Donny Osmond to Join Cast of Beauty and the Beast in September

Pop star Donny Osmond will take over the role of Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on September 9 and will stay with the show for nine weeks.

Osmond has previously appeared on Broadway in Little Johnny Jones, and he headlined the national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as well the film version of the musical. He starred on television in The Donny & Marie Show with his sister; a DVD box set of excerpts from the series will be released this summer. The pair later hosted a daytime talk show, Donny and Marie. Osmond’s many pop hits include “One Bad Apple,” “Puppy Love,” “The Twelfth of Never,” and “Soldier of Love.”

Beauty and the Beast currently features Steve Blanchard as the Beast, Ashley Brown as Belle, Grant Norman as Gaston, Jacob Young as Lumiere, Jeanne Lehman as Mrs. Potts, Christopher Duva as Cogsworth, Jamie Ross as Maurice, Meredith Inglesby as Babette, Gina Ferrall as Madame de la Grande Bouche, and Aldrin Gonzalez as Lefou. Trevor Braun and Alexander Scheitinger alternate the role of Chip. The show will celebrate its 5,000th performance on June 20.