Disney's Beauty and the Beast: The Broadway Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Tim Rice, Disney, Beauty And The Beast (Related Recordings), Howard Ashman, Alan Menken, Susan Egan, Terrence Mann

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 26, 1994)
• Original Release Date: 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Walt Disney Records
• ASIN: B00000DT8E
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,429 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Way back in 1991, many of us saw the single-handed salvation and revival of the old-fashioned American-style Broadway musical comedy. True, it was in the form of a feature-length Disney cartoon, but Beauty and the Beast had it all: a wonderful, tuneful score (including a huge hit title-song), off-the-wall choreography, a great opposites-attract love story with an ultimately happy ending, comic subplots, colorful period costumes, a romantic location in small-town France, and an irresistible cast, including Angela Lansbury as the voice of a teapot. Alan Menken's songs, with lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, literally introduced the characters ("Belle" and "Gaston") and carried them gracefully through the old fairy tale with its new animated twists. Disney understandably decided to transpose this cinematic miracle to the Broadway stage in 1992. Beauty and the Beast at the fabled Palace Theatre has done as much as anything to revive New York's theatre district; it led to a similar animated film-to-stage transfer of The Lion King, which allowed for the magnificent restoration of the 1902 New Amsterdam Theatre, which was the cornerstone of the cleanup of 42nd Street, which in turn transformed Times Square and "Broadway" into the world's number-one tourist destination. And we're all terribly grateful. But, on stage, Beauty and the Beast was flat, and most of that lack of fizz is, alas, captured on compact disc. The good songs are all here, such as "Be Our Guest," but the performances of them are mostly perfunctory--the exception being the vocal renderings of Susan Egan as Belle, the Beauty. Further, the Disneyfication of the Broadway musical seems to extend to faceless and interchangeable (read: cheap to hire) players, a practice that extends to The Lion King. The only "names" in the original Beauty and the Beast cast were Beth Howland as the teapot and Tom Bosley, a mere shadow of his former Fiorello, as Belle's father. Even worse, unlike The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast was not reinvented for the stage. It's my theory that the kids who made up the live audience (and many of their parents) were filling in the blanks from repeated viewings of the cartoon on video. If you're willing to do the same when only listening, this CD might do. But why, when the movie soundtrack album is available? --Robert Windeler

Product Description

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: BEAUTY & THE BEAST
Title: ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING
Street Release Date: 07/27/1999
Domestic
Genre: CAST RECORDINGS

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Original Bway Cast Recording is not what the show ended up being, June 22, 2007

By	Swan "choreographer" (New York) - See all my reviews

If you are looking for an accurate recording of the Broadway show (that is available for rental through MTI), you should get the London or Australian Cast Recording of the show. The OBCR was recorded BEFORE the Broadway run even started rehearsals, so it does not reflect many, many lyric changes, music changes, and dance arrangements that happened between the show's Houston tryout and Broadway opening. Granted, there are waonderful performances on this CD, but if you want to know what the show ended up being for nealry all of its thirteen-plus-year run, get London.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best CD EVER!!, August 5, 2006

A Kid's Review

I really loved this CD. Being a HUGE Broadway fan, I absolutely crave new talents and soundtracks. First, the vocal sounds were wonderful, especially Terrence Mann as the Beast and Susan Egan as Belle. Second, the songs are so beautiful. 'If I Can't Love Her' is a wonderful way to see how lonely and depressed the Beast is. 'Gaston' shows what a hothead the guy is. 'Human Again',my personal favorite, expresses the enchanted objects' longings to be human once more. And, of course, we absolutely CANNOT forget 'Beauty and the Beast', which sort of tells the story of Belle and the Beast. This CD is fabulous and truly is something every Broadway fan should have in their collection. I give it 3 thumbs up!!!

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Soundtrack to an Outstanding Musical, September 13, 2002

By	Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Disney's animated movie "Beauty and the Beast" is my all time favorite of their animated movies. And this is coming from a guy who owns them all on VHS and is working on DVD. When they first announced plans to turn their movie into a Broadway show, I was thrilled. And it works so well.

All the songs from the movie are here, just as wonderful as in the movie itself. What I love about this soundtrack is the new songs, however. They add so much more to the characters and overall story. Belle's "Home" is such a powerful cry of despair after agreeing to stay in the castle. And the Beast's songs "How Long Must This Go On?" and "If I Can't Love Her" allow him to express emotion and make him a sympathetic character from act one before he starts showing it to Belle.

And I must mention my favorite of the new songs. Gaston's marriage proposal "Me" is an absolute riot. Makes me laugh every time I hear it.

I've listened to this CD so much; sometimes it feels like there's something missing when I watch the movie. Ironically, "Human Again" isn't one of my favorites. I wished they'd picked one of the other songs to add to the movie for the re-release instead of that one.

Any fan of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, stage or screen, will love this recording. It's a must own.