Former Belle Debbie Gibson returned to Disney’s Beauty and the Beast as the musical reached the end of its Las Vegas engagement at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
The visit gave the Beauty and the Beast Las Vegas final weekend an unusually personal connection to its Broadway past. Gibson played Belle in Disney’s original Broadway production from September 24, 1997, through June 28, 1998, according to Playbill’s records of Gibson’s Broadway run. The touring production’s official social account also shared images from her visit, including a photo with the company.
The important distinction for Disney fans is that the curtain has fallen only on Las Vegas. The North American tour itself is continuing, with its next engagement scheduled to begin September 22 in Costa Mesa, California.
Debbie Gibson Returns to ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Gibson’s appearance carries more weight than a typical celebrity backstage visit. Playbill’s archival records show that Gibson took over the role of Belle on Broadway on September 24, 1997, replacing Kerry Butler. She remained with the production until June 28, 1998, when Kim Huber succeeded her.
That makes Gibson part of a long line of performers associated with Belle on stage, alongside original Broadway star Susan Egan. Disney fans have continued to see those theatrical connections surface elsewhere, including Egan’s appearance in the 2026 DISNEY ON BROADWAY lineup at EPCOT’s International Festival of the Arts.
Her Las Vegas return therefore landed at an especially fitting moment: not at the beginning of the engagement, but as this particular stop was preparing to say goodbye.
Beauty and the Beast Las Vegas Says Goodbye
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast played The Smith Center from September 15 through September 20 as part of the venue’s 2026-2027 Broadway Las Vegas Series. The Smith Center now lists the engagement as having been performed, confirming that the Nevada run is over.
The venue promoted the production as a newly staged version of the familiar musical, with new sets and costumes. It also highlighted a significant piece of context: this is Disney’s first North American tour of Beauty and the Beast in more than 25 years.
That touring revival extends a property with a presence far beyond traditional theater. At Walt Disney World, for example, Beauty and the Beast remains represented through Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The resort has also continued using Disney theatrical performers in EPCOT programming, creating another bridge between Disney’s parks and stage history.
The Disney Classic Still Has a Large Footprint
The current tour reunites members of the original Broadway creative team, according to Disney’s official Beauty and the Beast tour promotion. The musical features songs associated with Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice while presenting the story through a refreshed touring production.
For theme-park audiences, the franchise remains equally visible. Disney’s Hollywood Studios continues to offer Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage, while EPCOT’s France Pavilion again presents the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along after the Palais du Cinéma reopened following a refurbishment earlier in 2026.
The broader Disney parks footprint even reaches Tokyo Disney Resort, where Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast represents the franchise as a major ride experience.
Gibson’s visit connects directly to that longevity. She stepped into Belle’s shoes nearly three decades ago; in 2026, a new company is carrying the stage production to audiences across North America.
This Was a Las Vegas Ending, Not a Tour Closure
The wording matters here. Beauty and the Beast has finished its scheduled Las Vegas engagement, but there is no indication that Disney has canceled or permanently closed the North American tour.
In fact, the official Beauty and the Beast tour schedule lists the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa from September 22 through October 11. Albuquerque follows from October 14 through October 18, with Denver scheduled from October 20 through November 7. Additional engagements are listed into 2027.
That continuing itinerary makes the Las Vegas finale less a final goodbye than a handoff to the next city. It also means fans who missed the production at The Smith Center still have numerous scheduled opportunities to see it elsewhere.
For Disney followers accustomed to attraction refurbishments and entertainment changes, that distinction is important. A local closing date can sound permanent when separated from the larger touring schedule, just as temporary changes to Beauty and the Beast offerings at EPCOT can be mistaken for permanent removals.
Where ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Goes Next
The Las Vegas chapter is finished, and Gibson’s return gave that final weekend a direct link to the musical’s Broadway history. Now the production moves on.
Disney’s official tour calendar currently stretches through multiple U.S. and Canadian cities, with further dates listed into 2027 and a notice that more cities are expected to be announced. The immediate next stop is Costa Mesa, where performances are scheduled to start September 22.
For Las Vegas audiences, however, September 20 was the curtain call. Gibson’s backstage reunion arrived just before that goodbye—a former Belle revisiting the show as one city’s engagement ended and another was about to begin.
