Martin Short will play Lumiere and Shania Twain will play Mrs. Potts for the cast of the ABC live musical Beauty and the Beast. The late Angela Lansbury voiced Mrs. Potts in the animated film. H.E.R. is Belle and Josh Groban is Beast in the ABC live musical. In addition to Short and Twain, Rizwan Manji is LeFou, Jon Jon Briones is Bell’s father, Maurice, and Leo Abelo Perry, is Chip, and David Alan Grier is Cogsworth. Rita Moreno will narrate and Jon M. Chu is the executive producer. Hamish Hamilton is directing the musical production. The animated film came out in 1991 and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1992. This is the 30th-anniversary celebration. It’s the anniversary of the Academy Award win, not the film’s release. The Beauty and the Beast production has a new cast and will feature new costumes and sets.
H.E.R., Short, Twain, and Grier Make a Star-Studded Cast
Martin Short, H.E.R., Josh Groban, and Shania Twain are experienced singers. David Alan Grier is a veteran comedian that will play up the comedic parts of the ABC live musical well. Grier has also won a Tony for A Soldier’s Play. The cast of Beauty and the Beast has decades of professional experience. Only Murders in the Building star Martin Short is a Broadway alum and a comedy legend that is a welcome addition to the ABC live musical. H.E.R. is an Oscar winner and a Grammy Award-winning singer that has been easing her way into acting. Josh Groban is an award-winning singer and has many acting credits. Shania Twain has some acting credits but is a world-renowned country music singer. The cast of Beauty and the Beast has a wide range of experience they bring to this production.
The ABC live musical of Beauty and the Beast with the new cast will premiere on December 15.
