Fergie L. Philippe from Beauty and the Beast

Fergie L. Philippe is a New York City-based Actor, Puppeteer,
Director and Writer. He was raised in Miami Lakes, FL where
he attended New World School of The Arts in downtown Miami.
During his time there, he received college-level training in
acting with multiple foundations in Meisner Technique and Uta
Hagen. He then studied in North Carolina at Elon University,
receiving a BFA in Music Theatre.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Fergie. Yes, sir, what's happening man? How you doing?

Speaker 2 (00:07):
How's it going?

Speaker 3 (00:08):
Everything's beautiful on this Friday. How things going with you?

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Things are going great here in beautiful Detroit. Happy to
be here?

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Well, you know, we are happy to have you here,
bringing Broadway to Detroit with Beauty and the Beast. That's
at the Fisher Theater playing now for two weeks, all
the way through October twelfth. And you're playing the Beast.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Yes, I am. How did how did you get there
that road?

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Well?

Speaker 4 (00:40):
I had first heard about the auditions kind of through
kind of through the grapevine in the community, you know,
everybody kind of had been talking about it, and I
knew that I wanted to go in for this.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
I love the movie, I love the show. I'd seen
the show as a national tour in North Carolina when
I was younger, and I knew that the Beast was
the role that I really wanted to play.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
So I kind of just kept putting it out there.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
I kept telling my agents, do whatever you gotta do.
If you can get me into the room, man, I
promise I'll figure it out. And I'm glad I figured
it out. Now I get to be doing it.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
It's a huge opportunity for you, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yeah, very big opportunity. I mean for me, this is
kind of like the real first big lead role I've
gotten to do. I've gotten to a lot of amazing
shows in my career, but this is kind of the
first time that I kind of get to step out
and really kind of alongside Cairabelle Johnson who plays Bell,
We really get to lead the show together. And so
it's an amazing opportunity.

Speaker 3 (01:35):
Yes, Beauty and to Beast is that the Fisher Theater
right now until October twelfth. A co worker's sister went
to the show last night. She said it was amazing.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
Oh I'm so glad. Yeah good, Yeah, And you.

Speaker 3 (01:50):
Know, now, I'm gonna tell you something. I was just
looking at your bio. You go to Elon University and yes, Elon,
North Carolina. I lived to North Carolina a and t
oh come on, yes, yes. So it's like I was like, oh,
I'm excited, not just because I get to talk to

(02:11):
the Beast Fergie, but I get to talk to somebody who.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Has roots like I have roots back there, back on.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
Oh yeah, I love North Carolina.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
Man.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
We were just over there we were there, We were
in Durham and then we were in Greensboro for a bit,
and so, you know, North Carolina is like a second
home for me, so it was amazing to be back,
especially with this show.

Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yeah, tell people why they should come out and see
the show.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
I mean, look, it's a classic Disney film. You know,
everybody knows the movie. But I think the thing that
I love about our show is that we you know,
it may be something that you're familiar with, but you
don't know it, you know what I mean, Like, there's
always something new and something different that you can put
on it. And I think we've had a really amazing
opportunity to kind of take a new look at a

(02:57):
lot of these characters. I mean, especially for me, you know,
transparently speaking as a black man, like being able to
put my own spin on it from my experiences and
the way that I've walked through the world. It was
amazing that we were able to kind of come together
and kind of relook at the character in a lot
of different ways. And so people may know the Beast
is a very specific thing, but you know, they also
might be able to walk away and be like, wow,

(03:18):
I never seen the Beasts in that way, and I
think that they're going to feel that way about multiple
elements of the show.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
That's what's up. Well, hey, I salute you man. Congratulations.
I noticed that you've done several different Disney projects, and
so you must have a good relationship with the Disney family.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
Well, I mean, I'm grateful because those other Disney shows
I did, I got to do with other theaters.

Speaker 4 (03:43):
But one of the shows I.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
Just did a production of Frozen, and Disney handpicked certain
theaters to like kind of test it after they had
done their run on Broadway. And so yeah, I really
feel like I understand the way that they wanted hell
stories in the way that they want people to absorb
the kind of artistic integrity that they try to put

(04:06):
out there. And I'm just grateful that they trust me
with that and they trust me to represent them both
on stage and off.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
That's awesome, that's amazing.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
Listen, if you haven't gotten your tickets yet, don't beat
around a bush.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
Yes that was a pun intended on this Friday.

Speaker 3 (04:21):
Go see Disney's Beauty and the Beast and forget.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
I appreciate you taking time out of your Friday. I
know it's a crazy day.

Speaker 3 (04:29):
I know, got shows coming up, and I just want
to say congratulations man on playing the Beast and keep
doing your beastly things.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
I appreciate you so much. Thanks for having me on
the show.