Disney Theatrical Group has announced Kyra Belle Johnson and Fergie L. Philippe will play Belle and the Beast in the upcoming North American tour of Beauty and the Beast. The reimagined production will begin performances at Schenectady's Proctors Theatre in June, with an official opening at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre scheduled for July.
Johnson made her national tour debut as Sophie in Mamma Mia!, and has appeared in film and television in Damned If You Do, Role Play and FBI.
Philippe has played Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in both the Broadway and touring productions of Hamilton, and Sir Sagramore in the 2023 Broadway revival of Camelot. His television credits include The Good Fight, The Gilded Age, and Law and Order: SVU.
See the new stars discuss the tour, and hear Johnson sing the show's title song, in the video below.
As previously reported, several creatives from the original Broadway team will reunite to create the new production, including composer Alan Menken (who wrote the film’s beloved score with the late lyricist Howard Ashman), lyricist Tim Rice, book writer Linda Woolverton, director and choreographer by Matt West, scenic designer Stanley A. Meyer, costume designer Ann Hould-Ward, lighting designer Natasha Katz, and illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer.
The reimagined tour will also feature new dance music arrangements by David Chase, music supervision and arrangements by Michael Kosarin, orchestrations by Danny Troob, sound design by John Shivers, projection and video design by Darrel Maloney, and hair and makeup design by David H. Lawrence. Jason Trubitt is the production supervisor and Myriah Bash is the general manager. Anne Quart serves as executive producer.
Based on Disney's 1991 Academy Award-winning film, Beauty and the Beast opened on Broadway April 18, 1994. The production closed July 29, 2007 after 46 previews and 5,461 regular performances, making it the current 10th longest-running Broadway show of all time. The original production was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won one, for Best Costume Design.
Previous Disney-produced North American tours of Beauty and the Beast played for almost eight years from November 1995 through August 2003, for a combined total of 2,893 performances to more than 5.7 million audience members. The show is currently running in Australia.
Additional casting and a full itinerary for the two-year tour will be announced at a later date.
