Credit: Disney / Shiki Theatre CompanyA reimagined version of the Alan Menken-composed, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice musical Beauty and the Beast based on the Disney animated film of the same name will open for the first time in a permanent production within a Disney Resort — and early tickets are anticipated to sell like hotcakes.
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First opening on Broadway in 1994, the Beauty and the Beast musical took to the Great White Way after then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner was urged to realize the potential of the similarly titled 1991 hit animated film. It starred Susan Egan as Belle and Terrence Mann as the Beast, and was an instant hit, eventually clinching the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 1998 after opening in London’s West End. The production ran for thirteen years on Broadway, is the tenth longest-running musical, and has spawned multiple US and UK tours and revivals.
Now, the Shiki Theatre Company, known in the musical theater world for their previous renditions of Disney Broadway classics such as The Little Mermaid, Lion King, Aladdin, and Frozen, are going to bring their own magic into the Disney Parks themselves — with a reimagined version of Beauty and the Beast coming to the Maihama Amphitheater, October 2022 located right next to the official Disney Ambassador Hotel in the Tokyo Disney Resort.
Known for their expertly localized Japanese productions, the Shiki Theatre Company have begun their Advance Ticket Lottery process to their Tokyo Disney Resort show this week — with only a couple of days for fans (namely, exclusively Shiki no Kai members) to try their hand at snapping up tickets.
Their ticketing announcement is translated as follows:
🌹 “#BeautyAndTheBeast” Advance Ticket Lottery 🌹
We are now accepting applications for the Disney musical “Beauty and the Beast” ticket lottery, which will stay open until 18:00 on the 27th (Wednesday) (“Shiki no Kai” members only / immediate enrollment available online).
As the first day of release is expected to see high demand, we advise that you take advantage of this opportunity.
🌹『#美女と野獣』チケット事前抽選受付中🌹
ディズニーミュージカル『美女と野獣』のチケット事前抽選のお申し込みは、あさって27日（水）18時まで（「四季の会」会員限定／WEBで即時入会可）。
発売初日は混雑が予想されるため、ぜひこの機会をご利用ください。https://t.co/e4VswemKwN— 劇団四季 (@shiki_jp) July 25, 2022
Even though we don’t have any cast announcements or images yet, from their past productions it’s clear to see that the Shiki Theatre Company definitely know what they’re doing when it comes to putting on a good show — and Disney fans are willing to fight tooth and nail for seats.
Their production of The Little Mermaid in 2018 (and again in 2021) saw dazzling costumes and brilliant set design beautifully simulating the movement of water — Ariel “swam” all around the stage while singing for extended durations with the help of expertly managed wires — which was no mean feat, as seen in this video:
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The slightly stylized nature of the theatrical design all work in tandem to create a truly unique rendition of a beloved Disney and Broadway classic.
We can expect something similar with Shiki Theatre Company’s Tokyo Disney Resort edition of Beauty and the Beast, for sure. We might even be able to predict what the production could look like, if the Shanghai Disney Resort’s production of Beauty and the Beast (also directed by Shiki Theatre Company) is anything to go by — though we can still expect it to be slightly different, given that it’s “reimagined”.
Shiki Theatre Company’s brand new reimagining of Beauty and the Beast is definitely one not to be missed — as Japan opens up for tourism and the Parks adjust upon seeing bigger crowds after a long period of being closed due to COVID-19, visiting Disney Park fans from overseas may want to add this to their Tokyo Disney Resort itinerary.
Do you have plans to visit the Tokyo Disney Resort? Would you see this production of Beauty and the Beast? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
The Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan exists as Walt Disney Company’s first-ever international Disney Park and is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company. Located just beside the JR Maihama Station, Tokyo Disney Resort comprises two theme parks – Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, connected by the Disney Resort Line monorail. The other two Disney Parks in Asia are the Hong Kong Disney Resort and the Shanghai Disney Resort.
Tokyo Disneyland resides just a short distance from the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel and Toy Story Hotel, and features a similar castle to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, with their own Cinderella Castle. Tokyo Disneyland has a whole host of interesting attractions, including the Tokyo-exclusive, trackless Winnie the Pooh ride, Pooh’s Honey Hunt, plus Monsters, Inc. “Ride & Go Seek!”. Familiar favorites from other parks include Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, It’s a small world and Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blaster.
Tokyo DisneySea is a truly unique Disney Park themed after the Society of Explorers and Adventurers (S.E.A.), it boasts seven themed lands, or “Ports of Call” – the Mediterranean Harbor, American Waterfront, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, and Mysterious Island. Equally unique are DisneySea’s exclusive and one-of-a-kind attractions – Soaring: Fantastic Flight, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull, the S.E.A. storyline-themed old New York-style hotel Tower of Terror: Hotel Hightower, Jules Verne-inspired 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and star attraction Journey to the Center of the Earth’ located within the Park’s icon, giant volcano Mount Prometheus. Most unique of all is the on-property official Disney Hotel (that basically redefines “on-property”) – the luxurious Hotel MiraCosta, built right into the buildings of Tokyo DisneySea’s Mediterranean Harbor itself.