‘Beauty and the Beast’ musical will launch new tour in Chicago

CHICAGO — Disney Theatrical Group said Thursday that it plans a major new 30th anniversary tour of “Beauty and the Beast,” set to officially open at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago‘s Loop in July 2025.

Many members of the original creative team, including composer Alan Menken, lyricist Tim Rice and book writer Linda Woolverton, are returning to work on a seminal show that ran for 13 years on Broadway, from 1994 to 2007.

“Beauty and the Beast,” a title that led the way for the revival of Disney’s animated movies franchise by giving them the structure of stage musicals, was crucial to the early growth of what then was known as Disney Theatricals. In Chicago, the original production was seen at the Chicago Theatre, a venue Disney once contemplated buying.

After Chicago, the tour is expected in Minneapolis in August 2025. Group tickets are now on sale, individual tickets will go on sale at a later date; more information at www.broadwayinchicago.com.