‘Beauty and the Beast’ Is Live on Stage!

“Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” plays in Tucson from June 16-June 21 at Centennial Hall. Touring with “Beauty and the Beast” is Stephen Mark Lukas, who plays the role of Gaston.

“One of the first shows I saw on Broadway was ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in its original Broadway production,” Lukas said. While growing up in Maine, Lukas’ parents would take the family on trips regularly to New York City where they would see Broadway shows. Lukas added that seeing musicals like “Beauty and the Beast” and listening to the soundtracks really made him fall in love with musical theater and made him want to become an actor. He studied musical theatre at NYU and after graduating, started performing in shows. 

Before playing Gaston on the Broadway tour, he played Gaston at Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey in 2019.

“What’s really neat is that every audience, you know, all over the country reacts differently to the show.” Lukas said. “Sometimes it’s the big dance numbers, sometimes it’s the more intimate heartfelt moments, sometimes it’s the comedy,” he said, explaining his favorite part about being on a tour. One thing that can be challenging about being on tour is that the cast does not always get a day off. If they do a lot of one week engagements back to back, cast members are often traveling on Monday, their one day off from shows. 

Gaston is such a well-known character. When asked how he makes the role of Gaston his own, Lukas said, “Just really thinking what motivates this person.” He continued, saying “this person is, of course, self-aggrandizing and confident, but he’s also a deeply flawed and fearful person, and we see that at the end… That leads you to a place where you’re not just doing an impression of the movie, but…an organic, more natural type place.”

“Beauty and the Beast” is a wonderful show about not judging a book by its cover and learning to understand each other. Through its magical songs like “Be our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast” it teaches us to learn to understand each other and have empathy.

I hope everyone gets a chance to go see “Beauty and the Beast” live on stage at Centennial Hall. You can buy tickets at broadwayintucson.com.