Shania Twain Will Fill Angela Lansbury’s Shoes In ‘Beast’

Shania Twain posted a photo of herself drinking from a tea cup and announced that she would officially become Mrs. Potts In the ABC version of Beauty and The Beast in a special set to air mid-December.

On Instagram, Shania posted an image of her drinking tea in a hot pink dress suit. She captioned the photo, “I am unbelievably honored… and excited… and all of the emotions(!!) to announce that I will be joining the cast of #BeautyAndTheBeast30th to play the part of my favorite character – Mrs. Potts. And of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t pay tribute to the iconic Angela Lansbury, I mean she I.S. Mrs. Potts and the reason why this character is so beloved.”

She added, “To follow in the footsteps of such an icon is a huge honor, and I hope to do the part justice. Airing December 15 on @abcnetwork.”

Many fans reacted to the post, including one who commented, “O.M.G.! Congratulations!! You are so deserving. I can’t wait to see you absolutely slay! Come on, Mrs. Shania Potts.” Another Shania dye-hard wrote, “You’re the triple threat for sure! How fun!!”

ABC announced on Monday (10/17) the Beauty and the Beast 30th anniversary special has invited a few more guests to the table. Martin Short will play Lumière, David Alan Grier will play the clock as Cogsworth, and Twain will portray Mrs. Potts.

Schitt’s Creek’s Rizwan Manji as LeFou, Broadway vet Jon Jon Briones as Maurice, and young performer Leo Abelo as Chip are racing out the cast. It was previously announced in July that R&B performer H.E.R. was tapped to play Beast’s leading lady Belle.

When asked about their favorite memory from the movie-making process during the 25th anniversary of “Beauty and the Beast,” Paige O’Hara, who voiced Belle, told the audience about how Lansbury recorded the “Beauty and the Beast” song in a single take.

Paige said, “I remember the day we were in the recording studio with the amazing Broadway singers in the background chorus and the amazing [New York Philharmonic] orchestra,” O’Hara said. “And then Ms. Lansbury, who I have admired my whole life, came in after being up all night and was a trooper. We were all worried she would be too exhausted, and then she comes out and sings ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in one take.”

After the 2016 screening, Lansbury returned to the stage to perform “Beauty and the Beast” with Alan Menken, the song’s original co-writer.

13 Shania Twain Songs That We Can't Get Out of Our Heads

• 13. “Endless Love” (Lionel Richie featuring Shania Twain) – 2012

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  This is a remake but done so nicely by Twain and Richie who recorded it at Shania’s home in the Bahamas. Lionel Richie told me in an interview later that she was the hardest person to pin down when he decided to record his country collaboration album, Tuskegee. 

• 12. “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?” – 1995

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  Really the song that started it all for Shania who splashed onto the scene like a hurricane in 1995. Still a solid song to this day. 

• 11. “The Woman in Me (Needs the Man in You)” – 1995

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  This is another song Shania wrote with her then-husband and producer Robert “Mutt” Lange. It was her third number-one single on country radio. 
• 10. “(If You’re Not in It for Love) I’m Outta Here!” – 1995

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  Her fourth number one song and the first single promoted with several different mixes. 

• 9. “God Bless the Child” – 1996

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  A touching song that showed Shania’s softer side. Her eighth single from her ‘Woman In Me’ album, the video features two choirs. One included the Fisk University Jubilee Singers, and the second was a local performing arts choirs singing along with Twain in a hangar at the Nashville airport.

• 8. “Love Gets Me Every Time” – 1997

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  The lead single from Twain's third studio album Come On Over. Twain developed the song at first and brought it to Lange under the title, "'Gol Darn Gone and Done It", which derived from a country expression. The name made Lange burst into laughter when he first heard it, and the couple completed the song together.
• 7. “Any Man of Mine” – 1995

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  This song was nominated for both Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards. It won Single of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Awards.

• 6. “Honey, I’m Home” – 1998

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  This one is freaking catchy. I’ve been singing it since I started this list. Is it fair to say the lyrics are super simple? Well, they are, and maybe that’s what appeals to me. The song became Shania's seventh, and to date, her final number-one single on the Billboard Country singles chart. 

• 5. “That Don’t Impress Me Much” – 1998

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  Any song that mentions that Brad Pitt doesn’t “impress me much” is a winner for me. Yeah, I love Pitt, but this song has it all, and what a beat.  In 2017, during a listening party for her fifth studio album Now, Twain revealed the reason behind using Brad Pitt's name instead of other male celebrities. She said that after she heard about the scandal between Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow and the subsequent leaking of Pitt's naked photo in Playgirl magazine, she was left unimpressed by all the fuss as she felt that it was normal to see naked people.
• 4. “From This Moment On” – 1997

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  What an emotional love song! This song was written during a soccer game in Italy. “My husband loves sports. I don't know the game that well, so my mind drifted, and I started writing."  Initially, Shania thought that "From This Moment On" would be perfect for singer Celine Dion.

• 3. “No One Needs to Know” – 1996

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  I have always loved the rhythm and the words of this song. She plays the song live in concert with just a twelve-string guitar. It is featured in the 1996 movie Twister. 

• 2. “You’re Still the One” – 1997

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  So very good. "You're Still the One" was nominated for four Grammy Awards in 1999, winning two. It won Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
• 1.”Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” – 1999

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  An epic anthem and the song that closes out every one of Shania’s shows. My son wasn’t even born till 2007, almost ten years after the song came out, and well, because of his mom, he knows every word.