Emmanuel Kojo Departs BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Tour Following Allegations of 'Inappropriate Comments'

Emmanuel Kojo has departed the touring production of Beauty and the Beast and is no longer represented by his agent, The Stage reports. Kojo played the role of the Beast since September 23, but as BroadwayWorld reported in October, Kojo was suspended due to allegations that he made "inappropriate comments to a female crew member."

At that time, a spokesperson for Disney confirmed that an investigation was 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." Disney made no comment to The Stage regarding the status of the investigation at this time.

Alyn Hawke, who has taken over the role since the investigation began, is now listed as the Beast on the production's website.

Read more on The Stage.

Emmanuel 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.

Learn more at https://www.beautyandthebeastmusical.co.uk/.

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