Beauty and the Beast Plot An enchantress, disguised as an old beggar, offers a spoiled and selfish young prince a rose in exchange for a night′s shelter in his castle. The prince sneers at the offer and turns her away. As punishment for his cold heart, the enchantress transforms him into a monstrous beast, and his servants into household items. She gives him a magic mirror that enables him to view faraway events, along with the rose, which will bloom until his 21st birthday. In order to break the curse, the prince must learn to love and be loved in return before the rose′s petals have fallen off, or else he will remain a beast forever. But as the years go by, the Beast loses all hope, ″for who could ever learn to love... a Beast?″ Some years later, a beautiful young woman named Belle lives in a nearby French village with her father Maurice, an eccentric inventor. A bookworm, Belle longs for a life beyond the dull village. Her beauty and non-conformity attracts attention in the town and she is pursued by several men, especially the arrogant and muscle bound Gaston, who is set on marrying her. Despite Gaston being sought after by single females and admired by the male population of the town, Belle is uninterested in him. While traveling to a fair to present his wood-chopping machine, accompanied by his horse Phillipe, Maurice gets lost in the woods. Chased by a pack of wolves, Maurice stumbles upon the Beast′s castle, where he meets the transformed servants Lumière, a candelabra, Cogsworth, a clock, Mrs. Potts, a teapot, and her son Chip, a teacup. But soon after that, the ferocious Beast imprisons Maurice. Belle finds her way to the castle and offers to take her father′s place; the Beast accepts her offer over Maurice′s protests. While Gaston is sulking in the tavern after a failed proposal to Belle, Maurice arrives seeking help to rescue her from the Beast. No one takes him seriously, so he sets out alone. That night, Belle refuses to dine with the Beast, enraging him; Lumière disobeys his order not to let her eat. While Cogsworth and Lumière give Belle a tour of the castle, she wanders into the forbidden West Wing, and finds the enchanted rose. The Beast angrily chases her away. Belle attempts to flee the castle with Phillipe, but they are attacked by a pack of wolves. The Beast comes to her aid and fights off the wolves, but is injured in the process. Belle nurses his wounds, and he begins to develop feelings for her. She thanks him for saving her life and he impresses her by giving her the castle′s vast library. As they spend more time together, they grow closer. Meanwhile, the spurned Gaston pays Monsieur d′Arque, the warden of the town′s insane asylum, to have Maurice committed if Belle does not accept Gaston′s marriage proposal. Belle and the Beast share a romantic evening together. Belle tells the Beast she misses her father, and he lets her use the magic mirror to see him. When Belle sees him dying in the woods in an attempt to rescue her, the Beast allows her to leave to rescue her father, giving her the mirror to remember him by. Belle finds her father and takes him home. Gaston arrives to put his plan in action, but Belle proves Maurice′s sanity by showing them the Beast with the magic mirror. Realizing Belle has feelings for the Beast, Gaston arouses the mob′s anger against the Beast, telling them that the Beast is a man-eating monster that must be killed, and leads them to the castle. Gaston confines Belle and Maurice to their basement, but Chip, who had hidden himself in Belle′s baggage, releases them with the aid of Maurice′s wood-chopping machine. The Beast′s servants defeat the mob while Gaston sneaks away to confront the Beast. The Beast is initially too depressed to fight back, but he regains his will when he sees Belle returning to the castle. After winning a heated battle on the castle's rooftops, the Beast spares Gaston′s life and orders him to leave. He is about to reunite with Belle, but Gaston stabs him from behind, only to lose his balance and fall to his death. As the Beast dies, Belle professes her love for him just as the rose′s last petal falls, and the spell is broken. The Beast comes back to life and is restored to human form, as are all his servants. Now married, Belle and the prince dance in the ballroom with her father and the servants happily watching on.
List of Scenes List of Musical Numbers Act I Prologue Scene 1 – The Town Belle – Belle and villagers No Matter What – Belle and Maurice Scene 2 – The Forest Scene 3 – The Castle Interior Scene 4 – Exterior of Belle’s cottage Me - Gaston Scene 5 – The castle Interior Home - Belle Scene 6 – The Tavern Gaston – Gaston, LeFou and Villagers Scene 7 – Fireplace How long must this go on? – Beast Be our guest – Lumiere and Enchanted Objects If I can’t love her - Beast Act II Scene 1 – The Forest Scene 2 – Fireplace / Castle Interior Something there – Belle, Beast, Luminere, Mrs Potts, Cogsworth and Chip Scene 3 – The Tavern Maison des Lunes – Monsieur D’Arque, Gaston and LeFou Scene 4 – The Beast’s Lair Beauty and the Beast – Mrs Potts Scene 5 – Exterior of Belle’s cottage A Change in Me – Belle The Mob Song – Gaston and the Mob Scene 6 – The Castle Interior The Battle – The Mob and Enchanted Objects Home (reprise) – Belle Transformation – The Company Finale
– The Company Characters and Cast Belle - Jo Davidson Beast - Matt Gregory Maurice - Nick Bane Gaston - Steve Pleasance Lefou - Roger King Cogsworth - Joe Ward Lumiere - Des O’Brien Babette - Suzanne Wernham Mrs Potts - Alison Wareham Chip - Theo Atherton Madame de la Grande Bouche - Rae Bane Monsieur D’Arque - Ben Strutt Narrator - Nick Wareham Enchantress - Aisling Halligan Silly Girls - Chloe Hardwick, Beth Elwood, Charlotte Jeffery and Vicky Unsworth Book Seller - Steve Creighton Baker - Tim Evans Sausage curl girl - Abbie Palmer Ladies with canes - Emma Ward and Vicki Gregory Ladies with babies - Rachel Speake and Debbie Bush Adult Villagers - Ben Spiro, Helen Fogerty, Stacie Krintas, Glen van Ginkel, Giles Nelson and Raych Clay Junior Villagers - Grace Brown Evans, Lillie Watson, Eliza Chambers, Sannah Clay, Ellanee Kruck, Olivia Shorter, Lottie Chase, Zoe Jupe, Cammie Woolley, Emma Robinson, Natasha Pinkney, Alice Nelson, Melissa Green, Evy Payne, Gabriella Adams, Kim Ferguson and Ellen Petre Dance Troupe - Helena Wareham, Aisling Halligan, Mercy Osborne and Ellie Gunn Wolves - Erica Neil, Georgia Barker, Stephanie Krintas, Gabriella Adams, Kim Ferguson and Evy Payne Caryatids - Grace Brown Evans and Ellanee Kruck Candlesticks - Evy Payne, Gabriella Adams, Kim Ferguson and Ellen Petre Sweets - Grace Brown Evans, Lillie Watson, Eliza Chambers, Sannah Clay, Ellanee Kruck and Olivia Shorter Cutlery - Lottie Chase, Zoe Jupe, Cammie Woolley, Emma Robinson, Natasha Pinkney, Alice Nelson and Melissa Green Condiments - Erica Neil, Georgia Barker and Stephanie Krintas
Production Team Director - Nick Wareham Musical Director - Ben Davidson Choreography - Di Downing Co-Producers - Des O’Brien and Alison Wareham Set Design - Janet Manifold Set Build - John Atherton and Basil Jacques Costumes - Gretta Tamlyn Lighting and Sound - Chris Glenton and Scott Andrews Props - Mick and Mavis Giles Stage Manager - Sarah Pleasance Stage Crew - Joe Manifold, Roger McClure, Liam Clark, Russell Challis and Graham Carver Make up - Holly Griffiths Beast mask - Helena Wareham and Holly Griffiths Set Painting - Janet and Joe Manifold, Laura Attwood, Helen Goode, Holly O’Brien and the cast Marketing and Advertising - Claire Atherton Poster Design - Alison Chappell Front of House - Mike and Chris Wareham, Lynne McClure, Jess Bane Treasurer - Joe Ward Website - Nick Bane The Band Musical Director - Ben Davidson Reed 1 - Cathy Elks Reed 2 - Bev Skyring Reed 3 - Angela Bennett Trumpets - James Garlick and Robin Livermore Horns - Josephine Paterson and Jeremy Rodgers Trombone - Chris Worral Percussion - Carmen Robinson and Maria McElroy Violins - Donna Allum, Martin Harvey, Lucy Purkiss, Stephen Wiley and Tim Regan Cellos Hannah Brooke and James Mayoh Bass - Will Reeves Keyboards - Colin Hazel and Andrew Taylor
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