Disney's "Beauty and the Beast"
Fisher Theatre
Detroit, Mich.
Through Oct. 12, 2025
It’s rare for me to enjoy an adaptation of a Disney film I love. My takeaway is generally that I would have just preferred to watch the original, which is especially the case when pertaining to my favorite Disney animation, “Beauty and the Beast.” But the new national touring production, directed by Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart and Thomas Schumacher, may be the first time for me that a reimagined telling of the story comes close to capturing the magic of the source material. The tour – which launched earlier this year – is Disney’s first North American production of the musical in more than 25 years.
Most of us are familiar with the beloved 1991 film, arguably the epitome of the Disney Renaissance with an Oscar-winning score by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. We follow Belle, a brainy, beautiful young woman in provincial France, who finds herself imprisoned in a magical castle headed by a prince cursed as a beast. With charming, quirky characters, beautiful music and stunning animation that brings the grandeur of France to the screen, the bar for reproduction is set high.
The Disney stage production rises to the challenge and then some. The late Angela Lansbury – who iconically portrayed the cartoon’s Mrs. Potts – opens the musical with the introductory narration, a nostalgic move that automatically opens your heart for what’s to come.
Kyre Belle Johnson leads a stellar cast as Belle personified, capturing the sass, sweetness and fierceness of our iconic heroine, with the vocal prowess and dance skills to boot. Fergie L. Philippe as Beast and Stephen Mark Lukas as Gaston nail their portrayals as well as the leading men, with rich, resonant voices and commanding stage presences. Danny Gardner (Lumiere), Javier Ignacio (Cogsworth), Harry Francis (Lefou), Kathy Voytko (Mrs. Potts), Kevin Ligon (Maurice), Cameron Monroe Thomas (Babette) and Holly Anne Butler (Madame) embody the show’s signature character roles, capturing the quirks, voices and mannerisms of each.
The set and effects are an impressive mix of projections, screens, lights and detailed set pieces. One of the most memorable is the Beast’s transition back into a man where, as in the film, he levitates and rotates. Paired with flashing strobe lights and blackouts, the transformation captures the significance of the moment as the curse finally breaks. The intensity of the wolf scenes is also notable, portrayed through a series of screens, lighting and music that make your heart race.
The bright colorful costumes are mostly faithful to the original, although Belle occasionally wears glasses now, apparently so there is no mistake about how smart she is. Lumiere’s candle hands flame on and off on cue, just as in the film. And Belle’s voluminous, signature yellow gown and its complementary wedding dress are a fantasy come to life.
One of the most impressive “costumes” is Chip’s, the lovable little teacup. Stage Chip, played by adorable, ever-smiling Levi Blaise Coleman, is essentially a head inside a teacup moved around by a cart. The cart is designed to look as if it’s completely open between the tray and the bottom, giving the impression that Chip is a floating head, a feat that was so cool it was almost distracting.
The big dance numbers do not disappoint, especially “Gaston” and “Be Our Guest.” The former fills the stage with dancers with clinking beer stein props. The latter – in French can-can style – replicates the intricate cartoon number almost to a T with swirling plates and a synchronized circular kick sequence on the ground with an overhead camera to capture the visual of the film. In addition to can-canning, however, these dancing plates and cutlery tap dance in grand Broadway style toward the end of the number to fantastic effect.
The play does have a few notable differences from the film. There are several added songs, and they sneak in additional dialogue to try to justify why the servants were also punished for their master’s bad behavior. (“We helped make him who he is.”) Nice try. The ending also felt a bit rushed, with the climactic fight scene going straight to Gaston and the Beast without any fighting between the servants and villagers.
“Beauty and the Beast” was fantastic. I teared up at times in nostalgia, and my 5-year-old niece – in her first live theater experience – was engaged throughout the whole show. The performers, the effects, the costumes and the musicians brought the magic of the masterpiece to life, and I loved it.
