The countdown is on until Disney’s iconic musical Beauty and the Beast opens at the Festival Theatre on Thursday 8 May. This spectacular new production from the producers of Aladdin, The Lion King, Mary Poppins and Frozen has sold over one million tickets to date around Australia and it’s now Adelaide’s turn.
Beauty and the Beast is a classic that will fill the hearts of a new generation. Based on the 1991 animated film, the original production of Beauty and the Beast played for more than 13 years on Broadway, remaining to this day one of the top 10 longest running shows in Broadway history, and has toured to 37 countries worldwide.
In the role of The Beast is the incredible Brendan Xavier. Born and raised in Sydney, Brendan’s professional debut was in Disney’s Frozen The Musical. He was originally cast in the ensemble, but later took over the lead role of Kristoff.
Brendan spoke to Glam Adelaide about the show, creating the character of The Beast during rehearsals and about his love of the performing arts.
“When I was growing up I was right into sports and I thought that my life trajectory would take me down the path of playing professionally. But then something shifted in my childhood. I discovered, through a music teacher at my school, that I could sing, and that I was quite good at it without being formally trained or anything. So I ended up doing a musical at age eighteen, which was Les Miserables. That was the first time my family ever heard me sing. That performance drew me into this wonderful theatre world. I didn’t grow up really listening to musicals or knowing much about them. It happened by chance that I fell into musical theatre and I’ve ridden the wave ever since. I really love the community and the career opportunities it has given me.”
Brendan shared his thoughts about the original Disney cartoon of Beauty and the Beast, and why it has stood the test of time and then translated so well to the stage.
“I think, for me personally, it’s the music. I think it’s the best Disney intro for an animated feature. I think that era of Disney films just captured the magic of Disney in a way that it hadn’t been seen prior to that – that Disney Renaissance period, from The Little Mermaid up through the 90s. This was a new era for Disney. Howard Ashman, Alan Menken and Tim Rice all redefined what a Disney film was. As soon as Beauty and the Beast starts, you have the nostalgia of the drawing, the painting of the castle, which is reminiscent of all those old cartoons. But then there’s this new score that’s mysterious and spooky. The prologue is my favourite song in the show, just because of the way it’s set up and how beautiful it sounds.There’s obviously the thematic nods to French music, which I love. I think it’s all to do with the music. It creates this nostalgia that didn’t really exist.”
We asked Brendan what it is about Beauty and the Beast that led him to audition for the Australian production.
“I loved the movie when I was a kid, and it’s those memories that led me to audition. I didn’t know what I would be going for in the show. I think I’m not the traditional Beast that has been seen before. There’s Michael Cormack, who played The Beast in the original Australian production in 1995, and Terrence Mann who played it on Broadway. I’m just very different. I’m actually the youngest person that’s ever played it professionally. It’s a different take on the character, and I just didn’t know if they’d want that or not. But I went in to audition and let the audition panel guide me through where they thought I should focus. It was quite an amazing audition experience.”
During the rehearsal process, we were curious to hear how much Brendan was able to workshop the character of the Beast with the production team to bring part of himself to the role.
“I never felt like they were trying to mould me into any specific version. I know that they have had a traditional version in their head from the same people that conceptualised and created the Broadway show, so they obviously had 30 years of experience with these characters, but then they allowed me to find it for myself and to explore different versions of it until we found this happy medium. I find that the character is still changing and still evolving. I try to be different. I always try to find the best version of the character. I don’t want to feel stale or stuck in a version of it. The whole process was really collaborative. Everyone from the associate director to the director to the choreographers.”
Beauty and the Beast begins previews at the Festival Theatre on May 8 ahead of its official opening night on May 10. It will be running through until Sunday July 6.
“I just love Adelaide – I’ve lived here before. It is just an amazing city to be in. Beauty and the Beast is a wonderful spectacle that is just going to blow the minds of audiences here. The Adelaide Festival Centre is an incredible space to perform. It really is a show for all generations and we love seeing families come together and share this special experience.”
Beauty and the Beast
Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
From 8 May, 2025
https://beautyandthebeastmusical.com.au/
Photo credit: Daniel Boud
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