BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Star Emmanuel Kojo Suspended Due to Alleged 'Inappropriate Comments' to Female Crew Member

Emmanuel Kojo has been suspended from the UK tour of Beauty and the Beast due to allegations that he made "inappropriate comments to a female crew member", The Sun reports.

Kojo has played the Beast in the touring production of the musical since September 23, but Alyn Hawke has taken over the role for the past week.

"It has been claimed he was on the side of the stage and made a comment to a female member of the crew about the way she was looking at him," a source told The Sun. "She was very uncomfortable and the comment was overheard."

According to The Stage, a spokesperson for Disney confirmed that an investigation is now underway, stating, "We are aware of a complaint, which we take very seriously, and a thorough investigation is underway. The employee in question has been suspended until the matter is resolved."

Read more on The Sun and The Stage.

About Emmanuel Kojo

Kojo is best known for performing in Oklahoma!, Girl from the North Country, Show Boat and The Scottsboro Boys.

The UK tour of Beauty and the Beast stars Courtney Stapleton as Belle, alongside Gavin Lee, Tom Senior, Sam Bailey, Nigel Richards, Martin Ball, Samantha Bingley, Emma Caffrey, and Louis Stockil. The production is set to continue through June 2022.

Olivier Award nominee Matt West directs and choreographs this new production, leading a team that includes composer Alan Menken, lyricist Tim Rice, bookwriter Linda Woolverton, scenic designer Stan Meyer, costume designer Ann Hould-Ward and lighting designer Natasha Katz. The team collectively received five Tony nominations and a win for Hould-Ward's costume design, when Disney first debuted Beauty and the Beast on Broadway 26 years ago.

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