Beauty & The Beast Press Conference

Disney Theatrical Productions, Broadway Entertainment Group and NETworks Presentations are delighted to announce that, in celebration of Disney's Beauty and The Beast's 20^th anniversary on the stage, the show will visit Beirut - Lebanon for the very first time as part of its International tour.  The English-language production will play at the Casino Du Liban Theater on October 28 until Nov 8, 2015 as part of a world tour which includes numerous countries in Asia & the Middle East.

The international tour of Disney's Beauty and the Beast will see the show's original Broadway creative team reuniting to bring this Broadway classic to life. The musical is directed by Rob Roth and choreographed by Matt West, with Costume Design by Ann Hould-Ward (Tony Award® winner for her work on Disney's Beauty and the Beast), Lighting Design by Natasha Katz, Scenic Design by Stanley A. Meyer, Sound Design by John Petrafesa Jr. and Music Supervision by Michael Kosarin.

" CLAPPING HANDS PRODUCTIONS is proud to be presenting the first ever Disney Theatrical show in Lebanon where the Magic World of Disney has legions of fans among the youth as well the adults. We are mesmerized by the high level of production of Disney's Beauty & Beast show which is without any doubts the biggest live show production to ever perform in Lebanon"

Based on the 1991 Academy-Award winning animated feature film, Disney's Beauty and The Beast premiered on Broadway in 1994, where was nominated for nine prestigious Tony Awards and ran for 13 years.  It still ranks as one of the longest-running and highest-grossing Broadway shows of all time. Since its debut, the titles visibility and success have expanded globally with subsequent productions produced around the world.  Since licensing of the title began in 2004, there have been productions in 22 countries, seen by more than 35 million people, translated into 8 different languages with over 28 thousand performances - equivalent to a run of 67 years, generating over $1.7B in revenue.

In the U.S., Disney's Beauty and the Beast has been licensed to over 6,000 individual theatres including professional, community and school productions.  For the past five years, it has been the most performed musical in high schools in the United States.   The title's strength has allowed it to enter international markets with limited traditions of producing Broadway musical theatre. It was the first Disney Theatrical Productions title in countries across Scandinavia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Russia, among others. In addition to professional productions, Beauty and the Beast is Disney's most requested title internationally for regional, community and armature productions.

Currently, there are 5 productions of Disney's Beauty and The Beast playing around the world including Paris and tours in North America, Spain, Japan and Germany.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast is the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress.  If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

The musical boasts music by Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Tangled) and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin), with additional songs with music by Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice (The Lion King, Jesus Christ Superstar). The book is written by Linda Woolverton (screenwriter of The Lion King, Alice In Wonderland and the upcoming Maleficent).­