<P> The Broadway production closed to make way for Disney's next musical venture, The Little Mermaid . With Disney set to open its Broadway version of The Little Mermaid on November 3, 2007, at the time, it was believed that having two Disney princess films on Broadway at the same time would divide audiences and cause competition between the two shows . At this point, Disney also had three other shows running at the same time: The Lion King, Tarzan, and Mary Poppins . It was reported that Disney Theatrical planned to revive the show on Broadway for the 2008 holiday season, but Disney did not pursue this . </P> <P> The West End production opened at London's Dominion Theatre on April 29, 1997, starring Julie - Alanah Brighten as Belle and Alasdair Harvey as the Beast . It also featured Burke Moses as Gaston, Derek Griffiths as Lumiere, Mary Millar as Mrs. Potts, Norman Rossington as Maurice, Barry James as Cogsworth, Di Botcher as Madame de la Grande Bouche, Richard Gauntlett as LeFou, and Rebecca Thornhill as Babette . </P> <P> Over the course of the production, notable replacements included Michelle Gayle and Annalene Beechey as Belle, John Barrowman and Earl Carpenter as the Beast, Alex Bourne as Gaston, and Billy Boyle and Terry Doyle as Maurice . The production ended on December 11, 1999 . </P> <P> The production won the 1998 American Express Award for Best New Musical Olivier Award, against other nominees Enter the Guardsman, The Fix and Lady in the Dark . </P>

Beauty and the beast original broadway cast album