Kyra Belle Johnson and Fergie L. Philippe to Star in New Beauty and the Beast North American Tour

Kyra Belle Johnson and Fergie L. Philippe will play the titles roles in the upcoming North American tour of Beauty and the Beast, inspired by a staging that began in the United Kingdom in 2021.

The new tour will hold technical rehearsals and launch in Schenectady at Proctors June 25-July 3, prior to the official opening in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre July 29-August 2, followed by a stop in Minneapolis at the Orpheum Theatre, August 5-17. Full casting for the anticipated two-year tour route will be announced at a later date.

This Beauty and the Beast features reimagined sets, costumes, lighting, and illusions by original designers Stanley A. Meyer, Ann Hould-Ward, Natasha Katz, and Jim Steinmeyer. Direction and choreography is by original choreographer Matt West. Rounding out the design team are John Shivers (sound), Darrel Maloney (projection and video), David H. Lawrence (hair and makeup).

With a book by Linda Woolverton and songs by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice, Beauty and the Beast has new dance arrangements by David Chase, music supervision/arrangements by Michael Kosarin, and orchestrations by Danny Troob.

Based on the 1991 Academy-Award winning animated feature film, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast premiered on Broadway in 1994 where it was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning for Best Costume Design, and ran for 13 years.  It still ranks as one of the longest-running and highest-grossing Broadway shows of all time. Previous Disney-produced North American tours of 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.

According to a spokesperson, there are no plans for Broadway for the production at this time.