Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Returns to Boston After 25 Years

Disney's Beauty and the Beast musical is returning to Boston for the first time in 25 years. While the national tour for the musical has visited Boston in the past, this year is the first time that Disney is producing the national tour for the show's current run.

Kyra Belle Johnson stars as Belle, delivering a real, humorous, and grounded performance on stage. Kathy Voytko portrays Mrs. Potts, the beloved teapot in the Disney classic.

Those starring in Beauty and the Beast told CBS Boston WBZ-TV that Disney's involvement in the tour is making a substantial difference in the production quality.

"There is nothing like a Disney-produced Disney production because the magic in the show, the attention to detail, the loving recreation of the movie that we all know and love, plus some elements of surprise," Voytko said in a statement shared with WBZ.

Linda Woolverton, the book writer, worked with the cast to modernize scenes and lines, making them feel more grounded and relatable.

Johnson said she also drew inspiration for her character from a visit to the Alsace region in France to ground Belle's life and setting in real-world influences.

"Walking in the town and having like a storefront and then the leaning building that was this like blue and the wooden windows and somebody leaning out of it talking to somebody on the street. These are real places. It's not just like a made-up place in your head," she explained.

The production welcomes new theatergoers while appealing to longtime fans, adults, couples, and groups seeking a nostalgic live theater experience.

Beauty and the Beast runs at the Citizens Opera House in Boston now through Saturday, May 2.