Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...This touring cast features plenty of Broadway talents, including Voytko, a longtime Chicago actor who made headlines in 2021 by stepping in for Sutton Foster last-minute to star opposite Hugh Jackman in "The Music Man." The most touching casting choice, though, is the late Angela Lansbury as the voice of the prologue narrator. The beloved stage and screen actress, who voiced Mrs. Potts in the original film, died in 2022, shortly after the closing of the West End revival on which this tour is based. When Lansbury's familiar voice delivers the show's opening line, "Once upon a time, in a faraway land," there's a bittersweet sense of the baton being passed to younger generations of actors, entrusting them with this tale as old as time."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Directed and choreographed by Matt West, the production marks the first major tour since 1995, when “Beauty” hit the road after its 1994 Broadway debut. West’s staging has more razzle-dazzle than the Vegas Strip and makes “Phantom of the Opera” look downright minimalistic. “Beauty” is a simple story aimed at children, but West packs in enough spectacle (including a scene of mind-blowing levitation) to keep anybody entertained, be they 6 or 60."
Stage and Cinema
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Director/Choreographer Matt West puts his cast through its paces with workman-like proficiency. Directorial vision is not encouraged here. The familiarity and comfort of the source material is the selling point."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
- Highly Recommended
"...Broadway in Chicago's Beauty And the Beast at The Cadillac Palace brings back that 'Old Hollywood' joy of musicals. This production presents a captivating Hollywood interpretation of the musical, showcasing a vibrant Broadway-style stage show that mirrors the enchanting performances once staged at Disney's Hollywood Studios which brings the animated classic to life, featuring elaborate costumes, stunning choreography, and beloved songs like "Be Our Guest" and "Beauty and the Beast.""
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Tonight’s opening was spectacular. While the cast appears a little smaller in numbers than previous productions, the talent of the major players and the ensemble is outstanding, making each musical number strong and drawing audience approval that was amazing. There is nothing like a “showstopper” in any production, and in this one “Be Our Guest” had people applauding, cheering and even a few on their feet, and this number is not even the first act finale. It was followed by the amazing “If I Can’t Love Her” sung by The Beast (a powerful portrayal by Fergie L. Phillippe)."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...This brand new National Tour of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is a grandiose dream of a show. The musical offers an entertaining, exciting and heartwarming story for the entire family. It's filled with unique characters, great music and choreography, and so many jaw-dropping visuals to be savored and enjoyed. It's a definite must-see for a youngster's first big theatrical experience, as well as for fans of the animated film and/or the original Broadway show. Whatever inspires audiences to enjoy this elegant and professionally produced production, this "Tale as Old as Time" is a grand night for singing that invites every to Be Our Guest."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...The talented cast of this touring production-directed and choreographed by Matt West-bring the songs and characters and world to life and to the stage. Of course we have the titular beauty and beast. Kyra Belle Johnson's every bit the Belle the audience came to see-independent and animated and confident and tender. Fergie L. Philippe is a fine Beast, too-fearsome when he must be and princely when the story allows."
The Fourth Walsh
- Highly Recommended
"...To retreat from the heat -both the weather and political climates- of your provincial life, go and experience Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST The Musical. It's your ticket for an evening with a guaranteed happy ending!"
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Beauty and the Beast, a beloved Disney classic, is seamlessly brought to the stage for a truly magical night of theater presented by Broadway in Chicago. This show will consistently make you ask yourself, "how did they do that?" This team of extraordinary artists behind the mastery of this show are members of the original Tony Award-winning artistic team, including composer Alan Menken, Tim Rice, Linda Woolverton, Stanley A. Meyer, Ann Hould-Ward, Natasha Katz, and director and choreographer Matt West."
Chicago Culture Authority
- Highly Recommended
"...As multigenerational crowd-pleasers go, it's difficult to top Disney's Beauty and the Beast, now making a stop on its North American tour at Broadway in Chicago's Cadillac Palace. Though the audience sported its fair share of pint-size princesses during Thursday's opening, the excitement level among adult fans was palpable as Belle-an actor so perfectly cast that Belle is literally her middle name-walked through the French village singing her titular song and dreaming of a larger life moments after the Enchantress sentenced a nearby prince to life as The Beast."
Splash Magazine
- Highly Recommended
"...Disney does it best. Disney brings us to believe in magic. We suspend disbelief. Not surprisingly, after the 1991 animated film "Beauty and the Beast" became a sensational hit, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. It also won for Best Original Score and Best Song. Disney then turned it into its first Broadway musical. It opened at the Palace Theatre in 1994 and became a hit, running for thirteen years. Beauty and the Beast received nine Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, and a well-deserved win for Best Costume Design by Ann Hould-Ward."
BroadwayWorld
- Highly Recommended
"...The new national tour of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is gorgeous and full of Disney stage magic. Disney Theatrical Group has pulled out all the stops for the first tour of this musical in 25 years. I wore out my VHS tape of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST as a child; Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's classic music and lyrics have a special place in my heart. But this was actually my first time seeing any stage version of this show-and it was absolutely the one to see."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Under the direction of Matt West, Disney pulled out all the stops for this tour with their talent pool. The cast is stacked with Broadway and tour veterans like Javier Ignacio (Cogsworth), Danny Gardner (Lumiere) and Kathy Voytko as Mrs. Potts. It’s little wonder that the audience spanning generations of fans ate up every moment this show had to offer."
