Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' to debut in Macao

Musical extravaganza Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" is coming to Macao from June 13 to July 26 as part of its world tour in celebration of the Broadway show's 20th anniversary, according to an exclusive media event on Tuesday.

Bringing Broadway musicals are the latest in long line of additions to the ever-expanding array of non-gaming attractions available to locals and visitors of Macao, said the organizer Dave Horton, adding this try is helping to strengthen the city's burgeoning reputation as a world center of tourism and leisure.

"Beauty and the Beast" tells the story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped by a spell placed on him by the enchantress. If the beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will be broken and he will be transformed back into his former self.

Based on an 18-century French fairy tale, Disney's animated version of story became the first animated film to win the Best Picture Oscar in 1991. In 1994, the show premiered on Broadway, where it was nominated for nine prestigious Tony Awards and ran for 13 years. Since licensing of the title began in 2004, there have been 28,000 performance in eight languages across 22 countries that have been seen by more than 35 million people.