Dancing With the Stars is bringing Disney’s Broadway catalog into the ballroom Monday, with Heather Headley, Sherri Shepherd, Michael James Scott, Rodney Ingram and Kyra Belle Johnson joining Cynthia Erivo for a performance-packed episode.
According to People, Headley will launch the show with “Circle of Life,” performing alongside Selloane Nkhela and the cast of The Lion King. The opening will expand into a medley drawn from four musicals, combining familiar Disney stage material with a first taste of an upcoming production.
Johnson, the current star of the Beauty & the Beast North American tour, will sing “Belle.” The opening will also feature “Seize the Day” from Newsies and “The Greatest Show” from Disney’s upcoming The Greatest Showman stage musical.
Heather Headley Leads a Broadway-Heavy Lineup
Headley’s work will extend beyond the opening number. She is also scheduled to perform “Easy As Life” from Aida for Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik’s routine. She will then sing “I See the Light” from Tangled for Connor Wood and his partner, Rylee Arnold.
Johnson will return to the microphone later in the show for “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from Mary Poppins, accompanying Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson.
Michael James Scott will take on “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid for the dance by Ezra Frech and Danielle Karagach. Rodney Ingram, a current Aladdin star, will perform “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast for Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy.
Shepherd will have her own featured moment with a special performance of “Friend Like Me.” Ingram and the DWTS troupe will join her for the number.
Together, the guest performances will connect the competition’s Disney theme directly to Broadway talent, the cast of The Lion King, a current North American tour and the forthcoming stage version of The Greatest Showman.
Quickstep, Jive and Paso Doble Join the Disney Theme
The episode’s competitive routines will also range across Disney films and stage musicals.
Amber Glenn and partner Pasha Pashkov will perform a Quickstep to “A Star Is Born” from Hercules. Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas will dance a Jive to “You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!” from Peter Pan.
Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa will move outside the traditional Disney songbook for their selection, performing a Paso Doble to “Satisfied” from Hamilton.
ShowBiz Take
This Disney on Broadway edition is designed as more than a standard theme night. Headley’s three scheduled songs give her a substantial presence across the episode, while Johnson, Scott, Ingram and Shepherd will provide live vocal showcases tied to individual couples and the troupe.
The opening medley also gives the broadcast a wide theatrical reach. It moves from established titles including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Newsies to music from the upcoming The Greatest Showman stage production. That mix allows the ballroom competition and the Broadway performances to operate as connected parts of the same show rather than separate attractions.
What Happens Next?
Fans will be able to vote during the live simulcast in the Eastern and Central time zones. Online voting will be open to viewers in any U.S. time zone, U.S. territories and Canada through dwtsvote.abc.com.
Viewers using participating U.S. wireless carriers can also cast votes by SMS or text. That option will not be available to fans in Canada.
The live viewer totals will be combined with the judges’ scores from the night to determine which contestants may be in jeopardy of elimination.