Kyra Belle Johnson and Fergie L. Philippe Photo by Matthew Murphy

From the moment Lumiere jubilantly invites us to turn off our cell phones and be his guest for the performance, audiences at the new national tour of Disney's Beauty and the Beast know they're in for a treat. Even more gorgeous and heartwarming than the Academy Award-winning animated film it's based on, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton, many of the original 1994 Broadway design team are on board for this production, including Stanley A. Meyer as scenic designer, Ann Hould-Ward as dostume designer, Natasha Katz as lighting designer. Matt West, who previously served solely as choreographer, takes on directing and choreographing this production to outstanding effect.

The design team has had over three decades with this material, Disney's first foray into Broadway, and the resulting familiarity brings depth as well as confidence in this "tale as old as time." The production still feels expensive and expansive, but streamlined. There is some updated language in the book since the first national tour: the servants no longer dwell on the fact that Belle is a "girl," but rather a "young lady," Gaston's "silly girls" are "village lasses," and the servants do not refer to the Beast as their "master" but rather "his lordship." Some songs are cut, another song is added for Belle, and a new dance break is added to "Be Our Guest."

The costume design is similarly simplified and deepened, with villagers wearing vibrant attire not unlike the previous design, but with more patterns and textures. Belle wears her trademark blue dress without an apron. The castle characters becoming objects and even the Beast's costumes allow for more visibility to read facial expressions, less prosthetics, and greater flexibility for the actors to move. The result is effective and affecting.

West's choreography turns this incarnation of "Be Our Guest" into a dance extravaganza of all styles, from live projecting a la Busby Berkeley to an entire company tap dance as well as the requisite kickline. Hould-Ward's costume design is much less literal than her interpretation 30 years ago, as dancers are not assigned to portray individual flatware or kitchen items, allowing the various dance forms to cascade into each other. In the second act's "Human Again" waltz, simplified costume design and expressive choreography turns the song into a character piece, rather than another massive production number, by pairing a white-clad dancer with each wishful singer to evocatively explore the yearning each character feels.

Projections and videos designed by Darrell Maloney elevate and complement the scenic design, allowing for smaller set pieces and smooth transitions. The design moments in this fairy tale that call for magic (Jim Steinmeyer is illusion designer), such as the Beast's transformations, the appearance of Mrs. Potts' son, Chip, as a teacup, and the magic mirror are appropriately magical. The wolf chase scenes are performed with projection wolves instead of actors in wolf costumes, and the video design is abstract and surprising.

Ultimately, the design aesthetic, aside from moments where it steps into the fore, allows the audience to be swept away by the stunning performances of this fine cast of actors and singers. The supporting cast is excellent. Kathy Voytko plays a gentle yet firm Mrs. Potts, giving a gorgeous rendition of the titular song, Danny Gardner and Javier Ignacio play the odd couple Lumiere and Cogsworth relationship to the hilt, and Holly Ann Butler finds every laugh possible as her character, Madame, becomes a wardrobe. As Lefou and Gaston, Harry Francis and Stephen Mark Lukas mine their physical contrast in heights to comedic effect, while deepening our understanding of the insecurities that hold their relationship together.

Fergie L. Philippe as the Beast is the heart of this production. Philippe finds the tender soul of a spoiled rich boy that wants to change. He has a resonant voice, playful animalistic physicality, disarming chemistry with Kyra Belle Johnson as Belle, and brings honesty and immediacy to his situation, taking the audience along as he changes. I highly recommend this polished and genuinely moving production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast runs through August 17, 2025, at the Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please visit HennepinArts.org or call (612) 339-7007. For information on the tour, visit https://beautyandthebeastthemusical.com.