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ACT I
0nce upon a time, there lived a spoiled, selfish young Prince in a grand castle. One winter's evening an old woman came to the castle gates and offered the Prince a single Rose in return for a night's shelter from the cold. The haughty Prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away, but then her haggard appearance melted away as she revealed herself as a beautiful enchantress. To punish the Prince for his coldness, she cast a spell transforming him into a hideous Beast and all who lived in the castle into various objects. To break the spell the Prince must learn to love and earn the love of another in return. But he must do this before the last petal fell from the Rose (which was enchanted and would last for many years).
In a little town nearby a young woman named Belle lives with her father Maurice, an inventor. Alhough she is much admired for her beauty, the other villagers see her as a little bit odd because of her love of books (Belle). Gaston, a handsome but egotistical hunter, announces his intention to marry Belle - much to her disapproval and the anguish of the other girls in town. Belle's father returns with his latest invention. Belle asks him if he thinks she is odd and he assures her that she is not and he support her No Matter What. Belle presents her father with a scarf she has made for him and he sets off to show his new invention at the local fair.
Taking a wrong turn, Maurice becomes lost in the woods. Beset by wolves, he stumbles across a castle and pounds upon the door for sanctuary. Gaining admittance, he is amazed to find the castle populated by once human enchanted objects, victims of the enchantress spell. Lumiere, a candelabra, Cogsworth, a mantle clock, and Mrs. Potts, a teapot, try to make Maurice feel welcome but their master, the Beast, is angry to find an intruder in his castle and throws Maurice in the dungeon.
Back in town, having made arrangements for his marriage, Gaston decides it is time to propose to his bride-to-be but, in spite of the picture he paints of what life would be like married to Me, Belle rejects him and leaves him humiliated. Gaston's crony Lefou returns from the woods where Gaston had sent him to capture a deer. Belle notices he is wearing her fathers tattered scarf and demands to know how he came to possess it. Hearing that he found it in the woods, Belle rushes off in search of her father. Coming upon the Beast's castle she wanders inside exploring the dark interior. Fearing that they are losing their humanity, Lumiere and Cogsworth are excited by her presence hoping she might be the one to break the evil spell. Belle finds Maurice locked in the dungeon. He orders her to leave but then the Beast appears. Belle begs for her fathers life and freedom and, when the Beast refuses, offers herself in her father's place.
The Beast accepts her offer telling her she must remain with him forever, she can have a free run of the rest of the castle but must never enter the West Wing. He leads her to her new quarters and leaves her there, ordering her to join him later for dinner. Belle is distraught, mourning her loss of freedom and that she will never see her father or her Home again.
Back in the town, Gaston is drinking with the villagers at the tavern. He is still smarting over Belle's rejection but his drinking friend remind him how admired her is (Gaston). Maurice arrives, and begs for assistance to rescue Belle but they all laugh at him and call him a crazy old man.
In the castle, Mrs. Potts and Madame De La Grande Bouche, the wardrobe, try to cheer up Belle and get her ready for dinner but she refuses to go. The Beast comes in search of her and orders her again to join him for dinner but still she refuses, whereupon he tells her that if she will not eat with him she will not eat at all! Storming out, he uses his magic mirror to spy on Belle and see her declaring to Madame that she wants nothing to do with him. Despairing of his lonely life, the Beast ponders How Long Must This Go On. Belle slips out of her room and finds her way to the kitchen in search of food. Taken by Belle's courage and beauty, the servants defy their master and not only feed her but provide a spectacular floor show for her entertainment (Be Our Guest).
After dinner, Cogsworth and Lumiere take Belle on a tour of the castle. They warn her not to enter the West Wing but she slips away from them and sneaks inside. She finds the enchanted Rose in a glass case but just as she is about to touch it the Beast bellows at her to stay away. A frightened Belle declares she cannot keep their bargain and flees from the castle. The Beast, who is growing to love her, mourns what he has done in frightening her away (If I Can't Love Her).
ACT IIOutside the castle, Belle is attacked by the wolves, but just as they surround her the Beast arrives and fights them off, but is injured in the process. Belle takes pity on him and helps him back into the castle to tend to his wounds. The servants look on in hope as Belle and the Beast at last begin to open up to each other, perhaps there is Something There.
The Beast decides he wants to give Belle a token of his affection. The servants convince him it must be something special, and confide in him her love of books. The Beast leads Belle to the castle's massive library and declares it is all hers. Belle suggests her favourite books for the Beast to read but he admits that he has forgotten how, so she sits down and begins reading 'King Arthur' to him. When she is finished, she asks to make a start and invites the Beast to join her for dinner. The servants are overjoyed that Belle is warming to their master, raising their hopes that the spell might soon be broken and they may become Human Again.
In the village, Gaston has summoned Monsieur D'Arque, the master of the local insane asylum. Taking advantage of Maurice's crazy behaviour, has hatched a plan to force Belle to marry him by isolating her from her father. With D'Arque's complicity, Maurice is to be committed to the Maison des Lunes.
At the castle, the servants encourage the Beast to tell Belle of his true feelings for her but he is afraid of her rejection. During their romantic dinner (The Beauty and The Beast) he struggles to find the courage to follow his servants advice. When Belle tells him she misses her father he gives her his magic mirror so that she may look in upon him. But the mirror reveals that Maurice is alone in the woods and in danger. The Beast sets her free, telling her to go to her father, and to take the mirror so that she can always look back and remember him. The servants are distraught, in this act of self-sacrifice their master has finally learned to love, but with Belle's departure go all hopes of their salvation.
Belle finds her father and guides him home only to find Gaston leading a mob to escort him to the insane asylum, unless of course Belle agrees to marry him. The mob taunt Maurice about the Beast to demonstrate his madness but Belle declares that her father was telling the truth and summons the Beast's image in the magic mirror to prove that he is real. Sensing her feelings for the Beast, Gaston then whips up the mob into a frenzy to destroy him (The Mob Song), and leads them off to attack the castle. Belle is distraught that she has brought this doom down upon the Beast and declares to her father that she must return to the castle to warn him.
In the castle, the enchanted objects fight back against the invaders and drive them away, but Gaston corners the Beast on the castle ramparts. The heartbroken Beast lacks the will to fight back until he sees that Belle has returned to him. Overpowering Gaston, his human side grants him the compassion to let Gaston live and set him free. But as he turns his back, the cowardly gaston attacks him from behind and stabs him in the back, but as the Beast throws him off he loses his balance and falls to his death.
Belle leads the Beast back inside the castle where he dies in her arms, telling her first that he is happy to have seen her one last time. Then, just as the last petal begins to fall from the enchanted Rose, Belle declares that she loves him. As the spell in broken the Beast is transformed back into a handsome Prince and his life is restored, and together they celebrate his Transformation. The servants are overcome to find themselves restored to their human forms and join in the celebrations to the hapiness of the their master and (new) mistress. And of course all live happily ever after.
This is very much a family musical, not surprisingly perhaps being based upon the Disney animated version of the classic folk tale. Although it does try hard to impress the children (of which there many) in the audience, it is much more than simply a kids show, with plenty to please the grown-ups as well. The humour ranges from visual slapstick (for the kids) to subtle gags in the lyrics that would pass over the heads of most children. Taken generally, it was a little too 'pantomimey' for my tastes, but with still enough there to please the theatre purists in excellent music, divine performances and top quality production values.
The stage version differs from the animated film in its treatment of the servants. Here they are not only transformed physically into clocks and teapots, they are slowly becoming those things and having to deal with their loss of humanity, which makes them more real and more sympathetic. The score adds a few new numbers to those familiar from the film, but they dovetail beautifully and are in no way out of place.
The fairytale sets, enhanced by front screen projections, are as impressive as they are varied. The costumes are colourful and imaginative, and used to great effect. Cogsworth's indignation when Belle opened his glass door was a joy, as was the moment when Madame pulled a dress from one of her drawers. Belle's orange ball gown is sumptuous, and when she first appears bathed in red light the effect is truly enchanting and drew gasps from all around. The Beast's costume and make-up are equally excellent, a close match for Disney's cartoon orginal.
The scene changes were deftly and rapidly acheived, often behind a translucent screen onto which extra scenery is projected. The final transformation from Beast to Prince is very cleverly acheived. The Beast floats above the ground and begins to spin rapidly in the air. a quick flash of bright lights and the Beast is no more, the handsome Prince descends gently to the ground.
All in all the show, which how been around for a few years now, is still very effective. The music is excellent, the love story touchingly told, and there are many moments to make you laugh or, occasionally, jump in your seat.
Nic Greenshield's Beast is a thoroughly entertaining character, cleverly making the audience warm to him at the same pace as does Belle in the story. Intially a schoolyard bully, slowly his vulnerable human side is revealed as he learns to regain his humanity, inside if not out. Katie Cowley Jones is well cast as the headstrong but kind hearted Belle. She has a wonderful rich singing voice with only the occasional minor quaver on her high register. She looked every inch the innocent country girl in her simple blue dress and stunning in her ballgown. Don Crann as the father she so adores approaches the role with the addle headed quality that is stereotypical of inventors but which at times makes him a rather pathetic character. Michael Quinn's larger than life, egocentric, musclebound (and muscle-headed) Gaston inevitably bore shades of Elvis Presley whilst Ashley Vallance's Lefou had much in common with the mad hatter. Adam Stafford as Cogsworth brings the role a kind of good natured pomposity that is a perfect foil for Sergio Priftis over the top Lumiere. Orla Mullen who on the night played Mrs Potts was only the understudy for the role but acquitted herself so well that one could but wonder why she does not have the part full time. She has a strong stage presence and beautiful voice reminiscent at times of Julie Andrews. All in all a very strong cast who accounted themselves well throughout.
An entertaining show for children aged five to ninety-five. Suspend your disbelief, let out your inner child, and sate yourself on generous servings of honey roast ham.