Susan Egan, who originated the role of Belle on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on Broadway and also voiced Meg in Hercules has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy. Because of this, she has had to pull out of the Disney Princess – The Concert tour.
In a post on Instagram, Egan shared, ” this past week I was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy (cute right? Belle!) – a temporary condition which paralyzes one side of the face. I’m told it’s triggered by a virus, and it seems we have one of those lurking about. I should make a full recovery, but like Justin Bieber (good company!), who announced a similar condition, I’m unable to perform at this time, and thus will not be on tour with Disney Princess – The Concert this fall.” The post was accompanied by a picture of Belle scowling with a graphic saying “Bell’s Palsy?” on it.
Egan will continue her work as an executive producer for the show and work behind the scenes until she can return to performing again. In her place, Anneliese van der Pol will be coming in from October 28 through December 10. She portrays Chelsea Daniels in That’s So Raven and also Raven’s Home. She was also the finale Belle in Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast. She has toured with Disney Princess – The Concert before and was loved by audiences. Sarah Uriarte Berry will also be kicking off the tour from October 20 through October 26. She was the very first Belle in the stage show at Disneyland and was the second person to portray the role on the Broadway show. She has starred as Cinderella on Broadway, Eponine in in Les Miserables and many other shows.
There are three other members of the princess cast as well. Broadway stars Christy Altomare (original Anya in Broadway’s Anastasia), Isabelle McCalla (Jasmine in Broadway’s Aladdin), and Syndee Winters (Nala in Broadway’s The Lion King) all bring their talent to the show as well. The show will be traveling to 40 new cities starting on October 20, 2022.
Recently, Susan Egan was a part of a panel at the D23 Expo where she shared how Disney Princess – The Concert came to be. She was joined by other character voices during the panel that ranged from Disney princesses to a warrior, to the voices of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
More details and tickets about Disney Princess – The Concert can be found at disneyprincessconcert.com.
