Matt West

Matt West — Director & Choreographer

Matt West is the director and choreographer of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the new production currently touring North America. His relationship with Disney began at age 14 and has continued for more than five decades, making him one of the longest-tenured creative artists in the company's history.
After his early performing work with Disney, West moved to New York City and began working immediately at Radio City Music Hall. He toured nationally as Barnaby in Hello, Dolly!, Fyedka in Fiddler on the Roof, and Hugo in Bye Bye Birdie, and performed in the legendary Lido de Paris show at the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas. It was in Las Vegas that West auditioned for and was cast by Michael Bennett to play Bobby in the international production of A Chorus Line, which he later performed on Broadway for four years and which led to his definitive performance in Sir Richard Attenborough's film adaptation of A Chorus Line, the musical.
Returning to Disney as a creative artist, West helped lay the groundwork for what became Disney Theatrical Productions. He choreographed the original Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast in 1994, which ran for 13 years and stands among the ten longest-running shows in Broadway history. West's choreography helped earn the show an Olivier Award for Best New Musical and garnered West a Drama-Logue Award, a Drama Desk nomination, and an Outer Critics Circle nomination. West's other credits include the Broadway production of Lestat (music by Sir Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin, book by Linda Woolverton), the Alliance Theatre's Elaborate Lives, Disenchanted Off-Broadway, Little Shop of Horrors in Buenos Aires, and The Wanderer at Tokyo's Parco Theatre. For Disney Live Entertainment, West has directed and choreographed some of the company's most celebrated large-cast and technical spectaculars around the world, including Fantasmic!, World of Color, Dream Up!, and Jubilation! He also directed and choreographed the arena tour Trolls Live! for Cirque du Soleil, Disney's home video productions of The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and Peter Pan, and The Nutcracker for The Disney Channel.