World Theatre Day: A Look At Disney Broadway Shows

Since 1994, Disney Theatrical Group has produced ten shows on Broadway. In honor of World Theatre Day on March 27, we wanted to highlight each of these shows.

While the group has developed several other stage productions, these ten have made their Broadway debuts. Some premiered elsewhere before going to Broadway; however, we’ll list these in order of their Broadway debut year.

Beauty and the Beast – 1994

Based on the beloved 1991 Disney film, Beauty and the Beast made its Broadway debut in 1994, starring Susan Egan and Terrence Mann as the titular characters. This musical has distinctive costumes and an aesthetic of the golden age of Broadway, with its use of lighting design and overall theatricality. When it closed in 2007, it became Broadway’s sixth-longest-running production, though it has fallen further down the list since then.

It was nominated for nine Tony Awards, and Ann Hould-Ward won for Best Costume Design (some of her designs are seen below). While it didn’t take home the Best Musical Tony, it did win Best New Musical for the Laurence Olivier Awards when it transferred to the West End in London in 1998. The show is currently on a North American tour well into 2027.

The Lion King – 1997

Another Disney adaptation, The Lion King, is the highest-grossing Broadway production of all time. Since opening in 1997, it has run continuously and accumulated over 11,100 performances, making this the third-longest-running Broadway show in history. It opened on the West End in London in 1999 and is still running there as well, where it has racked up over 10,000 performances. In addition to the permanent shows, this production has had several tours all over the world. — D23

Another Disney adaptation, The Lion King, is the highest-grossing Broadway production of all time. It is known for its elaborate puppetry and integration of English and Zulu lyrics. Since opening in 1997, it has run continuously and accumulated over 11,100 performances, making this the third-longest-running Broadway show in history. It opened on the West End in London in 1999 and is still running there as well, where it has racked up over 10,000 performances. In addition to the permanent shows, this production has had several tours all over the world.

After it opened, The Lion King received eleven Tony Award nominations and won six. Among those awards were the Tony for Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical for Julie Taymor, and Best Choreography for Garth Fagan. It also swept that year’s Drama Desk Awards when it won eight of the eleven awards it was nominated for.

Aida – 2000

While Aida is not an adaptation of a Disney movie, it is based on an 1871 opera of the same name by Giuseppe Verdi. The musical tells the story of Aida, an enslaved Ethiopian princess who falls in love with Radamés, an Egyptian commander, and the Pharaoh’s daughter Amneris, who also loves him. The show’s music was written by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. The book was written by Linda Woolverton, David Henry Hwang, and Robert Falls.

When it opened on Broadway in 2000, it starred Heather Headley as Aida, Adam Pascal as Radamés, and Sherie Rene Scott as Amneris. It was nominated for five Tony Awards and won four of them, including Best Original Score. The show closed in 2004, but has had a life on stages across the world since then and even scored a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

Tarzan – 2006

Unlike the other shows mentioned so far, Tarzan did not have as long a life on Broadway. The musical, based on the film, closed on July 8, 2007. Even so, it has been professionally restaged worldwide, including a 2025 production in Tokyo. Phil Collins wrote the music and lyrics, and David Henry Hwang wrote the book. The original Broadway cast included Josh Strickland as Tarzan and Jennifer Gambatese as Jane Porter.

While it didn’t have an especially long Broadway life, Tarzan was revolutionary at the time for its use of aerial acrobatics. The physicality of the show made it particularly special for audiences, particularly if they were coming to the show with Disney’s version in mind—complete with Tarzan swinging from the trees.

Mary Poppins – 2006

Although some other Disney stage productions went from Broadway to the West End, Mary Poppins did the opposite. It started on the West End in 2004 before transferring to Broadway in 2006. Adapted from the film, this musical has music and lyrics largely by the Sherman Brothers, with added music by George Stiles and lyrics by Anthony Drewe. This show ran through March 2013 with numerous tours ever since.

The original Broadway cast included Ashley Brown as Mary Poppins and Gavin Lee as Bert. It was nominated for seven Tony Awards and won Best Scenic Design for Bob Crowley. The West End production fared better with nine Laurence Olivier Award nominations, with a Best Actress in a Musical win for Laura Michelle Kelly and Best Theatre Choreographer for Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear.

The Little Mermaid – 2008

Sierra Boggess/Facebook (Joan Marcus, Photographer)

When The Little Mermaid opened in 2008, it actually replaced Beauty and the Beast at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The show ran through August 2009 and was the Broadway debut of Sierra Boggess (as Ariel), who has since had other Broadway roles, including Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera. After the show closed, it was reworked slightly, and this new version is what audiences see in subsequent productions.

One of the most memorable elements of this show was its use of Heelys to mimic the movement of the mermaids on stage. It also had some big names in original roles, too, including Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula and Norm Lewis as King Triton. Tituss Burgess also originated the role of Sebastian.

Newsies – 2012

With high-energy dance numbers, Newsies was a headliner on Broadway. Based on the 1992 Disney film, this musical captures the story of the historic Newsboys Strike of 1899. It had music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman (Oliver & Company and The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride), and a book by Harvey Fierstein. After it opened on Broadway, Newsies became the fastest Disney Broadway show to turn a profit when it recouped its cost in seven months.

Newsies closed after just over 1,000 Broadway performances before it launched a huge national tour that played 784 performances. The original Broadway cast included Jeremy Jordan as Jack Kelly, John Dossett as Joseph Pulitzer, and Kara Lindsay as Katherine Plumber. It was nominated for eight Tony Awards and won two: Best Choreography for Christopher Gattelli and Best Original Score for Alan Menken and Jack Feldman.

Peter and the Starcatcher – 2012

While some argue this show is a musical, Peter and the Starcatcher is mostly a play with music. It premiered on Broadway in 2012 and closed in January 2013. It’s based on the novel Peter and the Starcatchers, which gives a backstory to Peter Pan and his journey to protect his treasure from Black Stache, the pirate. Since this isn’t a toe-tapping musical, audiences easily forget this show is a Disney production.

Among the original Broadway cast were Adam Chanler-Berat as Boy (Peter), Celia Keenan-Bolger as Molly, and Christian Borle as Black Stache. Although it closed on Broadway after less than a year, in March 2013, it re-opened Off-Broadway at New World Stages and ran from then until January 2014. At the same time, a national tour launched in August 2013 that ran through May 2013, followed quickly by another national tour in 2015. It has since been performed around the world and regionally.

Aladdin – 2014

Just like The Lion King, Aladdin has been running since it first opened on Broadway in 2014. The musical is based on the Disney film of the same name, with music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice, and Chad Beguelin. Beguelin also wrote the book. Other productions have had long lives too, such as the West End, which ran from 2016 to 2019, and the production by Dentsu Shiki Theatre Umi in Tokyo, where the show has been running since 2015.

Aladdin‘s original Broadway cast included Adam Jacobs as Aladdin, Courtney Reed as Jasmine, and James Monroe Iglehart as Genie. Jonathan Freeman also played Jafar, which was perfect as he voiced the character in the film and in subsequent media as well. Of the five Tony Award nominations, the show won a single one: James Monroe Iglehart won Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.

Frozen – 2018

With music and lyrics by husband and wife duo Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and book by Jennifer Lee, Frozen opened in March 2018 but closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. During its Broadway run, the show went on tour from 2019 to 2024 and had a West End production from September 2021 to September 2024. Some of the magic of this show was brought by the puppets of Sven and Olaf.

Among the original cast were Caissie Levy as Elsa, Patti Murin as Anna, and Jelani Alladin as Kristoff. The musical was recognized for its imaginative puppetry work with an Outstanding Puppet Design win for Michael Curry in the 2018 Drama Desk Awards. Before the show came to Broadway, Disney created other stage adaptations of the movie, with both Frozen – Live at the Hyperion at Disney California Adventure and a production on Disney Cruise Line. Frozen, A Musical Spectacular is performed on the Disney Fantasy, Disney Wonder, and Disney Destiny.