Magic Monday: Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage!

Stroll down Sunset Boulevard and you will find yourself face to face with the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. But if thrills and chills aren’t quite your style try Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage! Performed daily at the Theater of the Stars, also located on Sunset Boulevard, this 25 minute Broadway style show is fun for the whole family.

Through the years I have been fortunate enough to see Beauty and the Beast: The Musical several times, both on Broadway and with the touring company performing it around the country. While the Broadway show is quite impressive; the Live on Stage version at Hollywood Studios is every bit as wonderful. The main difference is the length of the show. Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage runs approximately 25 minutes. This is long enough to have you singing along to all your favorite Beauty and the Beast songs but not too long as to where children get antsy and you feel like you have spent your entire day at the park watching one show.

The plot of the show follows all the same lines as both the movie and the Broadway show. The show begins with the old beggar woman cursing the Beast and from there it features many songs from the movie including “Be Our Guest”, “Something There”, and “Beauty and the Beast”. The elaborate sets and costumes are simply breathtaking. And don’t think that boys won’t enjoy the show too. It has lots of action and they even recreate “The Mob Song” and siege on the Beast’s castle.

This show opened on November 21, 1999 – the same day as the animated feature film it is based on. The stage show is usually shown between 3 and 5 times per day (depending on the season and park hours). Arrive early to get a good seat. The Theater of the Stars is semi-enclosed 1500 seat theater but it can fill up quickly especially during peak travel seasons. Another thing to note is that if you leave the theater for any reason, you may be denied re-entry if the theater is full. In other words, you can’t get a seat and then leave to go to the restroom or get a snack and expect to be readmitted just because you entered once. So, before you head into the theater use the restroom (there are restrooms just outside the theater on Sunset Boulevard) and grab a snack or drink, you can bring them in with you. Then find a seat and enjoy the show!