Disney’s ‘Beauty’ has been reimagined to razzle-dazzle TikTokers and adults alike

Thirty years later, the magic has been refreshed.

Disney launched its national tour of “Beauty and the Beast,” its first foray into the Broadway musical, at Minneapolis’ Orpheum Theatre in 1995. That show, which set the stage for “The Lion King” to premiere at the same venue two years later, grew into a global juggernaut seen by 35 million people in 22 countries.

Now Disney has reassembled the original creative team to reimagine “Beauty” all over again. The musical, which opens Tuesday in Minneapolis for a two-week run, exemplifies the familiar titles that are being jazzed up and lapped up by eager audiences.

“It’s great to be back at the Orpheum,” said Matt West, who choreographed the Broadway production and is helming this tour. “We’ve come back to it with 30 years’ worth of artistic, storytelling growth.”

While the original tour used 23 trucks to bring sets and costumes across the country, this current version uses nine. And while the orchestra has shrunk from 19 to just over half that size, the technology has allowed for “improvements that make this even better than the original,” West said. “Everything’s more muscular and efficient.”

Here’s a précis of some of the new things in “Beauty.”

At the Ordway Center’s opening night of its homegrown production in December 2022, the last major staging of the classic in the Twin Cities, the stage was accidentally set alight. At the Orpheum, the fire will also be real, West said. But unlike 30 years ago, when the actor playing Lumiere, whose hands have become candles, carried real butane tanks on his back, the show now has a subtler way to deliver fire to his hands.

The actor who plays Belle may seem to have been predestined for the role — it’s in her name, after all. But Angeleno Kyra Belle Johnson was named for the family’s most famous ancestor, Alexander Graham Bell. As far as the role is concerned, Johnson identifies with Belle’s “intelligence, kindness but also her determination and strength. “She’s most like me, or what I aspire to be,” Johnson said.

When Chip, one of the show’s enchanted characters, comes onstage just as a head, it baffles audiences as they can see under and through the table. “It’s pretty amazing,” said West. “I know how it’s done, and I’m still dumbfounded.”

The creative team has updated the lines so that language reflects how people speak today. It also has crafted new scenes including around the bond between cocky chauvinist Gaston and his loyal sidekick Lefou.

And some characters are treated with more seriousness. That includes the Beast, who the narrator describes as a spoiled, selfish and unkind young prince. “He’s darker and more adult now,” West said.

Similarly, there are new songs. And the underscoring and interstitial music is more reflective of the true emotional states of the characters, with a lot more turbulence and agitation. Music arranger Michael “Koz” Kosarin pointed to “Home,” a number that comes after the Beast tells Belle, “you’re going to join me for dinner, and that’s not a request.” The intro to this number used to be sweet and lovely. Now it’s riddled with agitation.

“Whenever he handed me music, I felt a little bit like Moses receiving the tablets,” Koz said. He gave the example of “Home” on the original cast album, which has repeated notes in the intro. It took Koz years to realize that Menken used those notes on the piano as stand-ins in for held out string notes. But now, after having earned the composer’s trust, he just runs with his instincts.

“Be Our Guest” has always been a big number in the show. But now it’s become what may be a razzle-dazzle showstopper. That’s because West has always wanted to make it a dance showcase with all different styles. He finally gets to fulfill that dream.

“It’s a 10-minute extravaganza of dance styles that ends with something I’ve always wanted to do: a big tap number by the entire cast,” West said, noting that arranger David Chase and orchestrator Danny Troob have created all new dance music.

“It’s about love, forgiveness and understanding, and, especially for younger patrons, not to judge a book by its cover,” said West. “That’s why I took out a lot of the slapstick hitting in the show. We can get laughs just the same.”

When: 7:30 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 1 & 6:30 p.m. Sun. Ends Aug. 17.