Stage and screen star Jesse Tyler Ferguson will host the one-hour special, which will take viewers on a journey through the creation of Disney’s eight Broadway musicals: Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, AIDA, Tarzan, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Newsies and Aladdin.
The broadcast will also feature music from the Disney on Broadway catalog, including special musical performances from Darren Criss, Sir Elton John, Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen (ABC’s “Nashville”), Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins) and Adam Jacobs (Aladdin).
"For the first time, viewers have unprecedented access to the fast pace and high stakes world of Broadway," according to press notes. "Cameras are backstage during an actual performance of “Aladdin” during the show stopping production number, 'Friend Like Me.' Composer Lebo M leads the ensemble of The Lion King in a special rehearsal, celebrating the show’s South African roots and themes that are the very heart of this landmark musical. The cast of the North American tour of Newsies takes viewers on the road as the tour prepares for its official opening night in Philadelphia, as they 'carry the banner' of this unlikely Disney smash hit musical."
Rudy Bednar, Jeanmarie Condon and Megan Harding are the executive producers for Lincoln Square Productions.