• Source: Beauty and the Beast (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

      • Beauty and the Beast is the cast album performed by the original Broadway cast members from the 1994 Disney stage musical Beauty and the Beast, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton. It is adapted from Walt Disney Pictures' 1991 animated musical film of the same name, which in turn had been based on the classic French fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. The cast album was released on CD and cassette formats, and further re-issued on digital formats in 1999.


      Background



      Eight of the film's original songs that were retained for the Broadway adaptation. Menken, who had both scored and written the film's songs alongside lyricist Ashman, returned to the project to write six new songs for the musical; those were co-written by Tim Rice, replacing Ashman who had died in 1991, before the film was released. The album featured much of the musical numbers, and alternate versions of the songs. The new musical tracks, include "Human Again", which had originally been written for the film, but ultimately abandoned due to time and story constraints; this number was featured in the 2002 special edition of the film. The track "A Change in Me" was written for specifically for R&B singer Toni Braxton, when she joined the Broadway production to play Belle in 1998. This track was however, not included in the Broadway or of the subsequent cast recordings. However, Susan Egan who played Belle had included it in her 2002 album So Far....


      Reception


      Peter Fawthrop of AllMusic summarized, "There may not have been reason to own the Broadway Cast Recording, aside from being a fan of Susan Egan's (voice of Belle), if not for these extra songs. Each one could have fit in perfectly with the film — they aren't simply shoveled in as bonuses, but make the whole picture bigger and fuller. Every major character has their own new song, the standout being "Home," which is sung by Belle upon arriving at the Beast's castle. "Me," sung by the handsome and evil Gaston, is a boisterous love song to himself, stuffed with witty lines like "women can have their uses too/mainly to extend the family tree." Even the Beast has his solo moment with the dark, mournful ballad "If I Can't Love Her." The household objects who gave Disney World a new theme of "Be Our Guest," reveal their longings to return to human form in "Human Again," the only new song which was written by Howard Ashman. There is something for all fans here, even those who prefer the clear-cut original versions and voices from the animated film."


      Track listing




      Personnel


      Credits adapted from CD liner notes.


      Certifications




      See also


      Beauty and the Beast (Original Australian Cast Recording)
      Beauty and the Beast (Original London Cast Recording)


      References

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