Susan Egan played Belle in the original Broadway production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
The stage musical opened at the Palace Theatre in New York in April 1994, following a 1993 tryout in Houston. Egan originated the role on Broadway, making Belle her Broadway debut. Her performance earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
The stage production adapted the 1991 animated film while expanding the story with additional songs and scenes. Alan Menken wrote the music, with lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice; Ashman had died before the Broadway opening, so Rice supplied lyrics for several new songs.
Paige O’Hara is the singing and speaking voice of Belle in the 1991 animated movie, while Emma Watson played Belle in the 2017 live-action film. Those performers are therefore common answers to a differently worded question, but Susan Egan is the original Broadway Belle.