Since mid-2023, Australian audiences have been able to fall in love with Disney Theatrical Production’s official Australian production of Beauty and the Beast the Musical, offering the iconic story revolving around beauty being more than what is on the outside, a spectacular cast, and ultimately showing that even if it was the first animated feature film Disney adapted to the stage, it still greatly holds up to even their more modern works like Frozen or Aladdin. You can read my full review of this ★★★★★ 5-star musical HERE. The tour is now performing at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s (QPAC) Lyric Theatre until June 2024, where it will travel down south to Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre.
With the character’s charm, wit and eccentric style of humour, the role of Lumiere has always been an iconic one , capturing the adoration of both the youngest patrons looking for visual gags and one-liners, and the older patrons like myself who enjoy his chemistry with the pendulum clock Cogsworth, him being the center of the show-stopping song ‘Be Our Guest’, and the richness he brings to the story as a whole. But to encapsulate such a role, you need a talented actor. During the ongoing Australian tour, the character of Lumiere has been portrayed by Rohan Browne, a star of stage, screen and television who absolutely nails his role. Browne has over two decades to experience on the screen, including as the ever-memorable Ken Railings in Strictly Ballroom the Musical (among many other musicals over the years), roles in Dance Academy, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Mad as Hell, We Interrupt this Broadcast, and an original artist as part of animated feature film, Happy Feet.
Amidst his busy schedule, Rohan Browne was kind enough to respond to some questions from me about their experiences in their almost-a-year performing as part of Beauty and the Beast the Musical, their excitement about the ongoing Brisbane leg of their tour, and insights into how they bring Lumiere to life multiple times each week. You can read the full interview below!
You are now more than six months into Beauty and the Beast Australian season – having wrapped up the Sydney season and now part-way through performing the Brisbane season. How has the Australian tour been treating you so far, and what have been some highlights on your journey with the production? Are you excited about the months ahead, to be performing in Brisbane?
This production of Beauty and the Beast has been received incredibly by both Sydney and Brisbane audiences alike. Beauty and the Beast already has a vast audience base due the popular animated film and the original Australian production that first premiered in Melbourne in 1995, so seeing audiences lap up every second of this reimagined staging has been a remarkable experience. It’s really special.
I remember one of the first times I saw you on-stage quite vividly, in your role as Ken Railings in Strictly Ballroom the Musical. From that alone, I know you have incredible dance prowess. In embodying Lumiere, you are portraying a character who is iconically, a candlestick. How did you approach bringing the charm of the character to stage… and what is it like performing with “candles” at the end of your hands?
That’s very kind of you. When I first started in this industry my experience was predominantly from a dance background, so I have the ability to incorporate a great understanding of physical emotion and gestures. In having that skillset, approaching Lumiere, knowing he was slowly turning into a candle and only having limited use of his hands, the challenge was to find physical gestures that could help tell the story of his joy, sorrow and excitement. I have tried to endow as much of that through my physicality as well as through the text.
Lumiere has some of the most memorable musical numbers in Beauty and the Beast both physically and vocally, the number coming to mind being Be Our Guest. How do you prepare to deliver your role each night, and maintain the level of consistent energy throughout some of the more intensive scenes?
‘Be Our Guest’ is such a brilliant number to perform, it doesn’t take much coercing to deliver every night! The way the audience responds to the opening notes of the number, with fervour and excitement, so that even on the days where you may be tired or struggling, that always gets you through. That’s the challenge of our job; to deliver eight shows a week to an audience that is, predominantly, seeing it for the first time (apart from our super fans), and give them an experience they will never forget. We have a duty, and it’s quite a privilege, to give that to people. It’s the legacy we continue to share. It takes discipline and hard work outside of the show to maintain that level and be able to perform every night… And over the span of my 25 years in the industry and counting!
You have such a charming accent throughout the show, how did you go about perfecting it for the character of Lumiere, and were there any particular challenges or amusing anecdotes you encountered while mastering it?
The French accent is quite a good one, it exudes charm and charisma, so that does a lot of the work for me! I feel I had a good grasp on it to begin with, but it did require some work on certain phrases that were more complex to say. In fact, I was even told in the rehearsal room that my accent was sounding a little “too French” and that I needed to round out some of the accent so it would be understood by our Australian audiences haha.
At the end of the Sydney season of Beauty and the Beast, you had performed to well over 340,000 patrons, and potentially 340,000 different reactions to the musical. What have been some of your favourite moments engaging with theatre-goers, from ovations to experiences at stage door?
Looking out into the theatre during the show and seeing the joy and amazement on their faces, from grandparents taking their grandchildren, to couples on date nights, to school students on an excursion, to parents taking their kids to the theatre for the first time. Hearing the chuckles of children throughout the show – some even huge laugh-out-loud moments! – warms your heart when you can hear them enjoying it so much.
What were your earliest memories of watching Beauty and the Beast the film? And why do you think the works around the film, such as this musical, continue to resonate with audiences today?
Disney always has such strong, key messaging in their work, and I believe that is the reason Beauty and the Beast has longevity and continues to resonate with audiences today… And you could tell from the moment the original animated film was released that it had a future life onstage! Seeing it in its original form in the 1995 production, it was the biggest blockbuster NEW musical Australia had, and it was epic in so many ways; Hugh Jackman in his first professional role playing Gaston being just one of them!
What made you originally audition for the role of Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast?
The exuberant nature of the Lumiere – his warmth, humour and charm – was something I resonated with. I didn’t realise at the time that my whole skill set would be utilised to bring him to life in this production, but it was ultimately his personality that I really connected with. That, and the chance to sing ‘Be Our Guest’ was high on the list too.
What advice do you have for those who hope to follow in your footsteps and seek out their own career in the performing arts industry?
Be open to opportunity. Learn as much as you can. Find a mentor to help guide you. Go to class, absorb. Experience life. Work hard. Have great discipline. Be humble. Know your worth and value. Be diligent. And keep learning, always. Greatest thing I have learned is that with every ‘no’, you are one step closer to a ‘yes’.
You have been involved in a range of performing arts opportunities from film to television to, of course, musicals and stage performances. Focusing just on the latter, what do you love most about performing on-stage / what has kept you in the industry for so long?
I am a stage beast (no pun intended). I love being on-stage and honing my craft, connecting to an audience and doing the work. I really have loved my theatre career, and have never stopped learning how to deliver a line, a series of movements, or a song. And I love figuring it out with an audience! I think having that mindset has always helped me to never plateau or become tired of doing it, because I always want to learn and improve.
Rapid Fire Questions!
Favourite song in Beauty and the Beast the Musical?
RB: ‘Home’. Shubshri Kandiah, our Belle, can SING!
Favourite moment in the show?
I love the Getting Ready scene with Lumiere, Beast and Cogsworth after Human Again in Act Two.
Favourite piece of choreography in the show?
It has got to be the spectacular tap finale in ‘Be Our Guest’.
Favourite costume in the show?
It has to be Cogsworth or Madame. They are both so ornately beautiful and complex. However, I will say, the reinvention of the Lumiere costume for this Australian production, by our brilliant Australian team led by Brisbane’s Janet Hine, is second to none.
Favourite piece of staging / set design?
The projection used for Mob Song in Act Two is incredible.
Favourite moment with the cast/crew?
Being ‘handless’ most of the show, I rely heavily on the show’s props team and my dresser backstage. I literally couldn’t do the show without them.
First impressions when walking into rehearsals on the first day?
This is going to be EPIC’.
Do you have a favourite pre-show ritual or routine?
Not really, but something audiences may not know is that every cast member has to do a ‘mic check’ before the show, and we always have a theme or keyword we have to incorporate.
Favourite Disney animated work?
The Emperor’s New Groove.
If you had the opportunity to fill another role in Beauty and the Beast Musical for one night, with no limitations, what role would that be?
GASTON! Hands down.
What is something that people might miss on for their first watch of Beauty and the Beast but should keep an eye out for.
Fun fact, Lumiere makes a special entrance in an earlier scene before you see him when Maurice comes to the castle.
Something you are most looking forward to doing while in Brisbane?
I have some very good friends that live up here in Brisbane, so catching up with them will be a joy!
My sincerest thanks go out again to Rohan Browne for generously taking the time to for being so generous with their time and insight when responding to these questions. Special thanks must also go to Disney Theatrical Productions Australia and the show’s publicity team at Peach and Pineapple for facilitating this opportunity!
Want more? You can read our interview with Shubshri Kandiah (Belle) from 2023 HERE, and my recent interview with Jackson Head (Gaston) HERE. More interviews are planned to be released in the future, so keep an eye out for more insights from the Beauty and the Beast the Musical Australian cast soon.
Tickets to see the Brisbane (QPAC, Lyric Theatre) and Melbourne (Her Majesty’s Theatre) seasons of Beauty and the Beast the Musical are currently on-sale, with ticketing information for both states available via the musical’s official Australian website. The musical will run in Brisbane until 9 June 2024, where it will then travel to Melbourne to commence the third leg of its Australian tour in late-June 2024.
With the Easter school holidays almost underway in Queensland, Disney Theatrical Productions will also be offering extra midweek matinee performances on Thursdays and Fridays during the school holiday period. Plus, the 5-ticket buy offer, where guests can save $20 per ticket, has also been extended for the holidays and is available for all midweek matinees, midweek evening and Sunday evening performances between 2 April 2024 – 14 April 2024.
