‘A tale as old as time’ returns to Penn State

The acclaimed Broadway musical “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” will return to State College for one night only on Feb. 23 at Eisenhower Auditorium.

Based on the beloved Disney Renaissance classic, the Center for the Performing Arts-presented show, produced by Networks Presentations, also serves as a homecoming for 2014 Penn State graduate Ben Cullen. A member of the ensemble and understudy of the Beast/Gaston character, Cullen is thrilled to be returning to his alma mater.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Penn State,” Cullen said. “Their musical theater program is incredible. The teachers and the classes are great and absolutely wouldn’t be where I am right now if it weren’t for what I learned at Penn State.

“It’s such a huge deal to be back in State College,” the New Jersey native added. “When I found out that we would be coming to Penn State last March, I almost cried. I can remember back to my freshman year when the ‘Spamalot’ tour came to campus with a recent Penn State graduate and the excitement that everyone felt. I remember seeing the musical and thinking, ‘I want to be able to do this someday.’ Being able to finally come back and preform has been incredible.”

Like most Disney productions, the timeless and relatable themes accompanied with high-quality songwriting continue to resonate with audiences of all ages. First premiering on Broadway in the spring of 1994 at the Palace Theatre, “Beauty and the Beast” ended its run on July 29, 2007. This marathon culminated with the show being the ninth longest-running production in Broadway’s history.

In addition to its tenure in the Theatre District, “Beauty and the Beast” has also toured all over the globe, thrilling audiences everywhere. With more than 400 performances of “Beauty and the Beast” under his own belt, Cullen can personally attest to the staying power of this production.

“There has been a lot of nostalgia involved with this show and it’s such a beautiful story,” Cullen said. “It’s not just a kid’s show, there’s something for everyone in it. The themes in this show are so universal. The director talked to us a lot about being able to see past the exterior and see what’s really there. Although they are both outsiders, Belle and the Beast are able to see past that and find the love that’s between them. These ideas translate to everyone and this show does a great job of telling the audience not to judge a book by its cover.”

The pedigree of this touring production of “Beauty and the Beast” is the closest audiences will get to re-living the Broadway premiere. Original director Rob Roth and choreographer Matt West are back leading the way and are determined to ensure that this tour perfectly mirrors the show that audience fell in love with over 20 years ago.

“This current slate of shows have been great and it’s a blast going out there every single night to perform,” Cullen said. “Being a part of this production means the world to me. Knowing how hard I worked to get to where I am and how hard the entire cast worked to get this job has been amazing. Being able to go out and stand on the stage and hear as many as 4,000 people screaming because of something we did on stage is always a fantastic feeling.”

Of course, the 1991 animated film is what inspired and ultimately kicked off this long theatrical run, but the stage production also retroactively influenced the movie. Initially deleted from the film, the song “Human Again” was inserted into the musical. This song proved to be such a hit with audiences that it was later re-plugged into the film on subsequent home-media releases.

“This show has a couple of new songs in it and other elements that the movie didn’t have,” Cullen said. “The song ‘Human Again’ really fits perfectly into our show. It’s pretty cool to see the influence that the play has had on the movie.”

In addition to the songs and dance routines that help “Beauty and the Beast” stand apart from its peers, this show also features the lighting design of five-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz and costume design by Ann Hould-Ward, who actually won a Tony for her work on the original Broadway production. On Feb. 23 , all of these unique elements will come together, and Cullen promises that “Beauty and the Beast” will carry on its proud tradition of entertaining and inspiring audiences.

“There are certain shows that you can’t take your young children to, but ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is the kind of show that you can take the entire family to and also one that you can enjoy as an adult,” Cullen said. “This show is really going to throw everything it has at the audience. Once a number is finished, we run off of the stage and are panting and can barely talk because we leave everything out there on the stage.”

This story was originally published February 18, 2016 at 2:16 PM with the headline "‘A tale as old as time’ returns to Penn State."