Disney’s Beauty And The Beast The Musical visits Birmingham Hippodrome next month. What’s On caught up with cast member and 2013 X Factor winner Sam Bailey to find out what audiences can expect from the show…

Sam Bailey shot to fame when she won The X Factor in 2013. Since then she’s released a chart-topping debut album, appeared as a supporting artist on Beyoncé’s The Mrs Carter Show world tour and starred in musicals Chicago and Fat Friends.

Now, she’s playing the lovable teapot Mrs Potts in Disney’s Beauty And The Beast The Musical. Twenty-seven years after the show’s Broadway debut, members of the original creative team have come together to reimagine the beloved ‘tale as old as time’ for a new UK tour. 

Most people will be familiar with the story in which village girl Belle is imprisoned by the Beast, before reversing the spell that was cast on the former prince. Disney turned the fairy tale into an animated movie in 1991, and Sam is thrilled to be part of a story that so many have grown up with.

“I pinch myself every day!” she says. “I’m so honoured to be working with such a talented cast and crew. Sometimes I can hardly concentrate because I get pulled in by someone doing an amazing bit of acting on the stage.”

This new tour uses state-of-the-art technology and the latest theatrical innovations to enchant its audiences -  although Sam is reluctant to give away the magic.

“Jim Steinmeyer designed the illusions for the show and he’s incredible. He's put some great tricks together that will have people guessing when they leave. This whole show is so magical - it’s got magic that even I can’t work out, and I’ve been doing it for six months now!

“I’ve done Beauty And The Beast panto before, but this is the real thing. And the big difference with panto is that you can’t sing any of the Disney songs.”

Disney is renowned for singalong tunes that are enjoyed by all generations, and the Beauty soundtrack has got plenty of them. Following the original film’s release, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's song, Beauty And The Beast, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, with Belle and Be Our Guest also nominated for the award.

Understandably, Sam finds it difficult to pick her favourite number.

“Obviously I love singing Beauty And The Beast every night. I’m on stage for Be Our Guest too, and the audience goes crazy every time they hear the first few lines of that song. It’s 12 minutes long, so we have an amazing group of ensemble dancers and cast members that dance flat out for 12 minutes. 

“My favourite number that I’m not on stage for is Gaston. I’m usually in the wings waiting to go on, and my heart is in my mouth every night because the tricks they do on stage are insane. It’s so clever. And it gets an amazing reaction from the audience, too. The cast have to wait to say the next line because everyone’s cheering so loud.”

Though audiences can look forward to a largely faithful retelling of the much-loved Disney film, there’s one detail that may come as a surprise - and it’s something that is very important to Sam...

“When I first started rehearsals for Beauty, I asked the bosses at Disney to make a film about a Disney princess who wears glasses. I got really choked up when I said it because my daughter wears glasses and she doesn’t think she’s a princess. She says princesses don’t wear glasses.

“When I went back to rehearsals, the director, Matt West, pulled me to one side and said he’d spoken to Tom Schumacher, who’s head of Disney Theatrical Group, and Tom said that Belle is to wear glasses in the musical. So in the first scene she comes out wearing glasses, and every time she reads a book in the show she wears them.”

Sam hopes that this small detail will make a big difference for the children in the audience.

“My daughter came to see opening night and she was over the moon. I said to her, see, I told you princesses wear glasses! I think it will really make a difference to other little girls out there who want to be princesses.”

Being a mother herself has helped Sam tackle her role as Mrs Potts, who is a maternal figure for Belle and mother to teacup Chip. 

“When you’re playing a character for any show, you can’t just step into it straight away; you have to find it first. I definitely see myself in Mrs Potts because I’m very mumsy and I do mother most of the characters. 

“Sometimes I get emotional because I can understand how my character feels. There’s a moment at the end where Chip runs up to me, and I get emotional every time because I have a son and I miss him so much when I’m away working. I miss all my kids.”

And with Birmingham just a 45-minute commute from her family home, Sam can’t wait to bring the show to the Hippodrome.

“For the last six months I’ve only been home on Sundays and Mondays, so I’m really looking forward to being in Birmingham. 

“Being away with the show has been tough, but we’re putting smiles on people’s faces up and down the country, and that feels amazing. I think it’s important to understand how valuable musical theatre is to people, especially at the moment.

“The thing about Beauty And The Beast is that it resonates with people because it has the message to never judge a book by its cover. I think a lot of people tend to judge by what someone looks like, when they should get to know them first. Beauty And The Beast is such a beautiful story because it proves that point.”

Disney’s Beauty And The Beast The Musical shows at Birmingham Hippodrome from Thurs 3 to Sat 26 March