Destination D23 Recap: Disney on Broadway's Star-Studded Family Reunion
The festivities of Destination D23 kicked into high gear with a presentation looking at the world of Disney on Broadway. Things kicked off as the original Belle in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, Susan Egan (also the voice of Megara in Hercules), took to the stage. She introduced Michael James Scott (Genie in Disney’s Aladdin), who belted out a performance of “Friend Like Me."
This presentation was more of a reuniting of friends than a panel, per se. In fact, the cast of Disney on Broadway productions consider themselves to be cousins, part of a big huge family. And that family expanded with the addition of Danny Gardner, who’s currently playing Lumiere in the new North American tour of Beauty and the Beast. He told a great story of how he learned that his wife is pregnant right before having his final call-back for the role. Now, his wife and 4½-year-old child are accompanying him on the tour.
While Scott originated the role of the Genie in Australia – which Egan joked would see him coming out of the lamp in the opposite direction – his Broadway life truly began with Beauty and the Beast. He recalled a memory of watching the show as a youngster and seeing another Black man as a spoon during “Be Our Guest." It was in this moment that he realized he could be the spoon, changing his outlook on life and what it could be.
Beauty and the Beast wasn’t a guaranteed success when it first debuted, with New York City being not exactly welcoming to the idea of Disney on Broadway. But Egan always knew it would be a success, noting that there was a different feeling to Disney shows. People who came to see the show already knew and loved the characters, so a Broadway show gave them even more time to sit with the story and explore it even more.
Before Gardner brought the house down with a tap dance-filled performance of “Be Our Guest," the panelists revealed their dream roles in other productions. Scott would love to be Elsa in Frozen, while Gardner wants to travel back in time and perform “King of New York" with the Newsies. Egan egged fans on to start a petition to bring Tangled to Broadway, where she wants to turn over an evil leaf and take on the role of Mother Gothel.
Be sure to follow along for more news and recaps out of Destination D23 all weekend long.