Director's Note
Disney released the Academy Award-winning animated film version of Beauty and the Beast in 1991 and before long, the love story between a young townswoman and a mysterious beast became one of the most beloved movies in modern times. Critics and audiences alike immediately saw the potential for a stage adaptation and three short years later, Disney Theatrical Productions brought Beauty and the Beast to life on Broadway at the Palace Theatre. The original production opened on April 18, 1994, received nine Tony Nominations that season, and ran for 5,461 performances, making it the tenth longest-running production in Broadway history. Beauty and the Beast has also had four national tours in the US and has played 115 cities across thirteen countries, including a run in London that won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 1998.
Growing up in the 1990s, it was impossible to escape Beauty and the Beast. Kids brought their lunch to school in Beauty and the Beast lunchboxes and wore Beauty and the Beast pajamas to sleepovers, and without fail, at least one girl in my class dressed up as Belle for Halloween every year. Now, some fifteen to twenty years later, I still can’t seem to escape it. This past year has been filled with enchanted castles and princes, dancing silverware, crazy townspeople, and more fun than I could have imagined. A huge thank you to everyone who has devoted countless hours and endless energy to help bring this production to life.
On behalf of the cast and crew, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you here tonight and now, we invite you to relax and pull up a chair as the WashU Med School Musical proudly presents Beauty and the Beast.
Flannery Bowman
WUSM Musical Director
