Disney’s Olivier Award-winning stage musical Beauty and the Beast yesterday announced the cast to star in the re-imagined and re-designed new production. Staged by members of the original award-winning creative team, Beauty and the Beast will open a UK & Ireland Tour at The Bristol Hippodrome on Wednesday 25 August 2021 (National Press Night: Wednesday 29 September) with more tour dates are to be confirmed. Now we finally know who will be playing these iconic characters in its West End Revival Tour.
Courtney Stapleton and Emmanuel Kojo will lead the cast of the highly anticipated UK and Ireland tour of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, it has been announced. Courtney Stapleton (Six, Dear Evan Hansen, Les Misérables) will play the role of Belle, with Emmanuel Kojo (Oklahoma!, Girl from the North Country, Show Boat) starring as Beast.
They are joined by Tony & Olivier Award-nominated Gavin Lee (Mary Poppins) as Lumiere and The X Factor winner Sam Bailey (Blood Brothers, Chicago) as Mrs Potts. Also cast are Tom Senior (Gaston), Samantha Bingley (Wardrobe), Emma Caffrey (Babette), Louis Stockil (LeFou), Martin Ball (Maurice), Nigel Richards (Cogsworth) and Joshua Smith/Theo Querico/Manasseh Mapira (Chip).
The ensemble includes Jennifer Louise Jones, Aimee Moore, Sam Murphy, Jake Bishop, Alyn Hawke, Jasmin Davis, Pamela Blair, George Hinson, Liam Buckland, Autumn Draper, Thomas Lee-Kidd, Grace Swaby, India Thornton and Nathan Louis-Fernand. Swings include David McIntosh, Emily Squibb, Ashley-Jordan Packer, Rhys West, Daisy Edwards and Bronte Lavine.
If this amazing cast wasn't enough, Disney legend Dame Angela Lansbury will also specially record a prologue for the new production, which will be played at every performance.
Spectacularly reimagined using the latest theatrical innovations, this beloved ‘tale as old as time’ will be brought to life on stage like never before, with all the charm and elegance audiences expect from Belle and her Beast. The creative team includes composer Alan Menken, lyricist Tim Rice, book writer Linda Woolverton, choreographer Matt West, scenic designer Stan Meyer, costume designer Ann Hould-Ward and lighting designer Natasha Katz. The team collectively received five Tony® nominations and a win for Hould-Ward’s costume design, when Disney first debuted Beauty and the Beast on Broadway 26 years ago.
Both Menken and Rice gave their thoughts on the classic Disney love story officially returning to stages in the UK after twenty years:
Alan Menken said: “Beauty and the Beast is a testament to the genius of my late friend and collaborator Howard Ashman, but the show’s richness comes from the combination of Howard’s style and that of the brilliant Tim Rice, with whom I expanded the score to give voice to the Beast,” said eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken. “It’s clear that audiences the world over want to return to the world of Beauty, which continues to amaze and humble those of us who created it. As the show returns to the UK, I cannot wait to see how Rob Roth and this glorious creative team bring the whole universe of Beauty and the Beast to life once again.”
Tim Rice said: “Beauty and the Beast is a story and a show which resonates through generations, and it was a great pleasure to work with Alan to expand the score he and the brilliant Howard Ashman first created. I am thrilled that there will be a brand new production and that the newest theatrical wizardry will bring another layer of magic to the tale. It is great that the UK will host the premiere of the new production, as this country has always enjoyed a special affinity with the show”.
This has been a much anticipated production for me, as someone who adored the original animation - this story has been basically a beloved childhood film for me. Unfortunately, I missed the original West End production of Beauty and the Beast at the Dominion Theatre in April 1997 - in my valid defence, I was only three-years-old, but it performed over 1100 performances to more than two million people. It won the 1998 Olivier Award for Best Musical and enjoyed a hugely successful UK & Ireland tour in 2001.
With theatres set to hopefully reopen their doors, this looks set to be a beautifully created and nostalgic musical experience. I for one cannot wait to see this story brought to life on stage.
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