With only a week remaining in the production’s Brisbane season until its magic goes down to Melbourne for the third leg of its Australian season, Disney Theatrical Productions has celebrated Beauty and the Beast the Musical being the Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s (QPAC) highest selling season of any show at the venue in the last decade. This, of course, is in part thanks to enjoying an expansive season which commenced in February, but also thanks to more than 200,000 Queenslanders coming out to see the musical in its inaugural Brisbane season.
These sale numbers also put it at the third highest selling season in QPAC’s history, behind the 1996 production of Phantom of the Opera and the monolith which was Disney Theatrical Production’s 2014-2015 Brisbane season of The Lion King. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that spanning The Lion King, Aladdin, Mary Poppins, Frozen and Beauty and the Beast the Musical – 1.1 million Queenslanders have attended Disney productions at the Lyric Theatre – or at least seats to such productions have been sold.
Celebrating this announcement, Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand shared:
It’s fantastic to see Disney Theatrical Group’s new production of Beauty and the Beast filling the hearts of Queensland audiences at the Lyric Theatre night after night.
Our cast, crew, orchestra, creatives and management team are thrilled to have surpassed our previous long-held record in Queensland. We love bringing our shows to QPAC, and we’re excited to continue to produce world-class musicals around the country for everyone to enjoy.
Furthermore, QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas AM also celebrated the announcement, noting the strong appeal of Disney’s musical productions:
We know our audiences love musical theatre and Disney always over-delivers on outstanding production values with refined storytelling that taps into nostalgia.
We’re committed to partnering with the very best producers, arts companies, and artists to ensure we deliver a diverse and engaging annual program of live performing arts experiences that draw in audiences. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast has been a highlight of the 2024 program, as evidenced by these impressive audience numbers.
To us, Beauty and the Beast the Musical is a ★★★★★ production, and features a stellar Australian cast including Shubshri Kandiah in the role of Belle, Brendan Xavier as the Beast, Rohan Browne as Lumiere, Jackson Head as Gaston, Gareth Jacobs as Cogsworth, Jayde Westaby as Mrs. Potts, Nick Cox as Le Fou, Hayley Martin as Babette, Alana Tranter as Madame, Rodney Dobson as Maurice and four young local boys who alternate the adorable role of Chip every performance.
Beauty and the Beast the Musical will be headed next to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne, with the first performance starting in late-June 2024. For ticketing information for both the final week of the Brisbane season and the upcoming Melbourne season, visit the musical’s official website.
