Cameron Monroe Thomas: The Stage’s Next Star

(News4usonline.com) – Disney’s hit Broadway show Beauty and the Beast: The Musical is magical. There’s a villain. You have a heroine. The storyline comes alive with its good versus evil plot twist. 

The score of Beauty and the Beast: The Musical makes it enchanting. Throw in a bag of misfits called the supporting cast, and you have the making of a wonderful production. Beauty and the Beast: The Musical simply checks all the boxes. 

There are plenty of lights, illumination and artistic artwork that brings this all-time classic to life. The human element of the production adds to the wonder of one of Disney’s thriving live productions. 

One character that helps to connect the audience with the stunning stage production is the vivacious and flirty maid turned feather duster Babette. 

While The Beast intrigues audiences as a mysterious and intimidating larger-than-life monster and the daydreaming innocence of Belle captivates, Babette brings the dimension of being that fly on the wall as she listens in on the secrets within the walls of the castle.  

She’s there, but then she’s not there. Babette is one of those characters where she does not have exactly one of the major roles in the production, but it’s also hard to ignore her presence whenever she appears on stage.  

Cameron Monroe Thomas 

Actress Cameron Monroe Thomas exuberantly activates Babette into a character that you simply can’t get enough of in Beauty and the Beast: The Musical. You can’t help but find yourself being drawn further into the world of Belle and The Beast with Babette cascading and prancing around like the show-stopping busy bee that she is.   

“She just really tries to keep the light and the energy in the castle and likes to keep people happy and on their toes, and tries to make light of every situation,” Monroe Thomas said during a phone interview with News4usonline.com.  

Monroe Thomas went on to say that Babette tries to bring a flicker of hope when hopelessness sets in at the castle as The Beast roams the grounds with darkened energy after being transformed from a prince into a hideous figure, thanks to a wicked spell.      

“I interpret her as kind of like the spark in the castle,” said Monroe Thomas. “Like she just tries to keep things alive and fun, and she, you know, cares about everyone so deeply that she doesn’t want anyone to be like down in the dumps. Like she wants to help those people feel positive and light, despite, you know, our troubling situation.”  

Seeing is Believing 

Monroe Thomas said she sees a little bit of herself in the character she plays. 

“You know, I really do,” Monroe Thomas said. “I think I can really see that part of myself in Babette like wanting to help people feel positive and wanting to always bring in the space that I go into. And so, I feel like Babette and I are very similar in that regard.

“I think that Babette has also brought out kind of like my sassy side a little bit because she is very sassy and very just like, especially with Lumiere, like their relationship is very like they just love to get on each other’s nerves, and that’s kind of like, you know, how they get each other. So I think it’s been fun exploring the sassy, sexy side of Babette that doesn’t necessarily come natural to me as Cameron. So that’s been fun for sure,” Monroe Thomas added.  

Monroe Thomas has a lot to be enthused about in playing Babette. One reason is that she gets to travel and see different cities she has never seen before. 

“I mean, I’m getting to see different cities and travel to countries, and parts of like, you know, countries that I would not have had the opportunity to go to, like this is my first time being on the West Coast,” Monroe Thomas said. 

Monroe Thomas and the rest of the cast of Beauty and the Beast: The Musical wrapped up their presentation at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles this summer and have enjoyed a multi-week run at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California (Sept. 22-Oct. 11, 2026). 

Inspiration and Representation  

One of the other joys that Monroe Thomas feels elated about is that she is the first woman of color to play Babette on a national tour of a Broadway-level production. 

Representation is a big deal to Monroe Thomas. 

So she is quite aware of those who may be inspired by her presence on stage.  

“Oh, it’s so special. I mean, it just takes you back since the first time I saw a black woman being in a principal role on stage,” Monroe Thomas shared. 

“I was like, ‘Oh Wow!’ Okay. Like that’s what I want to do. And getting to see, especially young girls of color-and them and their parents, you know, thanking me for being on the stage…it’s like their first time that they’ve seen a black woman play a role in a Disney show. It gets me. That’s also why I do it; to inspire the next generation and to show them that you know their dreams are possible because I was that little girl,” she added. 

As she inspires others, Monroe Thomas sees herself as a vessel of faith fulfilling her purpose as a professional performer. It’s God first. Everything else is secondary, she said. 

“Well, that’s my my purpose, and that’s why I’m here,” Monroe Thomas said. “So it’s the number one priority for me. And going back to the question of like, how do I get through the show if I’m having a bad day or you know, things have happened? It’s like this is my opportunity to glorify the Lord, and why He gave me the facilities and the opportunity to do this is to bring Him glory.” 

Cover Art/Lead Photo: Javier Ignacio, Christina Rose Hall, Danny Gardner, Cameron Monroe Thomas. Beauty and the Beast. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy