Walt Disney Theatrical
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Walt Disney Theatrical Productions, informally known as Walt Disney Theatrical, is the stageplay and musical production arm of The Walt Disney Company. It advertises as Disney on Broadway in New York City, and Disney on Stage in London and Melbourne.
The company has gained a prestigious reputation within the industry for creating professional and popular (both critically and financially) performances, starting with the acclaimed Beauty and the Beast in 1994 and most recently with Mary Poppins in 2006. The company is lead by Thomas Schumacher, and forms a part of one of the four units of The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Studio Entertainment.
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[edit] Animation adaptations
[edit] Beauty and the Beast
The show began previews in New York City in March of 1994 and officially opened at the Palace Theatre in April. The musical was the first Broadway adaptation by Disney, adapted from the movie by Linda Woolverton and with music and lyrics by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. Several new songs were written for the Broadway musical, including Home, a ballad sung by Belle which quickly became the signature song of the musical. It has had a continuous run and the final performance is scheduled for July 29, 2007 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, when it will close to make room for another Disney production, The Little Mermaid. The show is now the district's sixth-longest running performance.
It has been performed in London, Toronto, Kyoto, Hamburg, Rome, Sydney, São Paulo and is also currently on tour around the USA. A production is also currently touring the UK although this is produced by UK Productions rather than Disney. In the Netherlands this production was co-produced by Joop van den Ende's Stage Entertainment. The production had new sets and costumes. Also, the narrator was a woman. It was Martine Bijl. She translated the musical in Dutch. Thomas Schumacher, head of Walt Disney Theatrical, was enthusiastic about this version of the show. The show moves to Antwerp in Belgium later this year.
[edit] The Lion King
The show debuted in Minneapolis in July 1997, before becoming a runaway hit and moving to Disney's restored New Amsterdam Theater in New York City that October where it was performed until June 13, 2006. The show then moved to the Minskoff Theatre to make room for Mary Poppins. The show uses a range of theatrical techniques, and is not a conventional musical, yet is probably the most popular production Disney Theatrical have ever conceived and one of the most loved productions in the world. It has consistently been one of the highest grossing musicals on Broadway every week, always performing to nearly-sold out audiences. The production won the Tony Award for Best Musical at the 1997 Tony Awards.
Its popularity has spawned several additional open-ended performances around the world, including in London, Toronto, Hamburg and Scheveningen in Europe, Melbourne,Tokyo, and Nagoya.
[edit] Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame
The show was adapted from the animated flim The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It premiered in Berlin, Germany in 1999. This was adapted into a darker, more gothic musical production, re-written and directed by James Lapine and produced by the Walt Disney Theatrical branch, in Berlin, Germany. Considered to be a great boost for tourists in Germany, the musical Der Glöckner von Notre Dame (translated in English as The Bellringer of Notre Dame) was very successful and played from 1999 to 2002, before closing. A cast recording was also recorded in German. More recently, Bellringer has been scheduled for a live action TV film on ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney, for which Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken have composed a new song.
[edit] Tarzan
The show is adapted from the classic movie of the same name, and debuted on Broadway on May 10, 2006 at the Richard Rogers Theater. The show was heavily publicized with Phil Collins and the lead actors promoting the new musical on several media shows including The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Live with Regis and Kelly.
In 2007 the show will have its debut in Europe in The Netherlands as the successor of The Lion King in Scheveningen. A Broadway musical never arrived in the Netherlands so soon after Broadway's premiere. Phil Collins was a special guest at the 2006 Johnny Kraaijkamp Musical Awards. There he announced the news that Tarzan was coming to the Netherlands.
[edit] The Little Mermaid
The show is currently being re-worked and adapted from the memorable movie of the same name. The musical will open on Broadway for previews on November 3rd 2007 and open officially December 6th 2007 at the Alfred Lunt-Lynn Fontanne Theatre. The world premiere is to take place at The Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Center of the Performing Arts in Denver, Colorado. This production will rehearse and be mounted in Denver as a pre-Broadway tryout in the summer of 2007. The show will feature all songs in the movie and will boast nine new songs written by Menken and lyricist Glen Slater. The book for the new musical is by Pulitzer Prize and Tony® Award-winning playwright Doug Wright, from an original adaptation by comic playwright David Ives. Completing the team of visionary theatre artists to bring The Little Mermaid to life is world-renowned director Francesca Zambello, with choreography by Stephen Mear, scenic design by George Tsypin, costumes by Tatiana Noginova and lighting by Tony® Award-winner Natasha Katz. The opening of the musical may result in the closure of the Disney-MGM Studios attraction "Voyage of The Little Mermaid"
It was officially anounced on February 22, 2007 that Sierra Boggess has been cast as Ariel. [1] All other major roles including King Triton, Ursula, Scuttle, Prince Eric, Flounder, and Sebastian have also been cast.
[edit] Live action adaptations
[edit] Mary Poppins
The show was co-produced by Disney Theatrical and Cameron Mackintosh, who had apparently been given her blessing by author Pamela Travers. Featuring new additional songs by George Stiles & Anthony Drewe, and scenes from the books. It is currently running at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. It opened on Broadway on November 16, 2006, following a month of previews in the New Amsterdam Theater.
[edit] Original productions
[edit] Aida
Loosely based on the opera by Giuseppe Verdi, it tells the story of a Nubian slave who falls in love with an Egyptian captain. It was written by Elton John and Tim Rice, and was met with wide critical acclaim. It debuted in 2000 on Broadway, before finishing in 2004 to start an international tour.
[edit] On the Record
Debuting in November 2004, the show brings together sixty classic Disney songs from 1930 right up to 2004. They are weaved together loosely by a storyline which is set in a recording studio with young (and old) performers using the songs to help with their lives.
