Matthew Murphy
Danny Gardner (Lumiere), Kathy Voytko (Mrs. Potts), Kevin Ligon (Maurice), Cameron Monroe Thomas (Babette), Javier Ignacio (Cogsworth), and Holly Ann Butler (Madame de la Grande Bouche) in Disney’s *Beauty and the Beast*. Photo by Matthew Murphy. © Disney
Within the magic of talking furniture and tales of a ferocious beast, three Texas State alumni bring the Disney dream to life on Broadway.
Disney’s “Beauty and The Beast The Musical” tour will run nightly until June 20, 2027 as of March 10. The alumni involved in the production showcase the strength of Texas State’s musical theater program and the drive that sets Bobcats apart.
Cameron Monroe Thomas, who plays Babette, and Carson Palmer, a vocational swing, set off their debut national tour alongside longtime performer Kyra Belle Johnson, who plays Belle. Thomas credits Texas State for being part of the preparation of this new lifestyle.
“It’s a completely different lifestyle than anything else,” Thomas said. “[Texas State] taught me how to be a human first. Even though we’re all here for a job, it makes such a difference to have a kind heart because it makes you enjoyable to work with.”
The actors learned the entire show in three weeks. Thomas said Texas State prepared them to be strong performers and taught them what it means to represent Bobcat pride on a professional level.
“It’s such an energy that Bobcats have, and it’s so evident that we’re kind people that love this art form and will dedicate and put their all into it without forgetting that we’re all human,” Thomas said.
While the alumni were not entirely familiar with one another before, Thomas said they connected after finding out about their similar Texas State backgrounds and made up for the years missed.
“I went to school with [Palmer] three out of my four years [at Texas State], so when I found out we were both on this job, it was very exciting,” Thomas said. “I had met [Johnson] just once before we started [‘Beauty and The Beast’] because she graduated in 2021, so I never overlapped with her in school. But through rehearsals, we became super close, and now I feel like I’ve known her for so much longer than I have.”
Julio Catano, coordinator of musical theatre dance at Texas State, taught Thomas and Palmer and watched them take the stage for their “Beauty and The Beast” performance on Dec. 19 in Dallas.
“It was really prideful [to see them on stage],” Catano said. “At the end of the day, what we try to get students to have the capability to do is to just execute their job, and to execute that at the Disney production level is to execute at a very high level.”
Catano said he recalled his time working alongside Thomas and Palmer during their time at Texas State. He said he thought it was special when Thomas told him she tried “kicking her leg high enough” just like he taught her. Palmer is one of the first students Catano worked on choreography with when he played Lewis on the show “Pippin” during Texas State’s spring 2023 theater season.
“[Palmer] had such an attention to detail and such great discipline,” Catano said. “One of the most detailed artists I’ve ever worked with. Truly, you could see that when he would run a room.”
Jackson Perrin, voice line coordinator for Texas State’s musical theater program, said the type of students Thomas and Palmer were compared to their current journey. He said Palmer’s curiosity and discipline made him the perfect person to take on such a demanding role as vocational swing.
Perrin and Catano’s experience in musical theater taught them that educating is not just what they teach students but rather what they bring out of them.
“That drive — I personally don’t believe that as an educator, I can give that to someone. I don’t even think it’s my job,” Perrin said. “I think it’s my job to facilitate it, to foster it and to pour into it, but the drive was already there. What [you see on the stage], that’s been [Thomas and Palmer] since the beginning. These are driven humans, and it is inspiring to be around like-minded people.”
While the tour has no clear end date, the Disney magic follows every audience member who witnesses the actors creating a new generation of dreamers. Perrin said he remains prideful Texas State can provide aspiring actors achievable paths to living their dreams.
“It is one of the most fulfilling parts about being an educator,” Perrin said. “Our students’ successes are not ours, but what it is, it’s so fulfilling to watch with pride and joy, seeing someone scale their vision into fruition. In my eyes, there’s nothing on Earth as beautiful as that — to see someone make their dreams their reality.”
