. That doesn't happen all the time,' Hannah said. 'Touring is great. Sometimes it gets lonely; there are things you give up, but there's a lot that you get from it, and that's the best part. … I intend to go home and continue with other artistic endeavors as far as costumes are concerned, but this has been my heart. It's been fulfilling and challenging like crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way.' Emily McClanathan is a freelance critic.
Chicago Tribune
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Reader can partake in French lessons, and now cancan during ‘Moulin Rouge' Chicago run
Last week, I was talking with reader Carol Dionne of St. John about her three years of French language lessons she had taken at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church in Dyer. 'I'd taken Spanish language classes in high school and Latin and French in college, and I've always loved the French language,' said Dionne, a retired nurse. 'The classes I've been taking recently only cost a nominal fee, and it was a group class that met in-person, and I loved the social aspect of the gathering. Recently, the classes transitioned to Zoom virtual classes, and I prefer meeting in person.' Sometimes, the stars and planets align perfectly, as is the case for the answer for Dionne's request. Alliance Francaise de Chicago is a non-profit located at 24 West Chicago Ave. in downtown Chicago, and among the many opportunities offered are language courses, both beginning and advanced options, as well as many other cultural programs and possibilities with more information available at or call 312-337-1070. I only learned about this institution, founded 125 years ago, after receiving a press release alerting about a promotional partnership for this organization with the Broadway touring cast of the stage hit 'Moulin Rouge! The Musical' now playing through April 20 at Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago. The touring musical's dance captain Katie Lombardo conducted a free dance workshop on Tuesday morning this week to teach the history and classic high-kicking steps for the iconic French cancan dance which was made so famous at the Moulin Rouge nightclub of Paris. Lombardo said despite the seamstress secrets and crafting creativity of today's costumes, the layered ruffled dresses the cancan dancers wore still tip the scales at more than 10 pounds of fabric per dress. It remains unknown the exact origin of how and who it was that dreamed up the animated and flirtatious kick-line of cancan dancers that became a popular trend in the 1820s. By the time the Moulin Rouge nightclub was founded in 1889 in Paris, the cancan became the signature dance of this internationally famed stage. The Tony Award-winning Best Musical 'Moulin Rouge! The Musical' was last in Chicago when presented by Broadway in Chicago for a month run in April and May 22 at the James M. Nederlander Theatre. The winner of 10 of the 2021 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, it opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in the Summer of 2019 and then reopened in September 2021 following the shutdown of Broadway due to the pandemic. Directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers and the book by Tony Award winner John Logan, the choreography is by Tony Award winner Sonya Tayeh with music supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements by Tony Award winner Justin Levine. The production is based closely on the Oscar-winning 20th Century Fox film 'Moulin Rouge!' — starring Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor and John Leguizamo — which premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. Tour cast member Jordan Vasquez, who grew up in Illinois just outside the Quad Cities, is the understudy for the role of Santiago. 'I've been with this tour for the past year and previously toured with the musical 'Chicago,' which was my last time here in Chicago when it played at the CIBC theater,' said Vasquez, who attended Tuesday's dance workshop. 'I've always loved the movie 'Moulin Rouge,' and when it was adapted as a Broadway musical, I knew one day I'd be part of the cast. The story is timeless, and the music and songs are amazing. One of the differences between the movie and Broadway musical is there are even more songs included.' Tickets start at $36.50 at 800-775-2000 and or visit Running time is two hours and 35 minutes, which includes a 15-minute intermission. The show is classified as suitable for ages 12 and older.
