Casting Notice Suggests Beauty and the Beast Could be the Next New Disney Dream Stage Show

A tale as old as time… Ok, maybe just a rumor that has been simmering since the fall. It now appears like Disney Cruise Line may be gearing up to announce an all new Beauty and the Beast stage show for the Disney Dream as well as a possible show shakeup for this fall. A recent casting notice for the Disney Dream mentions an opening company listing a cast of principle actors including eight roles from Beauty and the Beast. If you recall, Disney had a similar early reveal in early casting calls for Frozen and Tangled.

OPENING COMPANY: Awarded BEST LARGE CRUISE SHIP by Cruise Critics: The Disney Dream! Disney Cruise Line is once again teaming up with the 2016 Astaire Award winner, New York Director & Choreographer: Connor Gallagher. Connor Choreographed Disney Cruise Line’s Tangled, the Musical on board the Disney Magic. His works include award winning The Robber Bridegroom (Roundabout Theatre Company), Robert Schenkkan’s The Twelve (Denver Center) and Found coming soon to Broadway!

Along with our Artistic and Production Director, Ed Whitlow, we will be hiring a repertory company of 24 performers to portray roles in each of our musical theatre style productions. Toronto rehearsal begins early June 2017 with onboard performance contract ending mid-March 2018. Contracts include: competitive pay plus bonus, room and board, guest sailing privileges, and additional benefits package.

If you take a look a the resume posted on Connor Gallagher’s website you will see a line item for Project Music Box (in development for 2017) for Disney Creative Entertainment. The resume also mentions that Gallagher was once a Resident Choreographer for the national tour of Beauty and the Beast.

The casting notice (pdf) includes characters from the plug and play roles for Disney Believe including the principle role for Sophia, but lacks key character mentions from Villains Tonight which was retired on the Disney Magic when Tangled: The Musical opened. Additionally, the casting call mentions Brandon, Kayla, and Nicole which are the trio from Disney Wishes which is currently exclusive to the Disney Fantasy. Could this mean that The Golden Mickeys is out in favor of Disney Wishes? Time will tell, I may just be reading way to much into this casting call and remember this has not been confirmed or announced by Disney Cruise Line.

DCL is seeking musical theatre Principal actors to portray the following characters specifically from Beauty and the Beast.

  • MRS. POTTS: Female, 30’s to 40’s, sweet-faced English teapot, kind-hearted maternal cook, sings the title song.
  • LUMIERE: Male, early 30s to early 40s, a candelabra, very charming, very suave, very French, maître D’ who fancies himself as a ladies’ man, passionate, prone to dramatic displays of emotion, the Beast’s coach in the love department, must have a credible French accent.
  • COGSWORTH: Male, mid-30s to late 40s, manic, officious English major domo, someone wound him up way too tight and he has never wound down, slightly snooty Brit, with a heart of gold, English accent required.
  • LE FOU: Male, mid-20s to mid-40’s, Gaston’s adoring hanger-on buddy, seeking an accomplished stage comedian, must be able to sing.
  • BEAST: Male, late 20s to 30s, Tall, A tortured soul trapped in the body of the Beast. Angry, volatile, and hopeless, when he meets Belle, she awakens his warm, loving human side and he is able to overcome his bestial nature to break the spell. Should be handsome and well-built.
  • GASTON: Male, mid-20s to mid-30s, tall, strapping, and very handsome. Sexy and chiseled with strong comedic skills. Rude, self-centered bully, narcissistic, egomaniacal, and above all, charming.
  • BELLE: Female, 20’s, classically beautiful, eyes that shine with intelligence, unaware of her looks, strong-willed, adventurous, noble, a true heroine, sensitive and smart.
  • GARDEROBE: Female, 30’s to 40’s, Audra McDonald type, warm, friendly, comedic, very theatrical, had pretensions to an operatic career, the life of the party.

The response of a Beauty and the Beast stage production was overwhelming positive when I posted a Twitter poll in September shortly after DCL released a Beauty and the Beast 25th anniversary video.

Here is the video Disney released in September that “prompted the Twitter poll”. Coincidence? I didn’t think so either, that is why I ran the poll.

With the live action Beauty and the Beast on the horizon, it seems like a great time to ride the wave of the timeless classic and announce an all new stage show for the Disney Dream.

Please keep in mind this is all speculation until Disney makes any official announcements. However, I’d love to hear what you think about the possibility of a Disney Cruise Line Beauty and the Beast stage production. Thanks Ex Techie for the heads up on the casting notice.

8 Replies to “Casting Notice Suggests Beauty and the Beast Could be the Next New Disney Dream Stage Show”

    1. wwwdrich

      They seem to be keeping the named shows (Tangled, Frozen, etc) unique to a single ship, so I wouldn’t expect them to also have Beauty and the Beast on the Dream. Also, since the Dream only does the 3 and 4-day cruises, it doesn’t have room in the schedule for additional shows. See the list of current shows elsewhere on the blog (https://disneycruiselineblog.com/cruise-planning/live-stage-shows/).

      Given the dates in the announcement, I would expect the new cast to be on the Fantasy in mid-August.

      Reply
      1. Daniel Rich

        Argh, I see that I misread the mention of “Fantasy” above as the ship the casting announcement was for. I should have said “Dream” above, which means the new cast should be there in mid-August.

        Reply
  1. Chad Pinion

    Having never sailed the Dream (and too late on the Magic), I have always wanted to see Villains Tonight. I have sailed 3 times on the Fantasy and can’t take any more of the “shallow teens” from Wishes :). Also, I like Believe, but after 3 times….I want something new. I don’t mind one repeat show but having two ships, both stationed out of PC doing two of the same shows is disappointing. I am looking forward to my first trip on the Magic in October where all 3 shows will be Fresh 🙂

    Reply
    1. Keith

      I agree, especially after seeing Aladin (which is great), Wishes was such a disappointment —- it would be nice to see that switched out with something better.

      Reply
  2. Tammi

    So excited! I guess I’ll have to take another trip on the Dream. I just wish they did some longer itineraries. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite though.

    Reply

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