Beauty and the Beast announces 2024 seasons in Melbourne, Brisbane
Disney is inviting two more Aussie cities to “be our guest” at a blockbuster Broadway show that has earned five-star reviews during its Sydney season.
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Beauty and the Beast, the epic love story turned blockbuster Broadway musical, is coming to Melbourne and Brisbane.
The tale of a prince transformed into a beast and a strong-willed village girl who sees past his bad looks, is returning to Melbourne for the first time in almost 30 years.
And this will be the first time the show is performed in Brisbane.
The Disney musical, based on the hit 1991 animated film, will open at the Lyric Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, in February 2024. It will then shift to Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre from June 2024.
The show has received five-star reviews from its Sydney season this year.
It first premiered in Melbourne, with Hugh Jackman starring as Gaston and the late Bert Newton as Cogsworth, in 1995.
The new, reimagined production stars Queensland’s Shubshri Kandiah as Belle and Brendan Xavier as the Beast.
Kandiah said the musical’s powerful themes of judgement and redemption apply to modern culture.
She explained: “If I think of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover,’ it reminds me social media, and how it affects young people. Social media is the highlight reel of someone’s life, and everything is edited.”
She also compared the Beast’s road to absolution to cancel culture. “I think we should call people out on things,” Kandiah said, “but we should also give people the opportunity to change.”
Kandiah’s last role was the leading lady in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Cinderella. “Some people say Belle is my third princess role, but I don’t see her that way. Yes, she marries a prince at the very end of the show. But until, then she’s fiercely independent.”
Kandiah was born in Perth, but relocated to Queensland in 2015 to study at Griffith University. She still lives in the Sunshine State.
She said: “Queensland marked the start of my musical theatre journey, and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be leading a show.”
Melbourne locals Rohan Browne and Gareth Jacobs play the roles of Lumiere and Cogsworth respectively, while Queenslanders Jackson Head and Jayde Westaby star as Gaston and Mrs Potts.
Ticket waitlist: beautyandthebeastmusical.com.au
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