News: Full cast announced for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast tour

Full cast has been announced for the UK and Ireland tour of Disney’s Olivier Award-winning stage musical Beauty and the Beast.

Courtney Stapleton (Dear Evan Hansen) is set to star as Belle, alongside Emmanuel Kojo (Oklahoma!) as the Beast.

Gavin Lee (Mary Poppins) joins the cast as Lumiere, alongside Tom Senior (Eugenius!) as Gaston, Sam Bailey (Blood Brothers) as Mrs Potts, Nigel Richards (The Phantom of the Opera) as Cogsworth, Martin Ball (Les Misérables) as Maurice, Samantha Bingley (The Secret Garden) as Wardrobe, Emma Caffrey (Curtains) as Babette and Louis Stockil (Miss Saigon) as Le Fou.

The re-imagined and redesigned brand new production opens at the Bristol Hippodrome this summer on 25 August, before embarking on an extensive tour.

The musical will infuse spectacular new designs with state-of-the-art technology, bringing the beloved tale to life in a new way.

Full company includes Jake Bishop, Pamela Blair, Liam Buckland, Jasmine Davis, Autumn Draper, Daisy Edwards, Alyn Hawke, George Hinson, Jennifer Louise Jones, Brontë Lavine, ThomasLee Kidd, David McIntosh, Aimee Moore, Sam Murphy, Ashley-Jordon Packer, Emily Squibb, Grace Swaby, India Thornton and Rhys West.

Venues announced include Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Dublin, with more to follow soon.

Beauty and the Beast is the timeless romantic tale that sees charm and elegance join together. This production will also feature an exuberant tap dance in “Be Our Guest”, specially created for Gavin Lee, who is recognised as one of the greatest tappers in the world.

Featuring music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Tim Rice and book by Linda Woolverton, the musical is directed and choreographed by Olivier Award-nominee Matt West, with scenic design by Stan Myer, costume design by Ann Hould-Ward and lighting design by Natasha Katz. There will be new dance arrangements by David Chase, with musical supervision, vocal arrangements and orchestrations by Michael Kosarin and Danny Troob.

Additional creative team include Tony Award-winning sound designer John Shivers, video and projections designer Darryl Maloney, hair designer David H. Lawrence and illusions designer Jim Steinmeyer, who provided the original illusions for the 1994 production. Casting is by Pippa Ailion Casting.

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