Cameron Bond has a B.A. in Business but has decided to pursue his dreams of theater. He plays Gaston in Beauty and the Beast and loves the rollercoaster ride of emotions he gets deliver to the audience. Beauty and the Beast is playing at the Paramount Theatre through Sunday, October 26th. Get your tickets here.
ED: How long have you been travelling with Beauty and the Beast?
CB: We started rehearsing in late August and just started touring in September. We are contracted through May so I will be with the show for about 8 months total.
ED: What do you think about playing Gaston?
CB: It is one of my favorite roles ever. It is so fulfilling. In the first act I come across as the stupid lovable and funny goof ball. Then, in act two I get to become the villain that everyone boos at the end. It means during every show I get to go through the whole emotional spectrum instead of being one thing the entire time. I really like it. It is really fun.
Cameron Bond as Gaston and the Silly Girls of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Photo by Matthew Murphy
ED: You have played a wide range of characters in your career. What was it like to play Kyle the UPS Man in Legally Blonde the Musical?
CB” That was a blast! I had on these really short short and made a lot of references to having a large package. Everyone would just laugh immediately. It was a pretty easy role but everyone remembered it. It was definitely one of my favorite roles as well.
ED: What made you decide to be theater and musicals?
CB: Well, I have a different story than most people in the cast. I grew up in theater because I have two older sisters and I kind of got dragged into whatever they were doing. I kept going with it doing community theater and I didn’t mind it. Then once I got to high school and college I kind of quit because I majored in business and played volleyball. I just started focusing on that stuff. After I graduated from college I realized that I really didn’t feel fulfilled. I realized that I wished I had pursued theater. I talked to my parents and they told me to just get out there and audition for some parts and see what happens. Well, I went at it and am now on tour. I always loved the theater but never pursued it professionally until I was an adult.
ED: What would be your dream role to play?
CB: Shoot! It would probably be Jean Valjean in Les Misérables or Billy Bigelow in Carousel.
Cameron Bond as Gaston and Jake Bridges as Lefou in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Photo by Matthew Murphy
ED: What do you find in Beauty and the Beast that would attract adults even without children?
CB: I think Disney does an amazing job of hide a lot of adult oriented humor in the show. There is a lot of humor for all ages. It is a pretty funny show. There are a couple of bits that we perform that are definitely for kids and they adults will just roll their eyes. There aren’t really many of those though. I think it is a great date night show for adults. There are some sexual innuendos and hidden gems that are really here just for the adults. It is truly a story about love. It is about looking passed the façade. I think everyone can relate to that as well.
ED: What is your favorite part of the show?
CB: Hmm, the number “Gaston”. LeFou my little sidekick tries to cheer me up because Belle turned me down. The whole town gets together and tries to boost my confidence. It is kind of funny because I just say the dumbest things. It is also pretty technical with a lot of dancing. We have these cups that we have to clink and it is very technical. It took us forever to learn it so we are all very proud of it. It really gets huge applause.
ED: Do you have a message for LGBTQ youth?
CB: Don’t let anyone convince you that there’s something wrong with you. You are exactly how you are meant to be. Don’t let anyone make you think less of yourself.
