Disney on Broadway: A History in Marquees

With every trip I take to New York City, I am always struck by the history that permeates midtown. For every fast food chain adorned with a neon sign, there’s a theater that has held some of the most inspiring and awe-inducing art to ever been created. With every passing year, a show comes, a show closes, and a show continues/creates their own legacy.

I wanted to honor Disney Theatricals’ past on Broadway by taking a look back at the marquees that once glowed above the streets as audience goers trickled underneath. Inspired by Jennifer Ashley Tepper’s phenomenal TEDxBroadway talk from a few years back and Instagram user SteppingThroughFilm, I wanted to place the past back on “The Great White Way".

In May of 1997, King David reopened the New Amsterdam Theatre (Disney’s Broadway home) after an intense and remarkable restoration. Once home to the Ziegfeld Follies, the theater has fallen into disarray as 42nd Street gained a seedy reputation. Disney took on the project to make a name for themselves on Broadway and the rest is history. With The Lion King set to become the first major production for the space, the team didn’t want the show to overshadow the gorgeous work done to revitalize the space. Thus, welcome King David: A World Premiere Concert Event.

Written by Alan Menken and Tim Rice and co-produced by Andre Djaoui and The Walt Disney Company, the song cycle retells the story of David from the Old Testament who begins as a shepherd boy and ends as the King of Israel.

The rather un-Disney tale played nine total performances in the space (three previews and six regular performances) as a welcome back to the theater. The piece originally was created in honor of the 3000th anniversary of the founding of Jerusalem, but didn’t debut until the New Amsterdam Theatre became operational. The cast included Roger Bart (Hercules), Judy Kuhn (Pocahontas), Alice Ripley (Tony Win for Next to Normal), a choir of 30 and an orchestra of 35.

After The Lion King’s debut in 1997 at the New Amsterdam and its quick ascension to financial and critical success (including being the only Disney production to win Best Musical at the Tony Awards), Disney wanted a new show to call the New Amsterdam home. The Lion King was then moved to the Minskoff Theatre (where it has been since 2006) while a very special nanny flew in.

In November of 2006, Mary Poppins opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre, bringing the hit London production stateside. Featuring Ashley Brown in the title role and Gavin Lee as Bert, the show picked up seven Tony nominations at the 2007 ceremony. The show’s welcome to the theater required even more updates to be added, including a still visible catwalk in which Mary Poppins would fly to during the second act, soaring above the audience below. The show closed in March of 2013 in preparation for the currently-running Aladdin. It is currently Broadway’s 25th longest running show of all-time. (Arguably more importantly: it’s my first Broadway show.)

Oddly enough, Disney’s first go at a theatrical production didn’t start at their home location. Beauty and the Beast debuted at the Palace Theatre (current home to Glengarry Glen Ross) in April of 1994. The show was the company’s first foray into stage productions, after the runaway success of the animated film. The show ran there until the fall of 1999, where it then moved to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (current home to Death Becomes Her). Beauty and the Beast holds the record for being the longest running show in both theaters and, as of December 2024, is the tenth longest running Broadway show in history. Without the success of Beauty and the Beast, there would be no Disney on Broadway.

Beauty and the Beast’s theatrical transfer occurred to be replaced by another Disney on Broadway production. Aida, based on the opera, opened at the Palace Theatre in March of 2000, running for a little over four years. With music and lyrics by Elton John and Tim Rice, “the timeless love story" featured a framing device in a modern museum before transporting audiences to ancient Egypt. The production was created after Disney acquired the rights to a children’s book retelling the story. While initially planned for an animated film (PLEASE still give it to us), it instead headed to Broadway. The show was nominated for five Tony Awards, winning four (including Best Original Score and Best Actress in a Musical for Heather Headley).

Back at the Lunt Fontanne, Disney decided to close Beauty and the Beast as they were preparing to go under the sea. With the idea that two Disney princess stories would possibly eat at each other’s success, Belle headed back to the library as The Little Mermaid took center stage. Opening in November 2007, the production starred Sierra Boggess as Ariel and Tituss Burgess as Sebastian. An obvious choice for the stage after its tremendous film success, the show failed to find a spark on Broadway, lasting only a year and a half. The show’s main conceit were the Heelys the cast wore to signify being under water. Though unsuccessful in its time, the show has found great success regionally and around the globe, thanks to a few major show alterations that occurred after the show’s closure.

Another unsuccessful show was Disney’s Tarzan, which played at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (current home to Hamilton) for a year. The show was not a success, becoming Disney’s shortest Broadway run and worst show from a critical standpoint. The show starred Josh Strickland as Tarzan and featured an invented, vine-filled set that allowed the cast to fly in and out of the trees. The original score was written by Phil Collins, adding new songs to the fan-favorite film soundtrack. While in America the show didn’t succeed, the show found remarkable success in Germany, where it has run off-and-in since 2008, finding remarkable legs and financial success. In fact, Josh Strickland has since traveled to Germany to play the title-role in German. (A recent reimagined production at the Franklin Performing Arts Company turned the show into a rock concert, which intrigues me and wants it seen back on Broadway).

Newsies is still one of the craziest Broadway success stories in recent memory. The 1992 film of the same name is often regarded as one of Disney’s biggest bombs and became a cult classic in the years following its box office demise. In fact, the show became so popular that many regional theaters and schools put on illegal productions of the show, using the film script verbatim on stage. Disney took notice of the love and decided to put together a professional production. Debuting at the Paper Mill Playhouse in 2011, the intention was for it to be created just for regional opportunities. After its success, Disney took it to Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre (current home to Redwood) for a limited engagement. Yet again, its success outweighed the allotted performances, leading the show to become an open ended run. Newsies ended up becoming the fastest Disney production to recoup its initial investment, ran for over two years, and became the first Disney show to receive a proshot.

Disney on Broadway’s history is rich as of the past thirty years. Who knows what the next thirty will hold!