Q. What do Rum Tum Tugger and Beast have in common (beside the very-hairy appearance)?

A. Terrence Mann and Tsutomu Arakawa. Mann was "Rum Tum Tugger" in Cats in 1982 and he was "Beast" in the original Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast. Arakawa was "Rum Tum Tugger" and later the "Beast" in the Japanese theatrical version.

Q. The Featherduster and the Wardrobe have proper names in the Musical. What are their names?

A. The Featherduster : Babette The Wardrobe : Madame de la Grande Bouche No dispute here folks, I checked the source - HAH! :-)

Q. A character from the film, which was one of Belle's closest and loyal "friend", was omitted from the Musical. Which character was it?

A. Phillipe.

Q. What is the Prince's/Beast's name?

A. uh... hehe, no one knows. Of all the things the writers could think of to "correct" the original story, they had to leave this one out. I personally prefer "Richard"...so very regal. 8-)

Q. In the film, Belle left the castle after Beast screamed and told her to get out of the West Wing. However, the script for this particular scene was changed for the Musical. How is the the Musical version different from the film version?

A. In the Musical, to intensify the reason for her to leave the castle, the writers changed the script: Beast grabs at Belle and accidentally tears off the sleeve of her dress. At that point Belle feels that her life is threatened by the Beast, and thus, she leaves the castle.

Q. Belle introduces Beast to the magical world of literature by reading him a classic storybook. What is that storybook?

A. "King Arthur."

Q. Believe it or not, Gaston quotes Shakespeare in this Musical. When is that, what is the quote and where is that quote from?

A. In the "Mob Song," Gaston sings "Screw your courage to the sticking place." That is directly from Shakespeare's Macbeth Act I, Scene VII.

Q. Who is Madame de la Grande Bouche when she becomes human again?

A. Madame is an opera star and she loves beautiful clothes. She was visiting the castle as court entertainment when the spell was cast, thus trapping her there as a singing wardrobe. Just a simple case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Heh.

Q. Who is Mrs. Potts when she becomes human again?

A. Mrs. Potts is the head cook.

Q. Who is Cogsworth when he becomes human again?

A. Cogsworth is the head butler.

Q. Who is Lumiere when he becomes human again?

A. Lumiere is the foot/coachman.

Q. Chip's pivotal role in the film version was eliminated in the Musical. What was it?

A. In the film, Chip freed Belle and Maurice from the basement - they then rushed to the castle to save the Beast. In the Musical, Chip does not follow Belle back to her house; Belle and Maurice are never locked up in the basement. Chip's role in the Musical is somewhat limited because of the obvious practical reasons.

Q. Who brought "Belle" to life in the original Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast?

A. Susan Egan.

Q. Who is the director of Beauty and the Beast: The Musical?

A. Robert Jess Roth

Q. Who designs the costumes for Beauty and the Beast: The Musical?

A. Ann Hould-Ward

Q. This actress received the L.A.'s Ovation Award for her "Mrs. Potts" portrayal. Who is she?

A. Beth Fowler.

Q. The illusions in Beauty and the Beast: The Musical are made possible by two creative people who created illusions for leading magicians like David Copperfield and Doug Henning. Who are they?

A. Jim Steinmeyer and John Gaughan.

Q. Two pieces of pyrotechnique devices were created especially for the Musical. Those devices were so novel that they hold U.S. patents. Name the devices.

A. The Enchantress' fire ball and Lumiere's flaming hands.

Q. A major change was done on the "Wolves Chase" scene in the Musical (earlier vs. later shows). What was it?

A. The wolves were originally puppets in the earlier shows. Later, they were replaced with real actors.

Q. Belle's ballroom gown weighs ____ lbs.

A. According to Ms. Kim Huber ("Belle" of the USA National Tour), the gown weighs somewhere between 20 and 40lbs. (ouch!!) The true weight of this yellow gown has never been recorded scientifically, so, the mass imposed by the earth's gravity remains only an estimation. :-)

Q. The actress who gave "Belle" her voice in the film version is personally related to Beauty and the Beast: The Musical. How?

A. Paige O'Hara is married to Michael Piontek, the standy for Beast and Gaston in the Los Angeles production. Piontek appeared in Beauty and the Beast: A Concert On Ice (December 6, 1996; CBS) as Gaston.

Q. In the opening narration of the Musical, one very crucial part of the Prologue to the tale was changed. What was it?

A. The Rose she had offered, was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom for many years. In the film, it was Which would bloom until his twenty-first year. This change immediately eliminated the question surrounding the young Prince's age when he was cursed. His age in the film was calculated to be 11 and that raised another question, "Why did the Enchantress cursed little boys?"

Q. One song was cut from the film score of Beauty and the Beast, but was later rescued and used in the Musical. What was that song?

A. "Human Again"

Q. How many new songs were added to the Musical?

A. Not including reprises...Seven
No Matter What
Me
Home
How Long Must This Go On?
If I Can't Love Her
Human Again
Maison des Lunes

Q. When did the stage version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast officially open to public on Broadway?

A. April 18, 1994

Q. When did the show first open internationally, and where?

A. July 8, 1995; The Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Australia.

Q. When did the U.S. National Tour begin and which city was the first stop?

A. The U.S. National Tour officially opened in Minneapolis, MN on November 15, 1995. The preview was on November 7, 1995.

Q. Beauty and the Beast: The Musical is a landmark for the Walt Disney Company because it is "the first." "The first" to be what?

A. Beauty and the Beast became the first Disney film to be adapted into a full-fledged Broadway Musical.

Q. How many Tony Award nominations did Beauty and the Beast: The Musical receive?

A. Nine

Q. What were the categories?

A. Best Musical
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Terrance Mann)
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Susan Egan)
Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Musical (Gary Beach)
Best Book of a Musical (Linda Woolverton)
Best Original Score Written for the Theatre (Menken, Ashman and Rice)
Best Direction of a Musical (Robert Jess Roth)
Best Best Costume Design (Ann Hould-Ward)
Best Lighting Design (Natasha Katz)

Q. Which category did it win?

A. Beauty and the Beast is the winner of 1995 Tony Award for Best Costumes (Ann Hould-Ward)

Q. When was the show's first preview and where?

A. It was previewed on November 27, 1993 at the Music Hall Theatre in Houston.

Q. When was the show's first Broadway preview?

A. March 9, 1994 at Palace Theatre.

Q. Beauty and the Beast: The Musical became "the first" again on June 5, 1996. What was it?

A. On June 5, 1996, Beauty and the Beast: The Musical became the first show to use a translation system for its audience

Q. What do Beauty and the Beast: The Musical and Evita have in common?

A. Tim Rice. He wrote the lyrics for some of the songs in this musical and the entire book and lyrics for Evita (music by Andrew Lloyd Webber). By the way, Evita the movie and Beauty and the Beast have the same parent company, the Walt Disney Company. Hollywood Pictures is owned by Disney. Yet another note: The Japanese version of "Evita" will star Ryoko Nomura as Eva; Nomura was "Belle" of the Japanese production company.

Q. In the number "Be Our Guest," Mrs. Potts asked Belle "Is it one lump or two?" - refering to how many cubes of sugar Belle would like in her tea. How many sugar cubes did Belle request?

A. Three was (and still is) the 'official' number of cubes Belle requested. But, this may vary according to the jovial mood she is in.