It’s difficult to find a Disney fan, or maybe even a movie fan in general, who doesn’t love the 1991 animated masterpiece, “Beauty and the Beast.”  
This “tale as old as time,” as the title song tells us, is both a beguiling love tale and a story of two misfits who find each other in a cruel world, but it’s mainly known for the masterful voiceover work of the cast (including Robby Benson, Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach and many more), the lush animation and the indelible music. Even people who haven’t seen the film have probably heard Lansbury’s beautiful version of the title song. 
In fact, the soundtrack to the movie was so strong that in 1993, composer Alen Menken and lyricist Tim Rice made Beauty and the Beast a full-blown musical, taking the eight songs from the original film and building the story into a 26-song juggernaut.  
That’s the version that the Columbia’s Town Theatre debuts this Friday night, July 12. The theatre, located on Sumter Street, will perform Beauty and the Beast until July 28.  
And you’ll probably want to catch it this time, because it’s going to be a while before you can see it again. The musical is temporarily retiring from licensing, meaning it can’t be performed by any theatre groups. Town Theatre was the first community theatre in South Carolina to produce the show back in 2005, and now they’ll be one of the last.  
Having said that, this current production gives theatergoers the chance to take in some iconic roles performed by the Town Theatre’s stellar repertory cast.  
Town newcomers Camryn Cothran and Scarlett Stone share the role of Belle. In this familiar story, Belle’s beauty catches the eye of the Beast, portrayed by Lee Saxton and Wyatt Pittman, in his Town debut. Appearing as the arrogant Gaston are Ian Hazelrigg and Charlie Grant, who are also newcomers to Town, with Tucker Privette and Shelby Sessler as Gaston’s trusty side kick, Lefou. Richard Fisher plays Belle’s lovable father, Maurice.

 Once Belle and the audience are taken inside the Beast’s enchanted castle, they’ll meet Mrs. Potts, shared by Kayla Welch and Ashley Alvarado. Her son, Chip, will be jointly portrayed by Gemma Burkett and Lacie Walko. James Gragg and Jack Child will step into the Town spotlight for the first time as Lumiere and create mayhem with Angela Adams and Liam Milhouse in the role of Cogsworth, the tightly-wound, enchanted mantle clock. 

All told, the Town Theatre’s full cast for Beauty and the Beast is a whopping 60 people, directed by Scott Vaughan, with Jane Cato serving as music director and choreography provided by Katie Page. 
The production gives parents a chance to bring the family to a kid-friendly, entertaining musical, but it could also open the door to a child’s lifelong love of Disney and of musicals in general. Perhaps that is the true “tale as old as time.”