Subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company
Disney Theatrical Productions Limited
(
DTP
), also known as
Disney on Broadway
, is the
stageplay
and
musical
production company of the
Disney Theatrical Group
, a subsidiary of
Disney Entertainment
, a major division and business unit of
The Walt Disney Company
.
Founded in 1993 by longtime Disney Entertainment veteran
Ron Logan
as
Walt Disney Theatrical
, the division has gained a reputation within the industry for creating several professional and popular (both critically and financially) performances, starting with
Beauty and the Beast
on April 18, 1994. Its 1994 investment in taking over the
New Amsterdam Theatre
spurred a revitalization of
Broadway theatre
.
[2]
The company is a division of
Disney Theatrical Group
, led by
Thomas Schumacher
.
History
[
edit
]
Walt Disney Theatrical Production, Ltd. (DTP) was formed on
February 8, 1993
[3]
with
Ron Logan
, Disney Park's live production head, as president to produce
Beauty and the Beast
.
[4]
Beauty and the Beast
opened on
Broadway
at the
Palace Theatre
on
April 18, 1994
. Disney Theatrical signed a 49-year revenue based lease for
New Amsterdam Theatre
in
May 1995
. The building was renovated by
Disney Development Company
.
[5]
With
The Lion King
under consideration for the next Broadway adaption, Eisner ceded DTP to theatre-rooted Disney Animation president
Peter Schneider
and
Thomas Schumacher
, at their request, making them president and executive vice president of DTP respectively. In 1997, DTP re-opened the New Amsterdam Theatre with
King David
followed by
The Lion King
musical.
[6]
Peter Schneider was promoted to
Disney Studios
president in January 1999, while Thomas Schumacher was promoted to president of
Walt Disney Feature Animation
and Walt Disney Theatrical Productions, while both are made co-presidents of Disney Theatrical.
[7]
On
November 23, 1999
, the corporate name was changed to
Buena Vista
Theatrical Group Limited,
[3]
with Disney Theatrical Productions becoming a division of the group with the formation of Hyperion Theatricals in
January 2000
.
[8]
Schneider left Disney Theatrical in June 2001 to form his own theater production company partly funded by Disney.
[9]
His first project was developing and directing the
stage version of
Sister Act
with Michael Reno. The musical had its official world premiere on November 3, 2006, at the Pasadena Playhouse, with DTP as an associated presenter during its Broadway run.
[10]
[11]
In 2013, Disney Theatrical revealed that a show based on
The Muppets
was in exploratory development and that a 15-minute show had been conducted by
Thomas Schumacher
to evaluate the technical components.
[12]
Disney Studios chairman
Alan Horn
in November 2013 created a deal for Disney Theatrical Productions to develop a
The Princess Bride
stage adaptation, possibly either a musical or play.
[13]
Freaky Friday
musical was developed by Disney Theatrical Productions from the book and Disney films for theatres to license. The musical premiered in October 2016 at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia followed by three other theatre productions.
[14]
Coinciding with the August 10, 2018 release of the Disney Theatrical Productions
Disney Channel Original Movie
adaptation, a one-act version of the stage musical (based on the adaptation) was made available for licensing.
[15]
[16]
Disney Theatrical Productions'
Newsies
debuted in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on February 19, 2017.
[17]
On September 28, 2023, Schumacher announced to the staff of Disney Theatrical Productions that he was taking a new role within the subsidiary as Chief Creative Officer. The day-to-day management over producing and development has shifted to former Senior Vice President, Anne Quart, who now holds the title of Executive Vice President and Executive Producer. The business operations of the subsidiary now rests with Andrew Flatt, who was also formerly a Senior Vice President. Flatt's new title is Executive Vice President and managing director.
[18]
Animation adaptations
[
edit
]
Beauty and the Beast
[
edit
]
The show began previews in New York City on March 9, 1994, and officially opened at the
Palace Theatre
on April 18, 1994. The musical was the first Broadway adaptation by
Disney
, based on the
1991 animated film
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 ran until July 29, 2007, at the
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
, to make room for another Disney production,
The Little Mermaid
. At 5,461 performances, the show is currently the tenth-longest run in Broadway history.
[19]
It has been performed internationally first at the
Princess Theatre
in Melbourne, Australia and has also been performed in
London
,
Vienna
, Toronto,
Kyoto
,
Seoul
,
Stuttgart
, Sydney,
Mexico City
,
Guayaquil
,
Johannesburg
, Madrid, Moscow,
Milan
,
Sao Paulo
and has also toured around the US and United Kingdom. In the Netherlands this production was co-produced by
Joop van den Ende
's
Stage Entertainment
with new sets and costumes.
[
citation needed
]
On April 24, 2019, Disney Theatrical Groups revealed that
Beauty and the Beast
would return to Broadway.
[20]
Thomas Schumacher announced that the Broadway revival would be updated. Theatre and dates have not been announced.
[21]
The musical will be revived in London's West End at the
London Palladium
for a limited engagement lasting from June through September 2022.
[22]
The Lion King
[
edit
]
The show, based on the
1994 animated film
, debuted July 8, 1997, in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Orpheum Theatre, before premiering on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theater on October 15, 1997, in previews with the official opening on November 13, 1997. On June 13, 2006, the Broadway production moved to the
Minskoff Theatre
to make way for the musical version of
Mary Poppins
, which later was replaced by
Aladdin
.
[23]
It is now Broadway's third longest-running show.
[24]
The show uses a range of theatrical techniques, and is not a conventional musical. It has consistently been one of the highest grossing musicals on Broadway every week. Besides running in various venues around the world, it also runs eight times week on Broadway.
[24]
The production won the
Tony Award for Best Musical
at the 1998
Tony Awards
.
Its popularity has spawned several additional opening performances around the world, including in London, Toronto, Hamburg, Scheveningen, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Shanghai, Montreal, Tokyo, Paris, Nagoya, Russia, Seoul, Johannesburg, Las Vegas, Taipei, Tempe, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Flagstaff, Madrid, Norway, Italy, Arabia, Gilbert, Scottsdale, Mexico City, Ontario, Nepal, Finland, Switzerland, Chicago, Arizona, Anaheim, Poland, Hong Kong, Tulsa, Greece, Kenya, Milan, Moscow, Egypt, Antarctica, Australia, Sao Paulo, Ohio, Romania, Jacksonville, Sweden, Ireland, Goodyear, Jamaica and India. This is the upcoming original London cast recording 1999 in Disney's
The Lion King
on West End musical CD soundtrack albums has also toured around law printed in the United States of America.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
[
edit
]
The musical opened on June 5, 1999, for the opening of the Musical theater Berlin (now Theater am Potsdamer Platz). After a successful run, it closed in June 2002. Directed by James Lapine, the German translation was by Michael Kunze, choreography by Lar Lubovitch, set design by Heidi Ettinger, costume design by Sue Blane, lighting by Rick Fisher, sound by Tony Meola and projections by Jerome Sirlin.
This was Disney's first musical to premiere outside the US, and it became one of Berlin's longest-running musicals to date. As with
Beauty and the Beast
and
The Lion King
,
Der Glockner Von Notre Dame
opened three years after the release of the movie it is based on.
The musical is a darker, more gothic adaptation of the
film
and is more heavily based on
Victor Hugo
's
1831 novel
. According to translator Michael Kunze, he was "campaigning to allow Esmeralda to die at the end, as she does in the book. There was a feeling that the audience would be depressed if Esmeralda dies. I feel that a European audience would see this as a very romantic ending ... two lost souls finally find each other. People will cry, but they'll be moved. And it is a very romantic ending." The producers wanted to see how "preview audiences react before making the final decision."
In 2008,
Stephen Schwartz
said, "I think we're starting up
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
, hopefully, next year (2009). Rumor has reached my ear that it's happening."
[25]
Thomas Schumacher, head of Disney Theatrical, discussed current and future stage productions in an article published by the
Columbus Dispatch
on September 21, 2008, including an English-language production of Hunchback.
[26]
The musical had its US premiere at
La Jolla Playhouse
from October 28 through December 7, 2014. The production was directed by Scott Schwartz and the creative team includes Chase Brock as the choreographer, Michael Kosarin as the music supervisor and arranger, Michael Starobin as the orchestrator, Alexander Dodge as the scenic designer, Alejo Vietti as the costume design Howell Binkley as the lighting designer, and Gareth Owen as the sound design.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
had a workshop in February 2014.
[27]
[28]
The La Jolla Playhouse production transferred to the
Paper Mill Playhouse
from March 4 through April 5, 2015.
[29]
[30]
In 2017, the German version, with the same set decor, is playing in Berlin and Munchen, Germany. In 2018, the production transferred to Stuttgart.
Tarzan
[
edit
]
The show was based on the
1999 film of the same name
and the novel
Tarzan of the Apes
by
Edgar Rice Burroughs
, and debuted on Broadway on May 10, 2006, at the
Richard Rodgers Theatre
. 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
. After playing at the
Richard Rodgers Theatre
for over a year the show closed on July 8, 2007.
[31]
On April 15, 2007, the musical debuted in Europe in the
Netherlands
as the successor of
The Lion King
in
Scheveningen
. A Broadway musical had never previously arrived in the Netherlands so soon after its Broadway
premiere
.
Phil Collins
was a special guest at the 2006
Johnny Kraaijkamp Musical Award
s, where he announced the news that Tarzan was coming to the Netherlands. Due to the size of the Circustheater, the show was expanded beyond the original Broadway production.
[
citation needed
]
In 2008, a new production opened in Germany. A casting show on TV called "Ich Tarzan, Du Jane" ("I Tarzan, you Jane") searched for actors for the roles of Tarzan and Jane.
[
citation needed
]
A revamped tour version had previously been announced to debut in January 2009 in
Atlanta
at the Theatre of the Stars. The new production was supposed to feature the same music and book, and directed and choreographed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, with scenic design by Kenneth Foy, aerial design by Paul Rubin and lighting design by Ken Billington.
[32]
The production was ultimately cancelled.
[33]
The Little Mermaid
[
edit
]
The musical, based on the
1989 animated film
, began Broadway previews on November 3, 2007, and opened on January 10, 2008, at the
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
, even through trouble due to the
Local One stagehands strike
, which ended on November 28, 2007. The world premiere took place at The
Ellie Caulkins Opera House
at the Denver Center of the Performing Arts in Denver, Colorado. The show features every song from the movie, as well as nine new songs written by Menken and lyricist
Glenn Slater
. The book was written by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright
Doug Wright
, with direction by
Francesca Zambello
, choreography by
Stephen Mear
, scenic design by
George Tsypin
, costume design by Tatiana Noginova and lighting design by
Natasha Katz
. The musical on Broadway opened to mixed reviews.
The original Broadway cast featured
Sierra Boggess
as
Ariel
,
Norm Lewis
as
King Triton
,
Sherie Rene Scott
as
Ursula
, Eddie Korbich as
Scuttle
,
Sean Palmer
as
Prince Eric
, J. J. Singleton, Cody Hanford, Trevor Braun and Brian D'Addario as
Flounder
, and
Tituss Burgess
as
Sebastian
.
The musical closed on August 30, 2009, after 685 performances and 50 previews.
[34]
In 2012, a Dutch production premiered.
[
citation needed
]
Aladdin
[
edit
]
In November 2010,
Alan Menken
confirmed that a musical theatre adaptation of the
1992 animated film
was in the works with a book written by
Chad Beguelin
.
[35]
The show premiered at the
5th Avenue Theatre
in
Seattle
from July 7 to July 31, 2011.
[36]
Another production played at the
Muny Theatre
in
St. Louis
from July 5 ? 13, 2012.
[37]
[38]
The musical premiered on
Broadway
on February 26, 2014 (in previews) and officially on March 20, 2014, at the
New Amsterdam Theatre
, taking the place of
Mary Poppins
, which closed on March 3, 2013.
[39]
[40]
[41]
[42]
The musical had a pre-Broadway tryout at the
Ed Mirvish Theatre
in
Toronto
lasting from November 13, 2013, to January 12, 2014.
[43]
Casey Nicholaw
directed and choreographed, with
Chad Beguelin
writing the book and additional lyrics,
Bob Crowley
as the scene designer, and costume design by
Gregg Barnes
.
[43]
[44]
It was also announced that the musical would open at London's West End officially in June 2016 at the
Prince Edward Theatre
, taking the place of the revival of
Miss Saigon
, which closed on 27 February 2016.
The Jungle Book
[
edit
]
Variety stated that there is an "Early-stages project [of]
The Jungle Book
, a tuner version (with songs from the
movie
based on
Rudyard Kipling
's
novel of the same name
) to be written and directed by
Mary Zimmerman
(
Metamorphoses
)."
[45]
A joint mounting of the production occurred at the
Goodman Theatre
in Chicago and the
Huntington Theatre
in Boston in 2013, produced by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions. As of 2015, the entire show was in storage awaiting the
2016 live action film
.
[46]
On May 15, 2020,
Rajiv Joseph
was announced to be writing the book, while
Richard M. Sherman
will return to write new songs.
Christopher Gattelli
was also reported to be directing and choreographing the musical.
[47]
Pinocchio
[
edit
]
A stage version of
Disney's
Pinocchio
opened in the Lyttleton Theatre at the Royal National Theatre, London on 1 December 2017, running until 10 April 2018.
Frozen
[
edit
]
On January 13, 2014, Disney CEO
Bob Iger
announced that a
Broadway
stage adaptation of the hit 2013 3D computer-animated musical film
Frozen
was in early development stages.
[48]
On February 12, 2015, it was announced that the Broadway musical will be directed by two-time Tony nominee
Alex Timbers
and is aiming for the Broadway show to open in 2017.
[49]
On February 9, 2016, it was announced that the musical was scheduled to open in spring 2018.
[50]
A private reading of the stage version of the musical
Frozen
was held in May 2016, with Elsa was played by
Betsy Wolfe
and Anna was played by
Patti Murin
.
[51]
On September 27, 2016,
Michael Grandage
was selected to take over as the director after Timbers left the production, with
Christopher Oram
coming on board as the scenic designer.
[52]
A pre-Broadway tryout ran at the
Buell Theatre
in Denver, Colorado from August 17 to October 1, 2017. The original Denver and Broadway cast included
Caissie Levy
as Elsa, Patti Murin as Anna,
Jelani Alladin
as Kristoff, Greg Hildreth as Olaf, and John Riddle as Hans.
[53]
Previews on Broadway at the St. James Theatre began on February 22, 2018, with the official opening on March 22, 2018.
[54]
After 26 previews and 825 regular performances,
Frozen
had its last show on March 11, 2020. The show closed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
, and on May 15, Disney announced that the show would not reopen on Broadway,
[55]
but would prepare for a U.S. tour.
[2]
In 2021, a production in London's West End began previews on August 27, at the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
, and opened officially on September 8, 2021, and it will close on September 8, 2024, on its 3rd anniversary.
[56]
[57]
Hercules
[
edit
]
In July 2017, Alan Menken said that he is working on a stage adaptation of the 1997 film,
Hercules
.
[58]
The
Public Theater
presented the world premiere of the musical from August 31 through September 8, 2019 at the
Delacorte Theater
.
[59]
The cast included
Jelani Alladin
(Hercules),
Roger Bart
(Hades),
Jeff Hiller
(Panic), Nelson Chimilio (Pain),
James Monroe Iglehart
(Phil), Ramona Keller (Thalia),
Tamika Lawrence
(Calliope),
Krysta Rodriguez
(Meg), and Rema Webb (Terpsichore).
[60]
A revised version of the musical played the
Paper Mill Playhouse
in
Millburn, New Jersey
during the 2022?23 season, from February 9 to March 12, 2023. The revised book was written by
Kwame Kwei-Armah
and Robert Horn.
[61]
Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation
[
edit
]
In 2019, it was reported that there had been plans to adapt the
Winnie the Pooh
stories into a Broadway musical with a book written by
Edward Albee
, but those plans were put on hold when Albee became busy.
[62]
In May 2021, Disney Theatrical Productions announced that
Winnie the Pooh
would be adapted for a run
Off-Broadway
at the
Theatre Row Building
, starting October 21 of that year.
[63]
[64]
Another production began playing at Mercury Theatre Chicago in
Chicago, Illinois
for a limited 13-week run lasting from March 15 to June 12, 2022.
[65]
Upcoming productions
[
edit
]
Coco
[
edit
]
On January 24, 2023, during
Epcot
's annual Disney on Broadway concert,
The Lion King
actor Steven Taylor announced that a live stage show adaptation of the film is currently in development.
[66]
[67]
Live-action adaptations
[
edit
]
Mary Poppins
[
edit
]
Cameron Mackintosh's stage adaptation of
Mary Poppins
had its world premiere at the
Bristol Hippodrome
starting with previews from September 15, 2004, before officially opening on September 18 for a limited engagement until November 6. The production then moved to the
Prince Edward Theatre
on December 15, 2004. It was announced in June 2007 that this production would close on January 12, 2008, after a run of more than three years. To this date it is the only Disney production to premier on the west-end.
A UK tour of
Mary Poppins
commenced in June 2008 and ended in April 2009.
The Broadway production opened on November 16, 2006, following a month of previews in the
New Amsterdam Theater
. The Broadway production closed on March 3, 2013, after 2,619 performances.
[68]
[69]
A North American tour of the show began at Chicago's
Cadillac Palace Theatre
in March 2009.
An Australian production opened at Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre in July 2010.
A Dutch production opened in April 2010 at the Circus Theater in Scheveningen.
A Czech production opened at Brno City Theatre (M?stske divadlo Brno) in November 2010.
A Mexican production opened at Centro Cultural Telmex on November 14, 2012, with Bianca Marroquin as Mary.
An Icelandic production opened in February 2013 at the Reykjavik City Theater. It is the most expensive, difficult and successful show to be produced in Iceland.
The
Austrian
production opened at
Vienna
Ronacher
on October 1, 2014.
In 2017, The German version will be playing in the Apollo Theatre in Stuttgart. The show will transfer to the Theater an der Elbe in Hamburg in 2018.
In September 2018, it was announced that Mary Poppins would be receiving a
west-end
revival to open in late 2019,
[70]
following the closure of
Aladdin
on the west-end. It will re-open at its original theater, the
Prince Edward Theatre
.
Disney's My Son Pinocchio: Geppetto's Musical Tale
[
edit
]
Disney's My Son Pinocchio: Geppetto's Musical Tale
is a
musical
based on
Disney
's 2000 made-for-TV movie
Geppetto
, which was in turn based on a book by David Stern, and features music and lyrics by
Stephen Schwartz
.
[71]
Much like the movie,
My Son Pinocchio
is a re-telling of the 1883 children's book
The Adventures of Pinocchio
by
Carlo Collodi
, but the story is told from Geppetto's perspective.
[72]
[73]
As in the TV film, when Pinocchio runs away to become a star in Stromboli's puppet show, Geppetto must negotiate through a maze of adventures and comic encounters to find him.
High School Musical
[
edit
]
The hit
Disney Channel
movie
High School Musical
was adapted for the stage in 2007. It had its world professional premiere at the Theatre of the Stars in
Atlanta
, Georgia. A US tour began on August 1, 2007, and ended on August 3, 2008. A West End production opened in July for a limited run. High School Musical has performed internationally in
Japan
,
Spain
,
Italy
,
South Africa
,
Australia
,
Netherlands
and
South Korea
.
[74]
High School Musical
is licensed through
Music Theatre International
and has been performed by over 5,000 theaters throughout the world. Currently there is a Full-Length version, One-Act Edition and JR one-hour version designed specifically for middle-school aged performances.
High School Musical 2
[
edit
]
A stage version of the sequel movie
High School Musical 2
was released as a stage version in October 2008. Like the original, the show exists in a full-length version, One-Act Edition and a one-hour-long JR version designed for middle-school aged performers and is licensed through
Music Theatre International
.
[75]
Camp Rock
[
edit
]
A musical version, based on the 2010 film
Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam
and features the songs from the first two
Camp Rock
films. The Gardiner Spring Auditorium in
Ontario
,
California
on August 5, 2010, and has performed internationally worldwide. The musical is licensed through
Music Theatre International
.
Descendants
[
edit
]
A stage adaptation of the popular
Disney Channel
Franchise,
Descendants
. The stage adaptation is based on all of the movies including
Descendants
,
Descendants 2
, and the most recent installment,
Descendants 3
. The show includes music from the movies and animated TV series,
Descendants: Wicked World
, with additional music and lyrics by Madeline Smith and Nick Blaemire. The show was released through
Music Theatre International
on February 6, 2020.
Newsies
[
edit
]
The show, based on the 1992 film, features a book by
Harvey Fierstein
and music by
Alan Menken
and
Jack Feldman
. A reading of the musical was held in New York on December 10, 2010.
[76]
The musical premiered at the
Paper Mill Playhouse
(
Millburn, New Jersey
), in September 2011 with
Jeff Calhoun
as director. "Disney representatives stated that the production was not eyeing a Broadway berth, but is being explored as a property for licensing by professional and amateur groups."
[77]
However, due to enthusiastic reviews, the show opened on Broadway on March 29, 2012, at the
Nederlander Theatre
with an open-ended run.
[78]
[79]
[80]
The show was nominated for eight
Tony Awards
, including
Best Musical
, winning
Best Choreography
and
Best Original Score
.
Newsies
gave its final Broadway performance on August 24, 2014, while heading out for a national tour in October 2014.
[81]
The production was filmed and premiered in cinemas on February 19, 2017.
[17]
Both full-length and junior versions of the musicalare available for licensing via
Music Theater International
.
[82]
The musical premiered on London's
West End
in 2022, closing on July 30, 2023, after an extended run at the Wembley Troubadour Park Theatre.
[83]
[84]
Shakespeare in Love
[
edit
]
In November 2013, Disney Theatrical Productions, announced plans to mount a stage version of the film
Shakespeare in Love
in London, with Sonia Friedman Productions as co-producer.
[85]
The West End production played at the
Noel Coward Theatre
, with the world premiere scheduled for July 23, 2014.
[86]
Based on the screenplay by
Marc Norman
and
Tom Stoppard
, it has been adapted for the stage by
Lee Hall
. The production is directed by
Declan Donnellan
and designed by
Nick Ormerod
, the driving force behind the noted theatre company,
Cheek by Jowl
. However, it was announced that the production would close on 18 April 2015.
Freaky Friday
[
edit
]
A musical version of the film, with a book by
Bridget Carpenter
and a score by Ryan Scott Oliver, was expected to have a "developmental production" at the
La Jolla Playhouse
in spring 2012.
Christopher Ashley
was named as "likely" to be the director.
[87]
A developmental lab is set for 31 March through 10 April 2015.
[88]
Ultimately music and lyrics fell into the hands of
Tom Kitt
and
Brian Yorkey
of
If/Then
and
Next To Normal
fame. The premier engagement occurred at Arlington Virginia's
Signature Theater
from October 4 to November 20, 2016, under the direction of Christopher Ashley. The creative team included choreography by Sergio Trujillo, music supervision by Bryan Perri, orchestration by Michael Starobin / Tom Kitt, scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting by Howell Binkley and sound design by Brian Ronan and Kai Harada. The west coast engagement at the
La Jolla Playhouse
(January 31, 2017 ? March 19, 2017) reprised most of its Signature Theatre creative team and cast. The Studio Cast Recording album was released by Walt Disney Records on February 10, 2017.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
[
edit
]
The musical based on the
1971 film
and the stories by
Mary Norton
features songs from the film by
The Sherman Brothers
, new songs by
Neil Bartram
, and a book by
Brian Hill
. The production was produced by Michael Harrison, by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions and opened in August 2021 at the
Theatre Royal
in
Newcastle upon Tyne
before embarking a UK and Ireland tour. The production was be directed by Candice Edmunds and Jamie Harrison, with set and illusions also by Harrison.
The Princess Bride
[
edit
]
In 2019, it was announced that Disney is developing The Princess Bride
1987 Film
as a musical with David Yazbek as composer and Bob Martin and Rick Elice as the bookwriters.
[89]
Cancelled productions
[
edit
]
Alice in Wonderland
[
edit
]
In 2011, Disney Theatrical was in early talks with
Tim Burton
and screenwriter
Linda Woolverton
, to develop the
2010 film of the same name
into a Broadway musical. Woolverton authored the screenplay for Disney's
The Lion King
and is also the
Tony Award
-nominated book writer of
Beauty and the Beast
,
Aida
, and
Lestat
. Burton was planned to also render the overall designs for the stage musical. Woolverton was planned to adapt her screenplay for the stage production. Neither a composer nor songwriter were publicly announced. Robert Jess Roth was set to helm the stage musical that would have choreography by
Matt West
. The duo also collaborated on Disney's first Broadway outing:
Beauty and the Beast
.
[45]
No casting was announced. With no updates or announcements on the project in over a decade, this musical is presumably no longer in development.
Father of the Bride
[
edit
]
In 2011, a stage musical version of the film
Father of the Bride
was in development with
Bartlett Sher
as its expected director.
[87]
This musical is also presumably no longer in development.
Other adaptations
[
edit
]
King David
[
edit
]
King David is a musical, sometimes described as a modern oratorio, with a book and lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Alan Menken. The musical is based on Biblical tales from the Books of Samuel and 1 Chronicles, as well as text from David's Psalms.
[
citation needed
]
Aida
[
edit
]
Aida
is a musical that debuted in March 2000, with lyrics by
Tim Rice
and music by
Elton John
. It is based on the
opera of the same name
by
Giuseppe Verdi
.
On the Record
[
edit
]
Debuting in November 2004, the show brought together 60 Disney songs from 1930 right up to 2004. They are woven together loosely by a storyline which is set in a recording studio with young (and old) performers using the songs to express their moods and the interrelationships among the characters they portray. The show played at the National Theatre in Washington D.C., as well as other theatres on a national tour.
[90]
Peter and the Starcatcher
[
edit
]
Disney Theatrical Productions and
La Jolla Playhouse
(California) adapted
Peter and the Starcatchers
, which is a prequel to the
Peter Pan
story, into a play with music. The new play is written by
Rick Elice
, co-directed by
Roger Rees
and Alex Timbers, and is based on the novel by
Dave Barry
and
Ridley Pearson
. It was produced as part of La Jolla Playhouse's Page to Stage program, and ran from February 13, 2009, through March 8, 2009.
[91]
An
Off Broadway
production opened at New York Theatre Workshop
[92]
It moved to Broadway on April 15, 2012. The show ended its Broadway run on January 20, 2013, and reopened Off-Broadway once again at
New World Stages
in March 2013.
Non-stage productions
[
edit
]
Backstage with Disney On Broadway
[
edit
]
The ABC television special
Backstage with Disney On Broadway: Celebrating 20 Years
aired on December 14, 2014. ABC's "Nashville" TV show duo, Clare Bowen and Sam Palladio, performed "Pinocchio", "Mary Poppins", "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin", "The Lion King", "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", "Hercules", and "Tarzan". in a nine musicals for the special.
[93]
Newsies
[
edit
]
On the 25th anniversary of the
original film's
theatrical release, April 10, 2017, it was announced the filmed stage production of the musical
Newsies
would be released for digital download on May 23, 2017.
[94]
Some alumni from the Broadway production reprised their leading roles, notably Jeremy Jordan as Jack, Kara Lindsay as Katherine, Ben Fankhauser as Davey, Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Crutchie and Tommy Bracco as Spot Conlon.Several ensemble tracks were added to the show to provide roles for swings.
[95]
[96]
[97]
A two-day encore presentation of the production was shown in theaters on August 5 and 9, 2017.
[98]
Freaky Friday
[
edit
]
Freaky Friday
is an American
musical
television film
that premiered as a
Disney Channel Original Movie
on August 10, 2018. Based on the 2016 Disney Theatrical Productions
stage adaptation
by
Bridget Carpenter
; the movie is the fourth feature film installment in the
Freaky Friday
franchise
. The adaptation stars
Cozi Zuehlsdorff
and
Heidi Blickenstaff
.
Aladdin
[
edit
]
Aladdin
was originally set to premiere exclusively on
Disney+
in 2022, on the 30th Anniversary of the original 1992 film, but the release date was pushed back until further notice.
[99]
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{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
link
)
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Other adaptations
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