Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
Shubshri Kandiah as Belle and Brendan Xavier as Beast in the Australian touring cast of the Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
The entire journey of reimagining Beauty and the Beast for its 25th Anniversary became much more than just updating a beloved classic. Through pandemic challenges, creative evolutions, and technological innovations, we found ways to honor the original while pushing theatrical boundaries.
The final production achieved what Tom Schumacher initially challenged us to do - using modern technology to create theatrical magic that looked like classic stagecraft. The scrolls in particular embodied this marriage of innovation and tradition, proving that even after 25 years, there were still new ways to tell this tale as old as time. Most importantly, every change and challenge ultimately served the show's heart - allowing audiences to focus on the performers and the timeless story they were telling.
There’s been a change in Scene.
In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Tom Schumacher and Anne Quart organized a meeting with the original creative team at the Disney Theatrical Office. This gathering marked a significant milestone, as it was the first time Tom and Anne took on Producing the show, which initially debuted before the establishment of Disney Theatrical. Notably, Tom had previously overseen the NETWorks Tour of the production in 2010, but this meeting brought together the original creators for a unique reunion.
During this milestone meeting, Tom granted me creative freedom with one specific directive: "You will design the content and backgrounds, but I do not want you to treat the LED as a typical screen. Instead, I want it to mimic scenery. The goal is to deceive the audience. I want to use imagery that resembles drops, scrims, and scenery that can split in two or rise from the floor through a trap."
After I met with Tom and Anne, I began researching and developing my scenic design ideas using a black wax pencil on vellum. After completing the sketches, I scanned them and inverted the images, which transformed the sketches to feature white details against a black background. This technique enhanced the drama of the concepts. It was reminiscent of the original 140 black-and-white scene-by-scene renderings we presented to Michael Eisner and Frank Wells in Aspen in 1992 when we pitched the idea of adapting the animated classic into a Broadway musical.
An image of one of the original black-and-white storyboards for the 1992 pitch of the show.
The image of my first concept sketch for the castle was drawn in black wax pencil on vellum.
The inverted image, with the darkest lines becoming the highlights in the sketch.
Three additional concept sketches for the castle. Notice that the sketching process was reversed for the castle drawings.
Be Our Guest, put ideas to the test
After our first creative meeting in the fall of 2018, Matt West and I got together to brainstorm some fun new ideas for "Be Our Guest." We spent a week at his apartment, developing several entertaining and clever concepts. Once we felt good about what we had created, we excitedly pitched our ideas to Rob Roth, our Director. He loved our suggestions and shared minor notes to help us polish them up!
Concept sketches for “Be Our Guest.”
A big grand American Musical comedy
Rob envisioned the show as a grand American musical comedy, influencing the set designs and backgrounds with bold, dramatic, and sometimes whimsical choices. However, 25 years later, I felt that some elements needed updating. For example, in today’s world, it would be inappropriate for the Beast to see Belle in her bedroom with his magic mirror. Instead, I suggested creating an ensuite with a chaise lounge in her room, making the scene less intrusive.
During a meeting at costume designer Anne Hould-Ward's studio, I presented some color renderings for the town and the cottage.
Color Renderings for the Town, that would turn around 180 degrees and become the Inside of the Tavern.
Watercolor Color Renderings based on my concept sketches for the Town and Cottage backdrops lovingly rendered by my Scenic Design Associate, Bill Bielke.
I also shared multiple concepts, rendered in black and white for the Beast’s Castle. While reviewing the images, Rob had a fascinating idea: he suggested that the castle start in color during the prologue, and when the old woman casts her spell, it would transition to black and white. I had always envisioned the castle in color, so making every scene neutral represented a significant design change. I was pretty taken aback, my mind racing to process the idea. However, since this was something Rob really wanted us to explore, I agreed, and we embarked on that creative journey together.
Included below is a collection of images showcasing the black-and-white concept for the castle, features concept renderings, paint elevations, and photos from the show.
Ironically, during the technical rehearsals for the show in Bristol, we noticed that the designs featuring color in the LED Backdrop conveyed a remarkable sense of depth. Meanwhile, the black-and-white concept didn't quite achieve the same depth. As a result, we collectively decided to enhance the LED backdrops and dimensional scenery in the castle scenes with washes of color which started to add depth.
Below are some images of my initial black wax pencil sketch on vellum, with Photoshopped candelabras added for the "Dining Room." The stunning digital art created in black and white is by my Scenic Design Associate, Jesús Luna.
Note the concept white model featuring the Scrolls and an idea for The LED False Proscenium. And finally, how different the scene feels with adding those rich and sultry purples and turning the candelabras gold, as shown in the photos taken during technical rehearsals in the West End production.
Since I first started the design process for the show, this design for the dining room has been my favorite. Seeing it in the theater, in all its colorful glory, truly enhances the romance and beauty of the scene, which features one of the most iconic songs ever written in Musical Theatre history: “Beauty and the Beast.” I am incredibly proud of this accomplishment!
Creating beauty while the world heals
The pandemic challenged my design process alongside my excellent assistants and model builders. With many team members left stranded in different cities across the US, we had to adapt quickly! About 80% of my scenic design unfolded over Zoom. Thankfully, Luke Smith joined the team as my UK Assistant Scenic Designer as my eyes and ears, and we were thrilled to welcome our new Technical Director, Dave Churchill, aboard too. Our Zoom meetings with the shop were quite productive as we discussed the construction details, scenic painting, and automation. Luckily, during our calls with the shops, I had painted most of the model pieces beforehand to compare colors in real-time. It was a unique experience, and I'm so proud of how we pulled it together!
Images of the various incredible models from the show that the shop worked from to make and finish the scenery. The curvilinear staircase with candles was drawn using a computer program called Rhino by my Scenic Design Associate, Jason Curtis—all of the models by Gaetane Bertol.
enchanted Architecture soaring through the castle
One of my most significant innovations was reimagining the castle's magic. Because the castle was under a spell, I envisioned vast pieces of decorative architectural scrollwork that had come to life and moved freely throughout the castle. The rigging would be complex, as the “Scrolls” would move curvilinear rather than straight lines, creating a truly magical atmosphere.
My design concept sketch is for the look of the scrolls. The final versions would not be so deteriorated.
However, selling this concept proved to be challenging. My model builder, Gaetane Bertol, constructed a white model version of the design featuring four scrolls. During the pandemic, I created stop-motion animations to demonstrate how the scrolls would move in each scene. This process required a massive amount of time. I needed to adjust the scrolls a little, bit by bit, and take hundreds of photos to effectively explain this unusual and unique concept my designer brain developed.
The Scrolls required significant space to accommodate their complex movement requirements, which were essential for achieving my envisioned movement. Despite their complexity, this concept can be simplified into three classic theatrical techniques for shifting scenery: rotation, flying, and tracking. If the scrolls moved in a straight line, their movement would be pretty ordinary. Instead, allowing the scrolls to travel in curvilinear patterns would appear much more magical, mysteriously wafting through the castle spaces. I wanted the audience to be baffled and in awe, wondering how this movement was achieved.
This approach aligns with my design philosophy of choreographing the scenery like another performer dancing in the show. Working together with Matt, the Scrolls would contribute to telling the story of the enchanted castle while seamlessly aiding in the transitions between scenes.
Video of Belle discovering the West Wing Scroll Shift from technical rehearsals in Bristol. This shows the brilliant rigging the Technical team achieved!
I collaborated with Dave, our Technical Director, and the UK team that programmed the movement. They originally programmed a version of the automation that took weeks to develop based on the stop-motion photos I had put together for the Scrolls. However, Dave and I spent two full days fine-tuning with the Automation Programmers. The result was spectacular, truly magical, and well worth the hundreds of hours I spent developing the path of movement for the Scrolls.
The first time Tom Schumacher and Anne Court saw the Scrolls moving in person was during the start of technical rehearsals in Bristol. They approached me, and Tom said, "I wasn't sure about the Scrolls before, but THIS IS FANTASTIC!!" At that moment, I was the happiest designer in the world!
Watch the breathtaking video of this astonishingly detailed scroll making its magnificent debut outside its travel crate on stage at Bristol during the fit-up. I was so blown away by its glorious shape and I was the one who designed it! A-mazing!
As the shops in the UK progressed with the construction of the scenery and props, a vast amount of work had been accomplished. My wickedly talented Associate Designer, Jesús Luna and I collaborated for thousands of hours over Zoom developing and meticulously refining the Photoshop Digital Backgrounds for the LED Backdrops and False Procenium. Everything seemed on course, especially given we were in the middle of the pandemic, however, the entire team faced a significant challenge when someone else was hired to be the director. This happened just a few months before the start of rehearsals and load-in of the show, (the fit-up for my British friends), in Bristol.
Simplifying and making the show more real
With Matt West as the new Director and Choreographer for the show, along with Natasha and the rest of the team, we spent time thinking through the show about how to make the story more real and contemporary.
On the first day of technical rehearsals, with Tom in the audience, we faced our first major challenge with the LED content.
Plain and simple, the artwork on the LED False Proscenium and Backdrops for the Cottage and Town was excessive. Even when the LED False Proscenium and Backdrops were dimmed, the imagery was still overwhelming. We could not see the performers in front of Belle’s Cottage! Everyone in the theatre, including me, saw this art illuminated for the first time!
As Tom approached me, he started to speak, but I interrupted by saying,” We can’t use this art, as it is way too busy.” Tom was relieved, and of course, he felt the same way.
Belle's Cottage Scene had multiple layers in the stage image: a leaf hanger, the Cottage, the hillside and valley, birch trees, the sky, various gadgets on the cottage, and grapes on the well arbor. We went through several iterations, for the LED backdrops, and it wasn’t until much later that we would add a much more realistic LED Backdrop for the Cottage and Town.
This situation only proves that even with all the development for the Cottage scene, including sketches, color renderings, color models, and scene-by-scene integration of the model, sometimes you cannot grasp the full effect until you see it on stage with lighting. This is especially true with digital LED backdrops emitting light, making them much brighter than a traditional drop that absorbs light. You can see this clearly in the images above.
Matt and I wanted to change out the Cottage to something simpler. Luckily our Producers, Tom and Anne, agreed that we needed to construct a new Cottage that felt more realistic. In designing this new Cottage, it was crucial that Matt could seamlessly integrate the Cottage into his staging for the musical number "Me." In this scene, Gaston could open the door to enter the house, jump out of the window, trample the flowers, break the shutters, and rip off a rose vine from the arbor near the well. He then turns the windowsill into an altar, symbolizing his desire for Belle to marry him. The Cottage needed to be ready in four months for the tours opening in London.
Above are images of the new super sweet, more realistic cottage model. A Photoshop image showing a more realistic background for the Cottage LED Backdrop. Images from technical rehearsals in London with the new LED Backdrop and Cottage including the new well dressing with rose vines rather than grapes.
Razzle Dazzle Digital art
My original Color Concept Art for “Be Our Guest”, the was used to promote the show. The show has come a long way since then!
When we opened in Australia, we used the LED False Proscenium only for "Be Our Guest" and the “Dining Room.” Because the LED False Proscenium is not used until the beginning of "Be Our Guest," the audience had no idea that the LED False Proscenium would come alive with the same pattern and razzle-dazzle lighting as the Be Our Guest Portals. The illusion is remarkable because it turns a flat LED screen into a surface looking as if it has the same texture as the dimensional “Be Our Guest Portal” directly behind it.
My Design Associate Jesús and I created over 150 digital art files for the LED False Proscenium and Backdrop for “Be Our Guest.” In technical rehearsals in Bristol, we started seeing all of the 25+ images for the LED False Proscenium. Even though the art was super fun, colorful, and whimsical, it took away the focus from Matt’s fantastic choreography. We cut all the LED False Proscenium imagery for “Be Our Guest”. EXCEPT for the image that replicated the pattern on the “Be Our Guest” dimensional Portals.
Images from Technical Rehearsals in Bristol show the “Be Our Guest” LED False Proscenium, “Be Our Guest” Portals, and LED Backdrop with fun, wacky and whimsical, colorful designs my Scenic Design Associate, Jesús Luna and I developed together.
One of my favorite pattern cuts from “Be Our Guest“ was a whimsical design featuring sweeping Eiffel Towers for the “Be Our Guest” LED False Proscenium. In London, the "Eiffel Tower Curtain," as seen in the photo below, was replaced with a stunning crushed velvet curtain in deep purple, which made a striking impact. The change also made the performers' dancing much cleaner and easier to see.
The image to the left is a “Be Our Guest” scene featuring whimsical Eiffel Towers with hearts swirling around the LED False Proscenium. It’s an earlier image because the LED Fasle Proscenium had an arch to the top when we started designing the show. The image in the center has the same concept as the first, but it has been altered to fit the rectangular LED False Proscenium. The LED light-up portal enhances the appearance of the Eiffel Tower Tab Curtain. The image on the right is the digital print Photoshop file for the Eiffel Tower Tab Curtain. The image is stretched out to ensure that the curtain hangs with fullness—concept by Stanley A. Meyer and Photoshop Art by my Scenic Associate, Jesús Luna.
finding the perfect Tavern
Gaston’s Pub LED Backdrops and False Proscenium underwent numerous design iterations before and during our time in Bristol, Manchester, and London. We started with gorgeous and detailed images, but they always competed with the performers onstage given there was so much light emitting from the LED Backdrop. The final version for Gaston’s Pub featured simple warm wood paneling surrounding four windows, including deer antler chandeliers with candles positioned above them. The backdrop was kept relatively minimal, allowing a clearer view of Matt West's lively and athletic choreography and mug-clinking.
This is an image of the Australian cast in the final look we settled on for Gaston’s Pub. A more straightforward LED Backdrop makes the cast pop out from the set!
The entire process - from the initial concepts through the pandemic, changes, and finally opening in Sydney - took four and a half years of my life, constantly adjusting, changing, and adapting to improve the show. But our goal remained constant: to create something fantastic and cohesive that worked seamlessly with the performers. Matt's desire to focus on the story and the performers meant simplifying backgrounds and lighting, often creating just a hallway of light with the rest left mysterious and up to the audience's imagination.
