Theatre News

Live Beauty and the Beast television event to be broadcast this December

The animated classic will come to life with live performances to celebrate its 30th anniversary

| London |

6 July 2022

Courtney Stapleton and Shaq Taylor in Beauty and the Beast — Courtney Stapleton and Shaq Taylor in *Beauty and the Beast*
© Johan Persson / Disney

American television network ABC will air a live/animation hybrid production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast on Wednesday 15 December in celebration of the iconic film's 30th anniversary.

Directed by Hamish Hamilton and produced by Jon M. Chu, the television event will be akin to the 2019 broadcast of The Little Mermaid, which blended the beloved film with live performances from stars such as Amber Riley and Queen Latifah.

Casting and additional information is still to be announced.

Beauty and the Beast Live will be available for next-day streaming on Disney Plus in the United States, beginning December 16. Plans for a UK broadcast or streaming release are still to be confirmed.

The stage version of the classic Disney tale (which received a glowing review from WhatsOnStage) is currently running at the London Palladium until 17 September, before heading to the Bristol Hippodrome (29 September to 12 November) and Dublin's Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (24 November to 8 January 2023).

We recently sat down with three of the production's stars – Courtney Stapleton (who plays the role of Belle), Shaq Taylor (the Beast) and Sam Bailey (Mrs Potts) – for a game of "Be Our Guest… Take Our Test!" Find out who came out on top in the video below: