Hey Detroiters, welcome back to Culture Canvas.
If you’re a millennial like me, chances are you grew up watching the Disney animated classic “Beauty and the Beast” about Belle, the bookworm, and Beast, the recluse who refuses to leave his castle. The two initially despise each other, but find out they have more in common than they thought and eventually fall in love.
After the movie became a hit in 1991, Disney debuted a Broadway musical version of “Beauty and the Beast” in 1994, which still ranks as the 10th longest-running show in the industry’s history, according to a news release. The play, which is the first North American production presented by Disney in more than 25 years, is back on the road. The Detroit run of the play premiered at the Fisher Theatre Oct. 1 and continues until Sunday. Tickets begin at $40.
“Beauty and the Beast” is the first show in Broadway In Detroit’s 2025-26 season. Future shows include “Back to the Future,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Shucked,” “The Outsiders,” “& Juliet,” and “Suffs.”
I talked to Fergie Philippe, who plays Beast in the new production. The New York-based actor, who’s also appeared in plays “Hamilton” and “Camelot,” discussed auditioning for the role, working with the cast and getting his start in acting.
BridgeDetroit: What led you to audition for this role?
Philippe: I had heard rumblings that potentially they were going to be bringing Beauty and the Beast back. I love Beauty and the Beast, it’s one of my favorite shows and the Beast has always been one of my dream roles. Fortunately, the casting director knew me well and brought me in. The process lasted about four months, just going in and out and doing different versions with the creative team, to eventually getting cast.
BridgeDetroit: Are you a big fan of the animated movie?
Philippe: Yes, I’m a big fan of the animated movie. I didn’t find it until later in my life. It wasn’t one of the ones that I grew up with. I had seen the original production of it in North Carolina and I was blown away by it, but I realized I really hadn’t really seen the movie. And so, I watched the movie finally and I was blown away by how gorgeously it was animated. And I love the music, obviously. I just fell in love with it.
BridgeDetroit: What are some of the challenges you faced while preparing to play Beast?
Philippe: Challenges were really just like figuring out physicality and figuring out vocally what I wanted to do with this character. One of the things that we were talking about with Beast is that when he reaches this physical form, because it’s not one specific animal, it’s kind of tricky to pin down exactly how he moves. Instead of trying to follow different animals, what we did was talk about what the process probably felt like in terms of how he became Beast and how painful it is and how heavy everything is. And so, I’ve been really playing with different versions of how heavy it all feels, but also at the same time, how fast he can be because he has these animal qualities, or how loud or how scary he can be, but also how sensitive and vulnerable he can be. That’s been the most difficult, but at the same time, it’s been really fun and rewarding.
BridgeDetroit: What has it been like working with Kyra Belle Johnson (who plays Belle) and the rest of the cast?
Philippe: I mean, the whole cast is brilliant. The thing that I love most about Kyra is that she’s such an open partner. I try saying lines in different ways, and I try to do different things with the character every day because I’m still trying to find who he is. She’s so willing to go on the journey with me and play off of what I’m giving. And there isn’t this sense that she wants to lock into the character that she’s portraying. She’s really trying to figure it out for herself, too. It feels honest, and it feels real in a lot of ways. It’s great when you can have a partner that’s willing to do that because it’s not always the case.
What’s helpful is that she and I actually like each other as people. We’re very good friends in real life. When we both got cast, we immediately went to coffee just to get to know each other because we knew that this was going to be important in terms of our friendship. And fortunately, she and I are pretty close, and we are two people that care a lot about making sure that the relationship is tight so that when it gets on stage, it can be transferred.
BridgeDetroit: How did you get into acting?
Philippe: I got into it through puppetry, technically. When I was a kid, I was really into puppetry. Jim Henson is one of my greatest artistic inspirations. He created the Muppets and Sesame Street characters as well. Everything that he did was such a monumental contribution to how I became an artist and so, I really was looking at different avenues into puppetry. One of the things that I found was that being an actor was incredibly necessary, and so, I found my way into acting that way. Acting was actually the best course for me because I ended up meeting a lot of people in the puppeteer community. I ended up taking theater classes when I was very young, and then I ended up going into a performing arts high school and going to college for musical theater. Fortunately, I’m still getting to do it. As soon as I got into my performing arts high school, I was determined to try to make a living as an artist.
BridgeDetroit: How does it feel as a Black man to play a lead role in this production?
Philippe: The thing that’s really gotten me is seeing Black kids in the audience and meeting them at the stage door. Because they’re seeing it at such a young age, it’s no longer this huge idea of like, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t know that could happen.’ I think it becomes a standard, and it becomes a way when you get to have that kind of impression so early. I think a lot of us grew up with some of our favorite characters not necessarily looking like us, and I think that that is rapidly changing. The most exciting thing about this younger generation is that they get to have access to that in a way that is really profound for us, but for them will soon be commonplace.
As always, have a great week!
Cheers,
Micah
The 313 Scene
- U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib reintroduced her Living Wage for Musicians Act. Created with the input of working artists and the United Musicians and Allied Workers union, the legislation calls for major reforms in the music industry, including paying musicians more for digital streams, which has become the dominant form of music consumption but currently pays out only fractions of a cent per stream. (Detroit Metro Times)
- An upcoming North American tour by Twice will bring the hit Korean group to Little Caesars Arena on April 10, 2026. The group gained worldwide acclaim after the Netflix movie “K-pop Demon Hunters” premiered, featuring music by members of the group. The show will be the biggest K-pop concert to hit Detroit since the genre exploded on the world stage two decades ago. Tickets for Twice’s Detroit show will go on sale at 3 p.m. Thursday. (Detroit Free Press)
- The Jacksons, now spearheaded by brothers Marlon Jackson and Jackie Jackson, will perform at 4 p.m. Oct. 25 as the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park hosts the annual Detroit Harvest Fest for its inaugural weekend. The Jacksons are part of more than 30 artists and entertainers booked on four stages for the event, which will run Oct. 25-26. (Detroit Free Press)
- Doja Cat will make the second Little Caesars Arena visit of her career when she plays Detroit on Oct. 1, 2026, as part of her expansive Tour Ma Vie World Tour. Tickets for Doja Cat’s Detroit show will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster. Meanwhile, the Jonas Brothers will return to Little Caesars Arena on Nov. 23 on an extension of their Jonas20: Greetings from Your Hometown tour, a 20th anniversary career retrospective. It’ll be the trio’s second LCA show in three months, following their sold-out show there on Aug. 28. (Detroit Free Press)
- New downtown Detroit nightclub Ora will kick off with a grand opening weekend Friday and Saturday. There will be live music and DJs on Friday and brunch service starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, followed by DJs all the way into an evening celebration. Ora is a project from restaurateur Mario Camaj, owner of nearby Besa on Woodward, as well as the acclaimed Tallulah Wine Bar & Bistro and Zana in Birmingham. (The Detroit News)
- Set to open this month at 15241 Mack in Detroit’s Morningside neighborhood, two-level bar Cannons aims to be a friendly, everyday watering hole on the main floor with special programming, DJs and music on the second floor that leads to an open-air rooftop space. Detroit techno legends Derrick May and Juan Atkins are both booked upstairs this fall. (The Detroit News)
What’s Going on in the D?
- Back Pocket Media is back with this year’s Detroit Story Fest, happening at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Detroit Opera House. This year’s theme is “No Small Wind is Blowing,” stories of transition, migration and the sometimes invisible forces that inspire movement. Attendees will be able to hear stories from journalists at Bridge Michigan, Michigan Public, Detroit Free Press, Outlier Media, WDET and more. BridgeDetroit’s engagement editor Bryce Huffman will emcee. Tickets begin at $25.
- For those who want to enjoy a cider mill experience in Detroit, Beacon Park is bringing back its Cider in the City events. The free fall festival kicks off Saturday and continues on Sunday, as well as Oct. 18 and 19. The events will feature live music, family activities, an open-air tent and food options including hot cider, pumpkins, caramel apples and more courtesy of Blake’s Farms. Food trucks will be onsite, and Lumen Detroit, the park’s flagship restaurant, will feature its fall cocktails, craft beer and cider selections. Hours are from 1-5 p.m.
- The Redford Theatre is hosting a screening of the horror classic, “Candyman” at 8 p.m. Saturday. The film follows a grad student who unleashes a hook-handed killer called the Candyman, played by the late Tony Todd, who died last year. Tickets are $7.
- R&B singer Raphael Saadiq is bringing his No Bandwidth tour to the Detroit Opera House at 8 p.m. Saturday. Saadiq will perform three decades of hits, from his songs with ‘90s group Tony! Toni! Toné! to his solo work. Tickets are still available, beginning at $69.
