Be our guest at Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage!
This tale as old as time comes alive in a Broadway-style musical right on Sunset Boulevard in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. You will fall in love all over again with the memorable characters, colorful costumes, gorgeous scenery, and the iconic songs of Alan Menken.
Keep reading for our complete guide to Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage!
Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage Quick Facts
Description: As the name implies, this is a live show featuring the story of Beauty and the Beast.
Location
Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage is located on Sunset Boulevard, next to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and diagonally across from Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith.
Here is the location on the map:
How to Watch Beauty & the Beast Live on Stage
Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage has a Standby Line and a Lightning Lane. There are different shows throughout the day. You can check the My Disney Experience app for daily showtimes.
Do I need to use Genie+ at Beauty & the Beast Live on Stage?
Genie+ is available at Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage, however, it is not an early priority as the show features plenty of seating and Genie+ availability rarely runs out.
We don’t necessarily recommend using a Genie+ Lightning Lane Selection on a show. But if it’s a busy park day and/or you don’t want to line up early to grab a seat, Genie+ might be a good option for you.
Be sure to check out our touring plans for Hollywood Studios for more Genie+ advice.
Rider Switch/Child Swap
Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage does not offer Rider Switch since this show is appropriate for all ages. Plus, Rider Switch isn’t normally offered for shows and reserved for rides.
You can learn more about Rider Switch via our handy guide.
What to Expect When You Watch
Queue
Guests wanting to experience Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage must wait in an open-air queue. You can find the entrance off of Sunset Boulevard across from Sunset Ranch Market.
Usually, you don’t have to wait too long and the queue will open up for guests to walk up and find a seat immediately. Keep in mind that this somewhat of a steep walkway.
Accessibility Information
Since you are seated in a theater for this experience, those in wheelchairs and ECVs may remain in them. Guests using wheelchairs and ECVs will be seated in a special area in the theater.
Handheld captioning, assistive listening, and sign language is available for guests.
In the Show
If you prefer to experience Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage without spoilers, make sure you skip over this section!
Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage opens with the story prologue. An old beggar woman asks for shelter from the cold from a Prince in exchange for a rose.
When the Prince refuses her, the woman transforms into a beautiful enchantress and then turns the Prince into a hideous beast, while all of his servants are turned into various items. If he does not learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal on the rose falls, he will remain a beast forever.
Fast forward years later to a French village where we meet our heroine, Belle, as well as the village people and Gaston, the man who wants to marry Belle, as they all perform “Belle”/”Gaston.”
After her father is lost in the woods, Belle goes looking for him and discovers the Beast’s enchanted castle.
There she meets Cogsworth the clock, Lumiere the candelabra, Mrs. Potts the teapot, and her son, Chip the teacup. Her new friends throw her a feast with “Be Our Guest” before the Beast abruptly ends the celebration.
Then as she walks through the castle, Belle enters the forbidden West Wing and discovers the enchanted rose.
The Beast finds her and is furious and they argue, but that passion soon turns to a different emotion, and before they know it, the two fall in love as they sing “Something There.”
Meanwhile, Gaston who is angry that Belle rejected his marriage proposal convinces the villagers that the Beast is a monster and a threat to the village. So they decide to kill him in “The Mob Song”.
The townspeople take over the castle while Gaston fights the Beast. Belle appears just to see Gaston strike the Beast down. As he lies there dying, Belle admits she loves him just as the rose’s last petal falls.
The curse is broken and the Beast is magically transformed back into the Prince.
For the grand finale, the entire cast returns to the stage, along with Belle and the Prince in their famous gold dress and blue suit respectively, and everyone sings “Beauty and the Beast”.
For updated show times, make sure you check the schedule in My Disney Experience app.
Is Beauty & the Beast Live on Stage Kid-Friendly?
While there are some dramatic moments during Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage, this show is appropriate for the entire family.
We have a list of things that may scare little ones at Disney World that you can check out, if you’d like.
Strollers
Strollers are not allowed in most queues or theaters at Walt Disney World.
You’ll need to leave your stroller in the designated stroller parking area near the entrance to the queue (outside of Once Upon a Time) at Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage.
History
Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage opened at the Theater of the Stars on November 22, 1991, the same day the film was released.
When the Theater of the Stars was moved in September 1993 to make room for the construction of Sunset Boulevard, the show was temporarily relocated to the Premiere Theater on New York Street along Streets of America.
The show made its final move when it reopened in July 1994 in the now-covered and newly rebuilt Theater of the Stars on Sunset Boulevard.
In 2001, the performance was condensed to the 25-minute show it is now.
In August of 2020, because of the pandemic, Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage was replaced for two months by a new show, Disney Society Orchestra and Friends.
On August 15, 2021, Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage reopened, with some modifications to the staging and choreography to account for the health and safety of the performers. It is now back to the full performance.
Other Fun Details
- The show premiered on November 22, 1991, the same day Beauty & the Beast (1991) opened in theaters. It was the first time that a stage show opened the same day as the movie that inspired it.
- The show was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show when Oprah went to Disney World. It included a performance of “Beauty and the Beast” by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.
- Excerpts from the show were shown during the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade in 1991. It appeared once again during the 2005 Christmas Day Parade, featuring John O’Hurley singing “Be Our Guest” with the cast.
- The actors playing Belle and Gaston are the only two that have live dialogue and singing parts in the show. Listen for prerecorded vocal performances by Robby Benson as the Beast, Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts, and Jerry Orbach as Lumiere – all voices from the animated movie. Both Orbach and Lansbury have since passed.