Beauty and the Beast:Jacob Young makes his Broadway

Jacob Young, star of ABC's 'All My Children,' will make his Broadway debut tonight when he takes to the stage as Lumiere in Walt Disney�s Beauty And The Beast, a role he will play for a limited 10-week engagement.

Jacob Young joined the cast of 'All My Children' in the leading role of 'JR Chandler' in September 2003, a role that earned him a Daytime Emmy Nomination as Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series. Prior to that, Jacob earned a Daytime Emmy Award for his role as 'Lucky Spencer' on 'General Hospital.'

When his casting for the role of Lumiere was first announced in March, Mr Young said �I have always wanted to combine my love of music and acting by performing on Broadway. It�s such a pleasure for me to be welcomed into the Disney family with this role in �Beauty and the Beast.��

Jacob Young will not be appearing in the Wednesday matinee performances due to his shooting schedule for 'All My Children.'

Beauty And The Beast opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre in 1994, where it played more than 2,250 performances, becoming the longest-running show ever at the theatre.

The production moved to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in 1999, where it is also the longest-running tenant at this theatre, having played 2,678 performances. The musical is currently booking to the 22 Oct 2006.

Beauty And The Beast is Broadway's longest running American musical and the 6th longest running musical of all time. Seen in 13 countries, the total worldwide attendance stands at more than 25 million people, making it one of the world�s most-seen musicals.

Disney�s Beauty And The Beast, features Steve Blanchard (The Beast), Ashley Brown (Belle), Grant Norman (Gaston), Jeff Brooks (Cogsworth), Jeanne Lehmann (Mrs. Potts), Jamie Ross (Maurice), Aldrin Gonzales (Lefou), Meredith Inglesby (Babette) and Mary Stout (Madame de la Grande Bouche). Trevor Braun and Alexander Scheitinger alternate the role of Chip.

Beauty And The Beast is the classic love story of Belle, a young woman in a small, provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a prince trapped in a spell placed on him by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and to be loved, the spell will be broken and he will be transformed back to his former self. But time is running out, and if the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he will be doomed for all eternity.

Disney's Beauty And The Beast features Alan Menken's Academy Award-winning score, songs by the late Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (including the Academy Award-winning title song 'Be Our Guest'), plus songs written especially for the stage by Alan Menken and Tim Rice (including 'If I Can't Love Her' and 'A Change In Me'). Book is by Linda Woolverton, author of the original screenplay.

The musical is choreographed by Matt West and directed by Robert Jess Roth. Sets are by Stan Meyer, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, and lighting by Natasha Katz.

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Jacob Young