John Tartaglia Joins Cast of Beauty and the Beast Nov. 21

Tartaglia is the star, executive producer and creator of Playhouse Disney's new live action musical puppet series "Johnny and The Sprites," which will premiere in January 2007 on Disney Channel. Tartaglia stars as Johnny, a singer/songwriter who moves out to the country after inheriting a family home. He soon discovers a tunnel in his backyard leading to the enchanted world of the Sprites. Together, Johnny and the Sprites share valuable lessons about getting along with others and respecting the world around them. Each half-hour episode consists of two 11-minute stories featuring music from some of the theater world's most celebrated songwriters, including Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Godspell), Gary Adler (Avenue Q, Altar Boyz), Mark Hollmann (Urinetown), and Michael Patrick Walker (Altar Boyz).

Also joining the cast on November 21st is Jonathan Freeman, who will be starring as Cogsworth. A Broadway veteran, he has appeared in The Producers, 42nd Street, On the Town, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and was nominated for a Tony Award® for his work in She Loves Me. Freeman is perhaps best known to Disney fans as the voice of Jafar in the Disney animated feature Aladdin.

Tartaglia and Freeman will star opposite Sarah Uriarte Berry as Belle, Steve Blanchard as the Beast, Donny Osmond as Gaston (who recently extended his engagement through December 24th), Jeanne Lehmann as Mrs. Potts, Mary Stout as Madame de la Grand Bouche, Meredith Inglesby as Babette and Aldrin Gonzalez as Lefou.

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST celebrated its 5,000th performance this year, becoming Broadway's longest running American musical and the 6th longest running show of all time. More than twenty million people have seen the show in over twenty productions worldwide. The original cast recording is currently available on Disney Records.

The performance schedule for Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street) is as follows: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday – Saturday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 1:30pm and 7pm.

There are three easy ways to get tickets to Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – Online at www.disneyonbroadway.com, via Ticketmaster at (212) 307-4747 or www.ticketmaster.com and in person at the Lunt-Fontanne box office (205 West 46th Street).