Disney's Beauty and the Beast Comes to Costa Mesa: Your Family Guide
Belle, Gaston, a candlestick with impeccable comedic timing, and a Beast who just needs someone to see past the fur — Disney's Beauty and the Beast is heading back to Orange County, and this time it's sticking around for three full weeks. If your family has worn out the animated movie on repeat, this is the version that puts the whole enchanted castle on stage, live, right down to the exploding rose petals.
This is the show's first Orange County stop in more than 25 years, which means a lot of grown-ups in the audience will be seeing it live for the very first time right alongside their kids. It runs September 22 through October 11, 2026, at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, and we've pulled together everything a Southern California family needs to plan the outing — dates, tickets, parking, and a few tips we wish someone had told us before our own first trip to the theater.
Disney's Beauty and the Beast 2026 Quick Facts
Address: 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Dates: September 22 – October 11, 2026.
Performance schedule: Evening performances typically run Tuesday through Saturday around 7:30 p.m., with a Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m. and a Sunday performance in the early evening. Exact times and dark days shift week to week during the run, so always confirm the specific date you want on the official ticket page before booking.
Runtime: About 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.
Recommended age: The venue lists the show as suitable for all ages, though the length and a couple of intense moments (an angry mob storming the castle, a fairly dramatic transformation scene) tend to land best with kids around 5 and up.
Tickets: Pricing varies by date and seating section and hadn't been finalized for every performance when this guide was verified on September 25, 2026. Check current ticket availability and pricing before making plans.
Parking: Segerstrom's Plaza Tower Parking Structure currently lists performance parking at $15, credit card only, with valet parking around $30.
What Is Disney's Beauty and the Beast About?
If it's been a while since movie night, here's the refresher: Belle is a bookish young woman in a small French village who trades her freedom for her father's, moving into a cursed castle to spare him from imprisonment. The castle's owner is a prince turned into a Beast by an enchantress, and his household staff — including a candelabra, a teapot, and a very anxious clock — have been transformed into living objects right along with him.
This touring production is billed as the show's 30th Anniversary staging, and it leans into that history rather than shying away from it. Expect the songs every parent already has memorized — “Be Our Guest,” “Gaston,” and the title ballad — alongside new sets, costumes, and staging choices that give the story a fresh coat of paint without losing what made the original Broadway run a hit.
The stage version also expands a bit on the film, giving some of the supporting characters more to do than they got in their animated 84 minutes. Families who know the movie by heart will still recognize every beat, just with a live orchestra, elaborate costumes, and a few surprises built in for the people who've seen it a dozen times.
Disney's Beauty and the Beast also happens to be a piece of theater history in its own right. It was Disney's first venture into Broadway musicals, opening in New York in 1994 and running for 13 years — a run long enough that plenty of parents bringing their kids to Segerstrom this fall may have seen the original production themselves as kids. That's part of what makes the 30th Anniversary framing feel earned rather than just a marketing line.
Meet the Cast and Creative Team
This production stars Kyra Belle Johnson as Belle and Fergie L. Philippe as the Beast, with Stephen Mark Lukas as the vain, antler-obsessed Gaston. Danny Gardner plays Lumiere, Kathy Voytko is Mrs. Potts, Javier Ignacio plays Cogsworth, and Harry Francis rounds out Gaston's fan club as Le Fou.
Behind the scenes, the show is directed and choreographed by Matt West, with the score by Alan Menken and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton — the same team behind the original Broadway production. Scenic design comes from Stanley A. Meyer, costumes from Tony Award winner Ann Hould-Ward, and lighting from Natasha Katz, which is a fairly serious pedigree for anyone in your family who cares about that sort of thing (and a fun bit of trivia for the kid who wants to know who makes the castle look so magical).
As with any touring show, the producers note that specific cast members can't be guaranteed for every performance, so an understudy may step into a role on a given night. That's normal for a national tour and rarely changes how much fun the show is.
Why This Show Is a Great Pick for Families
There's something to be said for a story your kids already know cold. They won't spend the first ten minutes trying to figure out who's who, which frees them up to actually notice the things that make live theater special — the moment Lumiere's candles actually light up, the size of the Beast's costume up close, the way the whole cast holds a note during “Beauty and the Beast” that no speaker at home ever quite captures.
It's also a nice bridge show for families easing into theater as a regular outing. The story is straightforward enough that younger kids can follow along, but the production values and roughly two-and-a-half-hour runtime give older kids and grown-ups plenty to sink their teeth into. If your family enjoyed a shorter, more playful show like Yellow Bird Chase at Segerstrom's Samueli Theater, this is a natural next step up in scale.
There's also the theme itself, which holds up surprisingly well for a family conversation on the drive home. Belle falls for the Beast because of who he becomes, not how he looks, and the Beast's own household — turned into furniture by the same curse that changed him — sticks together and looks out for each other the whole way through. It's an easy, non-preachy way to talk with kids about kindness, patience, and not judging people (or beasts) at first glance.
Getting to Segerstrom Center and Parking
Segerstrom Hall is part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Families driving in from Los Angeles or the Inland Empire should check weekend traffic before leaving and follow the Center's official parking and directions information rather than relying on a general map pin.
The closest garage is the Plaza Tower Parking Structure, located behind the concert hall and South Coast Repertory. Performance parking currently runs $15, credit card only, and valet is available for around $30 on a first-come basis. The Center doesn't operate the garages directly, so rates can change without notice.
Plan to arrive at least 45 minutes to an hour before curtain. That gives you time to park, walk over, use the restroom, and get everyone settled before the house lights go down — always a little less relaxing when you're doing it with a booster seat under one arm.
If anyone in your family needs accommodations, Segerstrom offers accessibility services including wireless assistive listening devices, induction neckloops for hearing aid users, large-print programs, and sensory-friendly bags with earplugs and noise-cancelling headphones available for checkout. One Saturday matinee of the run is also typically ASL interpreted, audio described, and open captioned — worth checking the official schedule if that's the performance your family needs.
Parent Tips for a Smoother Theater Night
Talk about the story ahead of time. If your child hasn't seen the movie recently, a quick refresher at home means they'll spend less time whispering “wait, who's that?” and more time watching the stage.
Prep them for the loud, dramatic moments. The villagers' torch-lit march on the castle and the Beast's transformation scene are both a little intense for the youngest theatergoers. A heads-up beforehand usually takes the edge off.
Eat before you go, not during. Theater snacks are limited and pricier than what you'd pack yourself, so plan dinner or a substantial snack ahead of the show rather than counting on concessions.
Bring a light layer. Segerstrom Hall, like most theaters, runs cool even when it's warm outside.
Save the sing-along for the car ride home. As tempting as it is to belt out “Be Our Guest” along with the cast, save your family's harmonies for after the curtain call so everyone around you can hear the real thing.
Phones stay off, not just silenced. Like most Broadway touring shows, photography and video are prohibited once the performance begins, and even a dimmed screen can be distracting in a dark theater. Snap your family photo in the lobby beforehand instead.
Make It a Bigger Costa Mesa Family Day
Segerstrom Center sits right next to South Coast Plaza, so it's easy to build a whole afternoon around the show — an early dinner, a little window shopping, and then the performance. Just don't leave your car parked at the mall while you're at the theater; South Coast Plaza's own parking is reserved for shoppers and diners, and vehicles left there during a show can be towed.
If your family is building out a fall of family theater outings, this pairs nicely with a lighter, shorter show earlier in the season — our guide to Yellow Bird Chase, also at Segerstrom, is a good option for younger kids who aren't quite ready for a two-and-a-half-hour Broadway run yet.
Takeaway
Disney's Beauty and the Beast gives Orange County families a rare chance to see a full-scale Broadway production of a story most kids already know by heart, without a flight to New York or Anaheim ticket prices. Between the live orchestra, the elaborate costumes, and a cast that's been doing this every night across the country, it's a strong pick for a family theater outing this fall — just confirm your date's showtime, budget extra time for parking, and maybe practice not singing along until you're back in the car.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What ages is Disney's Beauty and the Beast best for?
Segerstrom Center lists the show as suitable for all ages. In practice, the roughly two-and-a-half-hour runtime and a couple of intense moments — the villagers' attack on the castle and the Beast's transformation — tend to work best for kids around 5 and up.
2. How long is the show, and is there an intermission?
The performance runs about 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission partway through.
3. How much are tickets, and where do I buy them?
Pricing varies by date and seating section and wasn't finalized for every performance at the time this guide was verified. Buy directly through the official Segerstrom ticket page for the most accurate, up-to-date pricing.
4. Where do I park at Segerstrom Center for the Arts?
The Plaza Tower Parking Structure, behind the concert hall and South Coast Repertory, is the closest garage. It currently costs $15 (credit card only) with valet available for around $30. Avoid parking at neighboring South Coast Plaza, since that lot is reserved for shoppers and diners.
5. Is the stage show the same as the animated movie?
Mostly, yes — the songs, characters, and story beats your family knows from the film are all there. This touring production, staged for the show's 30th Anniversary, also expands a bit on a few supporting characters and adds new sets and costumes, so longtime fans will find some fresh details alongside the familiar ones.
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