Die Schöne Und Das Biest
Music by: Alan Menken
Lyrics by: Howard Ashman & Tim Rice
Directed by: Robert Jess Roth
Book by: Linda Woolverton
Choreography: Matt West
September 28th 1995 - June 9th 1997
Raimund Theater
Vienna, Austria
Synopsis
The musical based on the animated cartoon film with additional compositions by Alan Menken tells the story of Belle, a beautiful young girl who lives in a small village in France and a prince who had been turned into a beast by the curse of a fairy. Not until the Beast learns to love and his love is returned is the curse removed. But time is passing. If the Beast does not succeed in being released from the curse by someone's love before the last leaf of the enchanted rose falls, his royal household shall remain enchanted forever.
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Arthur Büscher, Suzanne Carey, Stewart Crowley, Dino Di Iorio, Jacqueline Dunnley, Jutta Ellinger, Josef Helmut Ettl, Jasna Ivir, Marco Krämer, Britta Krause, Axel Olzinger, Jack Poppell, Inez Timmer, Dean Welterlen, Jana Werner, Nick Winston
Steve Bernier, Colleen Besett, Sören Fenner, Oliver Polster, Horst Reeh, Jonas Samuelsson, Ariane Swoboda, Monika Trabauer, Jani Walsh
Prologue
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the Prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is to be found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress.
The Prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. As punishment, she transformed him into a hideous Beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom for many years. If he could learn to love another and earn their love in return before the last petal fell, the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a Beast for all time.
Act 1The Prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. As punishment, she transformed him into a hideous Beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom for many years. If he could learn to love another and earn their love in return before the last petal fell, the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a Beast for all time.
In a small provincial village, we meet Belle. She is beautiful, intelligent, loves to read, and is considered odd by the people of her village: Belle. While the townsfolk may find her odd, one person is quite enamored of the young beauty. Gaston is surely one of the most handsome men in the village. . . Just ask him. He tells his trusty, dimwitted sidekick, Lefou, that he can wed only the most beautiful girl in the town. Since that girl is Belle, he must have her.
Belle returns home to find her inventor father, Maurice hard at work on an invention that will surely win all the prizes at the fair. Maurice is a kind, gentle old man who dearly loves his daughter and wants her to understand that she is not odd at all: No Matter What. Belle gives Maurice a new scarf she has made him for good luck and he leaves to drive his new invention to the Fair. On the way to the Fair Maurice is attacked by wolves, but he escapes by running to a nearby castle and going in. The castle belongs to the Beast. Maurice thinks the castle is empty, but is quickly introduced to several of the Beast's servants who have been transformed into enchanted objects. He first meets Lumiere, the candelabra, and Cogsworth, the clock. While Cogsworth states that he is the head of the household, it is Lumiere who seems to be running things. He offers Maurice a chair and a cup of tea. They are joined by Lumiere's girlfriend Babette, the vivacious feather duster, Mrs. Potts, the teapot, and her son Chip, a teacup, soon follow. While they all want to be hospitable to Maurice they are afraid of what will happen if the Beast finds out they have let him into the castle. When the Beast does appear it is apparent that he is not happy about Maurice's presence and that Maurice is in great danger.
Gaston arrives to make Belle an offer he cannot imagine she would refuse. He wants her to be his wife: Me. Much to his dismay, Belle is less than enthralled with the idea and turns him down. Belle wants more from her life than to be another trophy for the boorish, brainless Gaston: Belle (Reprise).
Belle runs into Lefou who is carrying the scarf that she made for her father. The scarf is tattered and torn and Lefou tells her that he found it in the forest. Belle is very worried about her father and sets out to find him. She comes across the same castle in the forest and goes in. The objects are thrilled to see Belle, hoping that she will be the girl that the Beast falls in love with and that will in return fall in love with him. Belle finds her father in a dungeon and is trying to release him when the Beast enters. He offers her a deal: in return for the release of Maurice, Belle must agree to stay in the castle forever. To the horror of her father, Belle accepts the deal. Maurice is taken away and the terrified and saddened Belle is led to her new bedroom. The Beast tells her that his servants will take care of her and also tells her she must never go into the west wing of the castle. In her room, she wonders what will happen in this new frightening place she must call Home. Mrs. Potts and Madame de la Grande Bouche come in to comfort the frightened girl. They tell her that all of the objects are impressed with what she did for her father and try to convince her that the Beast is not really as bad as he seems: Home (Reprise).
Back in the village, Gaston, Lefou and the other villagers are singing about Gaston's virtues: Gaston. At the end of the song, a very nervous and frantic Maurice comes into the tavern to seek help in rescuing Belle from the horrible Beast. As usual, the crowd thinks that Maurice is crazy and they escort him out of the tavern. Gaston comes up with a plan to get Belle to marry him: blackmail. If he can get everyone to believe that Maurice is indeed crazy, he can have him committed to the local asylum, the Maison de Lunes. If Belle agrees to marry him, he will straighten out the matter: Gaston (Reprise).
At the castle, Belle has refused the Beast's request to come to dinner, even though the enchanted objects managed to get him to say "please"- a word he hasn't uttered in years. The Beast is furious and bewildered as to why she is being so stubborn, even after he was trying to be nice to her. He realizes that this girl may be his last chance to have the spell broken: How Long Must This Go On?
Belle has been forbidden to leave her room and all of the enchanted objects have been told that she must not be fed until she agrees to eat with the Beast. However, when Belle comes down to the dining room, hungry, Lumiere and the other objects provide her with a meal fit for a queen, complete with a Buzby Burkley-esque array of dancing utensils, spinning plates and a cart-wheeling carpet among other things: Be Our Guest.
The Beast decides he needs to make himself more of a gentleman if he is ever to have a chance at breaking the spell. He decides to bring a tray of food to Belle in her room. As he is knocking on the door, he sees Cogsworth and Lumiere giving Belle a tour of the castle. Enraged, he returns to the west wing where the magic rose is kept under a glass dome. Belle separates herself from Lumiere and Cogsworth and goes into the west wing to see what the Beast is hiding there. She is caught by the Beast and is chased out of the room. He tries to apologize to her for scaring her, but accidentally rips the sleeve on her blouse. Promise or no promise, Belle decides to leave the castle and runs from the Beast. The Beast is devastated that he has frightened her and made her leave the castle, for there are so few petals left on the rose that he may never be able to break the spell. He is distraught and examines the predicament he is in as the act ends: If I Can't Love Her.
Act 2Belle returns home to find her inventor father, Maurice hard at work on an invention that will surely win all the prizes at the fair. Maurice is a kind, gentle old man who dearly loves his daughter and wants her to understand that she is not odd at all: No Matter What. Belle gives Maurice a new scarf she has made him for good luck and he leaves to drive his new invention to the Fair. On the way to the Fair Maurice is attacked by wolves, but he escapes by running to a nearby castle and going in. The castle belongs to the Beast. Maurice thinks the castle is empty, but is quickly introduced to several of the Beast's servants who have been transformed into enchanted objects. He first meets Lumiere, the candelabra, and Cogsworth, the clock. While Cogsworth states that he is the head of the household, it is Lumiere who seems to be running things. He offers Maurice a chair and a cup of tea. They are joined by Lumiere's girlfriend Babette, the vivacious feather duster, Mrs. Potts, the teapot, and her son Chip, a teacup, soon follow. While they all want to be hospitable to Maurice they are afraid of what will happen if the Beast finds out they have let him into the castle. When the Beast does appear it is apparent that he is not happy about Maurice's presence and that Maurice is in great danger.
Gaston arrives to make Belle an offer he cannot imagine she would refuse. He wants her to be his wife: Me. Much to his dismay, Belle is less than enthralled with the idea and turns him down. Belle wants more from her life than to be another trophy for the boorish, brainless Gaston: Belle (Reprise).
Belle runs into Lefou who is carrying the scarf that she made for her father. The scarf is tattered and torn and Lefou tells her that he found it in the forest. Belle is very worried about her father and sets out to find him. She comes across the same castle in the forest and goes in. The objects are thrilled to see Belle, hoping that she will be the girl that the Beast falls in love with and that will in return fall in love with him. Belle finds her father in a dungeon and is trying to release him when the Beast enters. He offers her a deal: in return for the release of Maurice, Belle must agree to stay in the castle forever. To the horror of her father, Belle accepts the deal. Maurice is taken away and the terrified and saddened Belle is led to her new bedroom. The Beast tells her that his servants will take care of her and also tells her she must never go into the west wing of the castle. In her room, she wonders what will happen in this new frightening place she must call Home. Mrs. Potts and Madame de la Grande Bouche come in to comfort the frightened girl. They tell her that all of the objects are impressed with what she did for her father and try to convince her that the Beast is not really as bad as he seems: Home (Reprise).
Back in the village, Gaston, Lefou and the other villagers are singing about Gaston's virtues: Gaston. At the end of the song, a very nervous and frantic Maurice comes into the tavern to seek help in rescuing Belle from the horrible Beast. As usual, the crowd thinks that Maurice is crazy and they escort him out of the tavern. Gaston comes up with a plan to get Belle to marry him: blackmail. If he can get everyone to believe that Maurice is indeed crazy, he can have him committed to the local asylum, the Maison de Lunes. If Belle agrees to marry him, he will straighten out the matter: Gaston (Reprise).
At the castle, Belle has refused the Beast's request to come to dinner, even though the enchanted objects managed to get him to say "please"- a word he hasn't uttered in years. The Beast is furious and bewildered as to why she is being so stubborn, even after he was trying to be nice to her. He realizes that this girl may be his last chance to have the spell broken: How Long Must This Go On?
Belle has been forbidden to leave her room and all of the enchanted objects have been told that she must not be fed until she agrees to eat with the Beast. However, when Belle comes down to the dining room, hungry, Lumiere and the other objects provide her with a meal fit for a queen, complete with a Buzby Burkley-esque array of dancing utensils, spinning plates and a cart-wheeling carpet among other things: Be Our Guest.
The Beast decides he needs to make himself more of a gentleman if he is ever to have a chance at breaking the spell. He decides to bring a tray of food to Belle in her room. As he is knocking on the door, he sees Cogsworth and Lumiere giving Belle a tour of the castle. Enraged, he returns to the west wing where the magic rose is kept under a glass dome. Belle separates herself from Lumiere and Cogsworth and goes into the west wing to see what the Beast is hiding there. She is caught by the Beast and is chased out of the room. He tries to apologize to her for scaring her, but accidentally rips the sleeve on her blouse. Promise or no promise, Belle decides to leave the castle and runs from the Beast. The Beast is devastated that he has frightened her and made her leave the castle, for there are so few petals left on the rose that he may never be able to break the spell. He is distraught and examines the predicament he is in as the act ends: If I Can't Love Her.
Act 2 opens as Belle is running from the Castle and is attacked by wolves. The Beast comes to her rescue and fights the wolves off, but is injured himself: Wolf Chase. Back in the castle, Belle tends to the Beasts wounds and the first tender moment is shared between the two. She thanks him for saving her and he says, "You're welcome." Belle, the Beast and the Enchanted objects start to recognize that things are changing between Belle and the Beast: Something There. To try to help them along with their newfound friendship, Mrs. Potts offers them a nice bowl of soup. They sit at the table and more tender moments are starting to occur. The Beast wants to give Belle something special to show her that he is sorry about all that has happened. The objects convince him that the perfect gift would be the library in the castle since Belle is so in love with reading. Belle is thrilled with the library and finds her favorite book. When she discovers that the Beast cannot read she decides to read the story of King Arthur to him. Belle is beginning to see that the Beast's hideous exterior is hiding a heart that really wants to love and be loved in return. As the Beast and Belle are reading in the Library the Enchanted Objects dream of what it would be like to have their old lives back: Human Again. Belle asks the Beast for a second chance at dinner and the Beast is so excited he runs from the library to get ready.
Back in the village, Gaston is going forward with his plan to have Maurice committed. He and Lefou are trying to persuade Monsieur D'Arque, who runs the Maison de Lunes, to help them in their plan. He agrees when the price is right: Maison Des Lunes.
At the castle, the Beast and Belle are all dressed up for a very nice formal dinner. Belle asks the Beast to dance and they waltz: Beauty and the Beast. As they sit in the garden after dinner, Belle confesses that she is happy at the castle, but that she wishes she could see her father again. When the Beast offers her the Magic Mirror so that she can see her father, Belle is frightened by what she sees. The Beast loves her so much he tells her she is no longer his prisoner. Even though it means that he is doomed to spend the rest of his life as beast, he makes her go to her father. He gives her the Magic Mirror so she can always see him. Belle leaves and the objects are heartbroken that their chances to be human again have been dashed. They realize that the Beast has learned to love, but it wasn't enough; he needed to be loved in return for the spell to be broken. The Beast is inconsolable at the loss of his beloved Belle: If I Can't Love Her (Reprise).
Belle arrives back in the village to find the townsfolk and Monsieur D'Arque preparing to take her father away. Gaston offers to save her father if she will marry him and again she refuses. When her father tells the people again of the Beast, they all laugh at him. Belle shows them the Beast in the Magic Mirror to prove that her father is not insane. Gaston senses that Belle has special feelings for the Beast. He decides that the perfect way to get back at Belle for refusing his hand is to kill the Beast. He convinces the townspeople to help him in his mission and the angry mob goes off to the castle: The Mob Song. The mob attacks the castle and the enchanted objects fight back valiantly: The Battle. Gaston finds the Beast alone in the West Wing and tries to kill him. In the fight Gaston is pushed over the edge of a balustrade. The Beast saves him and is rewarded by a knife in the back. Belle has come out on the balcony and the sight of her gives the Beast the strength to fight back at Gaston. Gaston falls off the Balcony and is killed. The wounded Beast collapses inside the castle with Belle at his side. As the Beast lies dying Belle professes her love for the Beast. She does this just as the last petal is falling from the rose. The Beast rises from the floor and begins spinning in the air. The spell has been broken and the Beast is transforming back into the handsome Prince: Transformation.
The Prince and Belle run to see if the other objects are transformed as well. Mrs Potts, Lumiere, Cosgworth, Chip, Babette and Madame de la Grande Bouche are all overjoyed to be back to their normal selves. As the music swells in the background, Maurice gives the Beast Belle's hand in marriage and the company comes together to celebrate the new couple: Beauty And The Beast (Reprise).
(Taken from Musical Notes, by Carol Lucha-Burns)Back in the village, Gaston is going forward with his plan to have Maurice committed. He and Lefou are trying to persuade Monsieur D'Arque, who runs the Maison de Lunes, to help them in their plan. He agrees when the price is right: Maison Des Lunes.
At the castle, the Beast and Belle are all dressed up for a very nice formal dinner. Belle asks the Beast to dance and they waltz: Beauty and the Beast. As they sit in the garden after dinner, Belle confesses that she is happy at the castle, but that she wishes she could see her father again. When the Beast offers her the Magic Mirror so that she can see her father, Belle is frightened by what she sees. The Beast loves her so much he tells her she is no longer his prisoner. Even though it means that he is doomed to spend the rest of his life as beast, he makes her go to her father. He gives her the Magic Mirror so she can always see him. Belle leaves and the objects are heartbroken that their chances to be human again have been dashed. They realize that the Beast has learned to love, but it wasn't enough; he needed to be loved in return for the spell to be broken. The Beast is inconsolable at the loss of his beloved Belle: If I Can't Love Her (Reprise).
Belle arrives back in the village to find the townsfolk and Monsieur D'Arque preparing to take her father away. Gaston offers to save her father if she will marry him and again she refuses. When her father tells the people again of the Beast, they all laugh at him. Belle shows them the Beast in the Magic Mirror to prove that her father is not insane. Gaston senses that Belle has special feelings for the Beast. He decides that the perfect way to get back at Belle for refusing his hand is to kill the Beast. He convinces the townspeople to help him in his mission and the angry mob goes off to the castle: The Mob Song. The mob attacks the castle and the enchanted objects fight back valiantly: The Battle. Gaston finds the Beast alone in the West Wing and tries to kill him. In the fight Gaston is pushed over the edge of a balustrade. The Beast saves him and is rewarded by a knife in the back. Belle has come out on the balcony and the sight of her gives the Beast the strength to fight back at Gaston. Gaston falls off the Balcony and is killed. The wounded Beast collapses inside the castle with Belle at his side. As the Beast lies dying Belle professes her love for the Beast. She does this just as the last petal is falling from the rose. The Beast rises from the floor and begins spinning in the air. The spell has been broken and the Beast is transforming back into the handsome Prince: Transformation.
The Prince and Belle run to see if the other objects are transformed as well. Mrs Potts, Lumiere, Cosgworth, Chip, Babette and Madame de la Grande Bouche are all overjoyed to be back to their normal selves. As the music swells in the background, Maurice gives the Beast Belle's hand in marriage and the company comes together to celebrate the new couple: Beauty And The Beast (Reprise).
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