Beauty and the Beast: Actor Shubshri Kandiah set for Perth homecoming in 2025 as lead in iconic Disney musical

Becoming a real-life Disney princess might be the dream of many young girls, but Perth-born Shubshri Kandiah is living out her childhood passion for stage performing as she prepares to tour her hometown as the star of Beauty and the Beast The Musical in July 2025. The 29-year-old has been wowing audiences in Melbourne as Belle and recently returned for a visit to Perth with co-star Brendan Xavier, who plays Beast, ahead of general ticket sales which opened on Friday, December 6. Enjoying a photoshoot alongside her Sydney-born co-star, Kandiah wore a yellow frock designed by local designer Meraki in a nod to her character’s famous ball gown, as she and prosthetic-free Xavier lapped up the beauty of Perth along the Swan River. Growing up with Indian classical dance and music as a child immersed in her family’s heritage, Kandiah claims she was “always a bit of a Disney kid”. “I really loved animated Disney films and I think that kind of sparked the love for musical theatre,” she told The West Australian. With the musical adapted from the 1991 Academy-Award-winning film that featured classic tunes Gaston and Be Our Guest, Kandiah admitted “it’s the biggest joy to be able to sing them on stage”. Honing her craft in high school before moving to Queensland to pursue musical studies, the Penrhos College alum credits her casting as Miss Dorothy in a year 11 production of Thoroughly Modern Millie for awakening a desire to commit her life to performing. “It was the first time as an older kid, being like, ‘Oh, I really do love this’,” she said. Playing Princess Jasmine in Australia’s iteration of Disney’s Aladdin The Musical in 2018, and scoring the lead role in a Sydney production of Cinderella in 2022, she has already blazed a successful career for herself on stage. For Xavier, it was an early interest in animating — and not acting — that drew him into storytelling despite taking the stage as a teen. “I played Peter Pan in high school. I don’t think I was very good at it,” he joked. Now backed by Disney to bring the Beast to life, Xavier suggested his now-five or six minutes in the make-up chair to get into character is not reflective of the production team’s efforts to create a world-class show. “There’s incredible pyrotechnics, practical magic, there’s all sorts of different sort of aspects. So it’s this huge, grand scale Broadway-level show that is such a joy to be a part of,” he said. With the musical having never graced the Perth stage, fans of the Disney production that toured the East Coast in the 90’s are promised an entirely new experience. And one that can be enjoyed across generations. “I had a lady at stage door the other day that said she had brought her daughter to see the show 30 years ago when it was in Melbourne, and she’s back this time with her daughter and their granddaughter,” Xavier said. With so much discourse around the right for audiences to belt out their favourite numbers as they playout, Kandiah admitted the reimagined tunes haven’t drawn that kind of reaction from fans. “It doesn’t really happen that people sing along. It’s not really that type of show,” she said. “It’s kind of . . . come and watch the magic happen.” While the local is looking forward to exploring her hometown with her cast and crew next year, including a visit to “iconic places like Rottnest”, she encouraged Perth to plan ahead this festive season so they don’t miss the show when it hits Crown Perth in July. “It really is a beautiful show for everyone and would make a wonderful Christmas gift. That’s what I’ll be getting my family,” Kandiah said. Tickets to the Australian production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast The Musical go on sale Friday December 6.