Lead Casting Announced for Upcoming Tour of Disney on Broadway’s “Beauty and the Beast”
A tale as old as 1991....oh? time? Sorry, it's a tale as old as time!
Set to launch their first tour of Beauty and the Beast in nearly two decades, Disney on Broadway has announced the casting of the coveted roles of Belle and The Beast in the production.
What’s Happpening:
- Disney on Broadway has announced their lead cast for their upcoming tour of Beauty and the Beast, set to kick off this Summer.
- Destined to play the iconic Disney Princess in just her name alone is Kyra Belle Johnson, who has previously toured as Sophie in the National Tour of Mamma Mia! She has also been seen on TV and Film in Damned If You Do, Role Play, and FBI and is a proud alumna of Texas State’s BFA Musical Theatre Program.
- Set to fill the clawed feet of The Beast is Fergie L. Phillipe, who Broadway fans know from his roles in Hamilton (Hercules Mulligan/James Madison), Camelot (Sir Sagramore; King Arthur U/S) and the Off-Broadway production, The Connector (Bob Henshaw/Willis Taylor). He was also seen in the touring production of Hamilton (Hercules Mulligan/James Madison) and on TV in Film in The Good Fight, The Gilded Age, and Law and Order: SVU. He is no stranger to Disney on Broadway productions, having been a puppeteer in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, as well as other productions Aanika’s Elephants, Jupiter’s Journey to Earth, and Rescue Rue.
- Based on the Academy Award-winning feature film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Beauty and the Beast is one of the most beloved stage musicals of the last half-century. The Tony Award-winning Broadway production ran for 13 years (1994–2007) and remains one of the Top 10 longest-running Broadway shows. Worldwide, there have been productions in 37 countries, seen by more than 25 million people and translated into 17 languages.
- The new tour will hold technical rehearsals and launch in Schenectady, New York, at Proctors in June 2025, prior to the official opening in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in July, followed by a stop in Minneapolis at the Orpheum Theatre in August.
- Reuniting to create this new production are members of the original Tony Award-winning artistic team, including composer and Disney Legend Alan Menken (who wrote the film’s beloved score with the late lyricist and Disney Legend Howard Ashman), lyricist and Disney Legend Tim Rice, book writer Linda Woolverton, with direction and choreography by Matt West, scenic design by Stanley A. Meyer, costume design by Ann Hould-Ward, and lighting design by Natasha Katz.
- The casting of Johnson and Phillipe as the leads are the only casting announcements we know at this time, with additional cast set to be announced at a later date.
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