New 'Beauty and the Beast' Stage Show Will Open in 2021!

Disney has announced that a brand new Beauty and the Beast stage production will be opening next year.

The news comes via the official Beauty and the Beast musical Twitter account (@BeautyMusical)

Disney proudly invites you to ‘Be Our Guest’ as the most enchanted musical of all time, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, returns to the UK stage in 2021 with an all new production. Sign-up now to be amongst the first to find out when tickets go on sale this Autumn. https://t.co/HdwJ49kwoK pic.twitter.com/PdgYOwr1Mn

— Beauty and the Beast (@BeautyMusical) September 11, 2020

The update reads:

Disney proudly invites you to ‘Be Our Guest’ as the most enchanted musical of all time, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, returns to the UK stage in 2021 with an all new production. Sign-up now to be amongst the first to find out when tickets go on sale this Autumn.

The Broadway and off-Broadway musical theater industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, so this is welcome news for fans of Disney stage shows.

Few details are available about the storyline of the upcoming onstage Beauty and the Beast production, but it is likely that it will follow the live-action storyline, similar to the musical that is available to Guests onboard the Disney Dream cruise ship.

All of Disney’s Broadway productions, including Aladdin and The Lion King, were shuttered earlier this year and will not resume until January 2021 at the earliest. Frozen, the weakest performing of all of Disney’s current Broadway productions, was permanently canceled.

When the pandemic began, Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin said:

“Our top priority has been and will continue to be the health and well-being of Broadway theatergoers and the thousands of people who work in the theatre industry every day, including actors, musicians, stagehands, ushers, and many other dedicated professionals. Broadway has the power to inspire, enrich and entertain, and together we are committed to making that vital spirit a reality. Once our stages are lit again, we will welcome fans back with open arms so that they can continue to experience the joy, heart, and goodwill that our shows so passionately express every night.”

In addition to the newly announced London Beauty and the Beast production, Disney is working with Alan Menken on a Hercules musical that is set to debut sometime next year.

Will you be seeing the UK Beauty and the Beast onstage revival in 2021?