Susan Egan originated the role of Belle in the original Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast.
Egan played Belle when the stage adaptation opened on Broadway in 1994. The musical expanded Disney's 1991 animated film into a full-length stage production, retaining familiar songs while adding theatrical staging, new musical material, and scenes that could develop the characters for a live audience.
The original Broadway production starred Terrence Mann as the Beast and Burke Moses as Gaston. It became one of the first Disney stage musicals to achieve major Broadway success and helped establish Disney Theatrical Productions as a significant producer of stage adaptations.
Egan later became known for originating Megara in Disney's Hercules and for performing in other musical-theatre productions. She is sometimes confused with later Belle performers, including touring and international cast members, but Egan was the original Broadway Belle.