Courtney Stapleton

Last updated
Courtney Jane Stapleton
Born (1993-08-27) August 27, 1993 (age 31)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • dancer
  • photographer
Years active2015–present

Courtney Jane Stapleton (born 27 August 1993) [1] is a British actress, singer, dancer and photographer. She is best known for playing Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast stage musical in 2022. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Stapleton attended Cornwallis Academy and joined the local Hazlitt Youth Theatre. [3] She went on to train at the Arts Educational School (ArtsEd), graduating in 2014. [4] [5]

Career

Stapleton made her West End debut in the cast of Mamma Mia in 2015, covering the role of Ali, as well as being part of the ensemble for the show.

She joined the ensemble of Bat Out of Hell in 2017 with the show touring the UK and returning to London twice, at the Coliseum (2017) and the Dominion Theatre (2018). [6]

In October 2019 she moved to the cast of Dear Evan Hansen , premiering in the UK with Sam Tutty making his West End debut in the title role. [7]

Stapleton was announced to have been cast as Belle in the revival of Disney's Beauty and the Beast in 2022. Fellow cast members for this production were Gavin Lee as Lumiere, Sam Bailey as Mrs Potts. The production started as a UK and Ireland tour, subsequently moving to the London Palladium for the 2022 summer season. [8] This version of the show featured new designs and new dance arrangements, including a tap dance moment during "Be Our Guest", specifically created for Gavin Lee. [9]

In June 2023 it was announced that Stapleton will join the cast of the summer concert staging of Love Never Dies as Meg Giry. The version of the musical will be held at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and will star Norm Lewis as Phantom and Celinde Schoenmaker as Christine. [10]

Theatre credits

YearTitleRoleTheatre
2015 Mamma Mia Ensemble/ Cover Ali Novello Theatre
2016 Les Miserables Ensemble/ Cover Eponine Queen's Theatre
2017 - 2018 Bat Out of Hell Ensemble/ Dance Captain / cover GoddesillaWest End and International Tour
2019 Six Swing (Parr and Seymour) Arts Theatre
2019 Dear Evan Hansen Standby Zoe Murphy and Alana Beck Noël Coward Theatre
2020The ThrowawaysAudrey The Other Palace
2022 Beauty and the Beast BelleUK Tour and London Palladium
2023 Love Never Dies in concertMeg Giry Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
2024 Avalon First Look ConcertMorgan Le Fay Phoenix Arts Club

Awards and nominations

YearWorkAwardCategoryResult
2022 Beauty and the Beast Black British Theatre Awards LGBTQIA Champion Award [11] Nominated
2022Beauty and the BeastBlack British Theatre AwardsBest Female Actor in a MusicalWon
2022Beauty and the BeastBroadwayWorld UK / West End AwardsBest Leading Performer in a New Production of a Musical [12] Nominated

Related Research Articles

<i>Beauty and the Beast</i> (1991 film) American animated musical fantasy romance film

Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the 1756 fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, in turn an abridged version of the 1740 story by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. The film also incorporates ideas from the 1946 French film directed by Jean Cocteau. The film was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, and produced by Don Hahn, from a screenplay by Linda Woolverton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Palladium</span> West End theatre in London

The London Palladium is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many with televised performances. Between 1955 and 1969 Sunday Night at the London Palladium was staged at the venue, produced for the ITV network. The show included a performance by the Beatles on 13 October 1963; one newspaper's headlines in the following days coined the term "Beatlemania" to describe the hysterical interest in the band.

<i>Beauty and the Beast</i> (musical) Stage musical, based on the 1991 animated the Disney film

Beauty and the Beast is a Disney stage musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton. Adapted from Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Beauty and the Beast – which in turn had been based on the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" by French author Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont – Beauty and the Beast tells the story of an unkind prince who has been magically transformed into an unsightly creature as punishment for his selfish ways. To revert into his true human form, the Beast must learn to love a bright, beautiful young lady who he has imprisoned in his enchanted castle and earn her love in return before it is too late.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Theatrical Productions</span> Subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment, a major division and business unit of The Walt Disney Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavin Lee</span> British actor

Gavin Lee is an English actor who has appeared on the stage in musical theatre, notably as Bert in the musical Mary Poppins, in both the West End and on Broadway, and as Squidward Tentacles in the original Broadway cast of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical.

Nick Winston is an English director and choreographer working in theatre, opera and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Ball</span> English actor (born 1964)

Martin Ball is an English theatre and television actor. He was born and grew up in Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent. He trained at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, and graduated in 1992.

JoAnn Gibb is a Scottish theatre actress best known for her role of Rumpleteazer in the 1998 film of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, and as the replacement Pearl the Observation Car in the original production of Starlight Express. She also played Belle in the 2006 UK Productions tour of Beauty and the Beast and appeared as Columbia in the 2000 UK national tour of The Rocky Horror Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dianne Pilkington</span> English theatre actress and singer

Dianne Lesley Pilkington is an English theatre actress and singer.

Barry James is an English theatre actor and singer.

<i>Beauty and the Beast</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise based on fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont

Beauty and the Beast is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional merchandise. The success of the original 1991 American animated feature, Beauty and the Beast, directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, led to three direct-to-video follow-up films, a live-action spin-off television series, a Disney World stage show, a Disney World restaurant, a trackless dark ride, several video games, merchandise, and the 10th longest-running musical in Broadway history, which was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning for Best Costume Design. In March 2017, Disney released a live-action remake of the film.

"If I Can't Love Her" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice for the musical Beauty and the Beast (1994), a stage adaptation of Disney's 1991 animated film of the same name. Sung by the Beast after he frightens Belle away from the castle, "If I Can't Love Her" details the characters' struggles to love her. The song was first performed by American actor Terrence Mann, who both originated the role of the Beast on Broadway and recorded it for the show's original cast album.

Alex Boniello is an American actor, musician, author, and producer best known for his portrayal of the voice of Moritz in the 2015 Broadway revival of Spring Awakening, as well as his performance as Connor Murphy in the Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen. In 2019, he won the Tony Award for Best Musical as a producer for Hadestown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Tutty</span> English actor

Sam Tutty is an English actor. He is most known for his title role in the West End production of the musical Dear Evan Hansen for which a then 22-year-old Tutty won a 2020 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, becoming one of the youngest winners of the award. In 2021, he briefly joined the cast of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as Timmy Simons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courtney Bowman</span> English stage actress and singer

Courtney Bowman is an English stage actress and singer. She originated the role of Fatimah in Everybody's Talking About Jamie at the Crucible and Apollo Theatre. She played Anne Boleyn in Six at the Arts Theatre, Lyric Theatre and Vaudeville Theatre and Elle Woods in Legally Blonde at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Bowman most recently starred in Pretty Woman: The Musical as Kit De Luca at the Savoy Theatre.

<i>Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration</i> 2022 American TV series or program

Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration is a musical television special created for ABC, based on Disney's 1991 animated feature film Beauty and the Beast. It was produced by Jon M. Chu and directed by Hamish Hamilton. It serves as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the animated film’s historic Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It aired on ABC on December 15, 2022, before streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration received generally positive reviews from critics.

Nicole Raquel Dennis is a British musical theatre performer and singer. They are best known as one of the contestants on season eight of The Voice UK and for playing Effie White in the first UK tour of the musical Dreamgirls.

Alice Fearn is a British stage actress. She is best known for playing captain Beverley Bass in Come from Away and Elphaba in Wicked in London's West End.

Ryan Kopel is a Scottish actor and singer. He is known for his roles in various West End stage plays, including the titular role of Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen.

Rebecca McKinnis is a British actress and singer who is best known for playing Margaret New in Everybody's Talking about Jamie and Heidi Hansen in the original West End cast of Dear Evan Hansen.

References

  1. "Courtney Stapleton | West End Performers | London Theatre Direct". www.londontheatredirect.com. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  2. "Courtney Stapleton: 'Belle is Disney's bookworm'". Disney Tickets UK. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  3. "Kent's new West End talent". Kentish Gazette. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  4. "Profile | Spotlight". www.spotlight.com. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  5. "BA (Hons) Musical Theatre". ArtsEd. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  6. "Bat Out of Hell casting announced – exclusive". 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  7. LTD, THEATRE DOT LONDON. "NEWS | FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR LONDON PREMIERE OF DEAR EVAN HANSEN | Theatre.London · The official home of London Theatre". www.theatre.london. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  8. Stewart, Greg (2022-06-30). "Review: Beauty and the Beast at The London Palladium". Theatre Weekly. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  9. Gans, Andrew (September 29, 2021). "Courtney Stapleton and Emmanuel Kojo Star in U.K. and Ireland Tour of Beauty and the Beast, Opening September 29". Playbill.com.
  10. "Full cast for Love Never Dies at Theatre Royal Drury Lane revealed". 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  11. "Nominees for 2022 Black British Theatre Awards revealed". 2022-09-14. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  12. Awards, B. W. W. "Winners Announced for The 2022 BroadwayWorld UK / West End Awards; MOULIN ROUGE Wins Best Musical!". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-06-24.