Be Our Guest At the Masonic Temple, the stage version of Beauty and the Beast features new songs by Alan Menken. SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS lan Menken has moved on to other projects since composing film and theater music for Beauty and the Beast, but he looks back with both joy and sadness. The joy translates into the production Detroit au- diences will experience March 19-April 28 at the Masonic Temple Theatre. The sadness remains behind the scenes with the loss of the show's origi- nal lyricist, Howard Ashman, to AIDS. Menken talks openly about both emo- tions. "What I like about Beauty and the Beast is the compendium of musical styles," said the composer, 46, who is working on three new musicals —King David, Hercules and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. "When I hear my own score on stage, stylistically it reminds me of so many of the musicals I heard growing up. `HI Can't Love Her,' is pure Broadway in the tradi- tion of Rodgers and Hammerstein," and is one of seven new songs added to the stage version of Beauty and the Beast. "Human Again" (which was cut from the film), fea- tures lyrics by Ashman, and six others in- clude lyrics by Tony and Academy Award winner Tim Rice. Rice also helped finish the Aladdin score following Ashman's death in 1991. Known for his work on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Jesus Christ Superstar, Rice has teamed with Menken for King David to celebrate the 3,000th anniver- sary of Jerusalem. "Because of the life and death situation, Beauty and the Beast was probably the most emotionally wrenching project I've done," said Menken, who met Ashman through a teacher and collaborated with him intermittently on a number of theater pieces, including their successful Little Shop of Horrors. "Howard had an extraordinary intellect and talent, and I felt comfortable with him. We were close in age and came from sim- i lar home backgrounds. We were both prac- tical and driven. "When Howard asked me to work on the score for The Little Mermaid, I jumped at the opportunity. After his death, toward the completion of the Beauty and the Beast film, it wasn't difficult working with oth- er lyricists in artistic terms because I had collaborated with many different people throughout my career. "It was good to be able to work with Tim and earned Academy, Golden Globe and Grammy awards. Menken attributes the volume of mate- rial he develops to high-tech equipment. "My work station has a keyboard and computer, and I'm locked up to video screens," explained Menken, who uses these devices to link his Hollywood scores precisely to the actions shown on film. Rice and be diverted from the depression "While I find that to be absolutely the most and upset that come with dealing with a fluid way to compose, I sometimes settle death from AIDS. Tim allowed me to step in at a piano with a mini-recorder that can into the driver's seat, and it happened to set down anything that I like." work out very smoothly." Menken, who met his wife while she was Menken's interest in music began ear- dancing in a rock ballet he had written, ly, encouraged by both his parents but es- leaves the technical instrumentation in pecially his mother, who had been an his studio and turns to conventional piano actress. In contrast to his sisters, who and guitar to help his daughters — Anna, leaned toward acting, he studied piano and 11, and Nora, 7 — with their practicing. violin and entered competitions established "I don't have much free time," said the for young composers. Westchester resident, who sporadically In the '60s, like other teen-agers, he tried gets to swim and golf, his favorite leisure guitar and joined some bands. After grad- activities. "I work and I'm with my fami- uating from New York University in 1971 ly. I have a horse I like to ride but that hap- with a degree in music, he intensified pens so seldom now." his composing, performed as a singer/song- "Our family has a strong Jewish iden-. writer, wrote and arranged club acts, pro- tity, and we celebrate the High Holy Days duced commercial jingles and showcased and Passover," revealed Menken, who tried theater pieces. his hand at two plays with Jewish themes His animated films for Disney, which long before he became associated with King include Pocahontas, shaped his success David. "Beauty and the Beast," recorded by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson, was Alan Menken's first top-10 single and the No. 1 adult contemporary song in the country. The animated film version garnered Menken an Academy Award for best score. The Broadway musical was nominated for nine Tony Awards in 1994 and a 1995 Grammy Award for Best Show Cast Album.