NEW YORK — The so-called Beast of Broadway – a theater star accused of sex with a starry-eyed 15-year-old girl – showed his warm and fuzzy side in a Manhattan courtroom yesterday.

Actor James Barbour, who once played the “Beast” in Broadway’s “Beauty and the Beast,” was on the witness stand most of the afternoon waxing lyrical about his numerous New York City acting and charity gigs.

In speaking publicly for the first time in connection with the sordid case, Barbour was hoping to have two misdemeanor child-endangerment charges dismissed because the statute of limitations has expired.

A judge could toss the charges if Barbour proves he was in New York for a total of two years between the 2001 incident and his arrest last year – and, therefore, entitled to the statute of limitations.

Prosecutors, however, contend that Barbour spent most of the time living it up on the West Coast.

Even if Barbour wins his argument, the felonies would still be left intact.

With excellent diction, Barbour tried to show he spent weeks at a time here, away from his L.A. home.

For three hours, he detailed his trips East, including an appearance benefiting the Actors’ Fund. “I had developed a show in response to 9/11,” he noted.