Who wrote the song “If I Can't Love Her” for Disney's Beauty and the Beast stage musical?
Answer
Alan Menken and Tim Rice
Alan Menken and Tim Rice wrote “If I Can't Love Her” for Disney's Beauty and the Beast stage musical.
The song was created as new material for the Broadway adaptation because the Beast needed a substantial solo expressing his inner conflict. Alan Menken composed the music, while Tim Rice wrote the lyrics. The number appears near the end of the first act and gives the Beast a perspective that the 1991 animated film largely communicates through action and dialogue.
Howard Ashman wrote the lyrics for the original animated film, but he died in 1991 before the Broadway production opened. Rice therefore joined Menken for additional stage songs, including “If I Can't Love Her.”
The song is closely associated with the role of the Beast and was performed in the original Broadway production by Terrence Mann. It should not be confused with the animated film's existing songs, which include “Something There” and the title number.