Act One
The voice of an unseen Narrator begins: "Once upon a
time" there lived a young Prince, who had everything his heart desired,
but was spoiled and selfish. But then one night, an old Beggar Woman requested
shelter in the Prince's castle in return for a single red rose. Repulsed by her
haggard appearance, the Prince sneered at the gift, and turned the old woman
away. The Beggar Woman warned the Prince "not to be deceived by
appearances, for beauty is found within." Dismissing 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 Enchantress
left him with only a magic mirror to see the outside world, and the rose she
had offered, which was truly enchanted. The rose would bloom for many years,
but if the Prince did not learn to love another, and earn another's love in
return before the last rose petal fell, the spell would remain unbroken, and he
would remain a Beast forever.
Not far off, there is a quaint French village full of
ordinary people living provincial lives, except for two unique inhabitants: the
beautiful, intelligent Belle and her father Maurice, an eccentric inventor.
Belle's only interest in the town is the library, and the villagers watch her
curiously while they comment on her individuality ("Belle"). One of
the most popular citizens, Gaston, has decided to marry Belle because she's the
prettiest, "and that makes her the best." After sending his goofy
friend, Lefou, to prepare for the wedding, Gaston tries to get a moment with
his future bride. Belle cleverly avoids him and heads home. She finds Maurice
working on one of his inventions, and can't help but wonder if the townspeople
are right: are Belle and Maurice "odd?" But the father assures his
daughter that they are special, and they have each other ("No Matter What").
Then Maurice heads off to the fair wearing the scarf Belle gave him for good
luck. As Maurice rides along in the forest singing ("No Matter What -
Reprise"), the path grows darker. All of a sudden, he hears a howl. A pack
of ferocious wolves appear, and Maurice has to run for safety, leaving his
invention and scarf behind. He arrives at a creepy, old castle and pounds on
the door.
Once inside the cavernous, seemingly empty castle, Maurice
discovers to his amazement that the whole manor is populated with enchanted
objects, who as the Prince's once human servants, have also been cruelly
transformed by the beggar woman's spell. Lumiere, a charmingly handsome
candelabra, Cogsworth, a tightly-wound mantle clock, and Mrs. Potts, a sweetly
maternal teapot try to make Maurice feel more comfortable, while at the same
time attempting to hide him from their master - the Beast. Their attempts prove
futile, as the Beast bursts into the room, roaring at Maurice for intruding and
for wanting to "stare at the beast." Maurice tries desperately to
apologize and explain himself, but the Beast mercilessly throws the old man
into the dungeon.
Back outside Belle's cottage, Gaston has assembled his
wedding party, and prepares to propose to his lucky bride. He paints Belle a vivid
picture of what their married life could be, vainly highlighting his own
significance in their masculine household. ("Me"). Citing that she
"just doesn't deserve" him, Belle rejects his offer of marriage, and
disappears into her house. Gaston leaves humiliated, but more determined than
ever to have Belle for his wife. Meanwhile, Belle contemplates again what she
really wants in life ("Belle - Reprise"). Just then, Lefou appears
looking for Gaston, and is wearing the scarf that Belle gave to Maurice. Belle
makes him confess that he found it in the woods near the crossroads, and she
races off alone to find out what has happened to her dear father.
Belle follows her father's trail to the old castle, and
quietly, she enters, searching for Maurice. As she explores the dark interior,
Lumiere and Cogsworth worry that they are losing more and more of their
humanity every day as the terrible spell continues. But, discovering Belle's
presence, their hopes are once again ignited, as they feel she might be the one
to help their master break the spell. Finally, Belle finds her father in a
dungeon cell where he is coughing and deathly cold. Maurice tries to warn Belle
about the Beast, and pleads with her to run, when suddenly the Beast appears.
Belle begs the Beast to let her father go. When he does not relent, she offers
to become the Beast's prisoner in exchange for her father's freedom. The Beast
accepts her offer, and has Maurice escorted out before Belle can say goodbye.
At Lumiere's suggestion, the Beast leads Belle to nicer quarters, strictly
forbidding her from ever entering the West Wing of the castle. The Beast then
demands that Belle join him for dinner, slamming the guest room door in the
process. Alone again, Belle mourns the loss of her father and her freedom
("Is This Home?"). There's a knock at the door and Mrs. Potts enters
to serve tea. Astonished at the magical, talking teapot, Belle crashed into the
enchanted wardrobe, Madame de la Grand Bouche, who also tries to cheer her up.
Together, they try to convince Belle to go down to dinner, and give the Beast a
chance, but Belle refuses ("Is This Home?") - Reprise.
Back in town, inside the tavern, Gaston is depressed because
of Belle's rejection. Lefou and some of the villagers try to rouse his spirits
again by reminding him of how admired he is ("Gaston"). The ploy
works, and Gaston joins in the merriment, dancing and singing of his own merit.
In the midst of this bar room revelry, Maurice enters, frantically begging for
someone to help him rescue his beloved Belle from the monstrous Beast. As
usual, no one takes "crazy old Maurice" seriously, and they promptly
kick him out. But Maurice's rant gives Gaston a new idea ("Gaston -
Reprise"). He will threaten to have Maurice committed to a lunatic asylum
unless Belle agrees to marry him.
At the castle, the Beast anxiously awaits Belle at dinner,
with his enchanted servants helping him be more presentable. But when it is
announced the Belle will not come down, the Beast rages, storms up to her room,
and begins to bully her into joining him. She remains defiant, and the Beast
tells her she is forbidden to eat at all if it is not with him. Despairing, the
Beast retreats to the West Wing, where with his magic mirror he hears Belle
confess to Madame de la Grande Bouche that she does not "want to have
anything to do with him." Afraid that she will never see him as anything
but a monster, the Beast reflects on his mistakes ("How Long Must This Go
On?"). Meanwhile, Belle feels hungry and sneaks out of her room to the
kitchen, where she finds Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts. Belle admits she is hungry,
and despite the master's orders, Mrs. Potts insists on feeding the poor girl.
Lumiere declares that with a proper dinner comes a little music, and leads the
all the objects, despite Cogsworth's constant worries, through a spectacular
feast and floor show ("Be Our Guest"). Belle is thrilled by this
magical dinner party and the wondrous inhabitants of the castle, and proceeds
to request a tour from her new friends. The objects take Belle through the
castle, but she soon slips away from her guides and makes her way to the
forbidden West Wing. Once in the Beast's room, she discovers the enchanted rose
under a glass case. Just as she is about to touch it, the Beast emerges and
bellows at her to stay away. She is so frightened that she breaks her promise
and bolts from the castle. The Beast regrets his horrible temper, but it is too
late. She is gone. Realizing what he has done, he mourns her departure and his
own shrinking humanity ("If I Can't Love Her").
Act Two
In the woods, fleeing from the castle, Belle is surrounded
by a pack of ferocious wolves. They begin to attack when the Beast heroically
appears and fights them off, but not without badly injuring himself. Faced with
a chance to run, Belle decides instead to help her wounded rescuer, and leads
the Beast back to the castle.
Once inside, Belle tends to the Beast's wounds, and the two
of them realize that they have both been at fault in some way. As they continue
to open up to each other, Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts start scheming for
ways to bring Belle and the Beast even closer together ("Something
More"). The Beast decides he wants to give Belle a token of his affection,
and remembering her love of books, presents her with his massive and neglected
library. She is overjoyed, suggesting they read "King Arthur"
together, but the Beast is forced to admit to her that he never learned to
read. Feeling suddenly sympathetic toward him, Belle spends the entire day with
him, reading the story aloud. The Beast is astonished that books can help him
escape his loneliness, and they both realize they have something in common.
Warming to the Beast, Belle tells him she would like to make a fresh start, and
invites the Beast to join her for dinner. The servants, having witnessed the
invitation, raise their hopes that Belle will help their master break the
spell, and dream of the possibility of returning to their former selves
("Human Again").
Meanwhile, Gaston and Lefou meet with Monsieur D'Arque, the
slimy, calculating proprietor of the local lunatic asylum. Gaston explains his
plan to blackmail Belle into marriage using the incarceration of Maurice as
bait. Always the fan of the dastardly plot, Monsieur D'Arque agrees to helps
them, and they all celebrate the intended success of their brilliant scheme
("Maison Des Lune").
In the West Wing of the castle, Lumiere and Cogsworth
prepare the Beast for dinner with Belle. Shyly, the Beast confesses his love
for Belle, but admits he is too afraid to tell her. His servants encourage him
to take the chance, and to simply speak from his heart. Finally, the Beast
meets Belle, who is dressed in a beautiful golden gown, and they enjoy a
romantic dinner together. After dinner, they dance together as Mrs. Potts sings
of their unique relationship ("Beauty And The Beast"). The Beast
tries to express his feelings for Belle, but keeps getting cold feet as he
notices Belle is troubled. When asked, she admits she is worried about Maurice.
The Beast stops trying to confess his love, and instead reveals to Belle his
magic mirror so that she may see Maurice again. When she looks in the mirror,
she sees Maurice, lost in the woods attempting to find her. The Beast tells her
she must go to him and insists she take the mirror with her so that she can
always look back. The enchanted objects are disappointed that their master let
Belle go, but Mrs. Potts realizes that he has learned to love at last. However,
they feel it is too late for the spell to be broken, as Belle must love him in
return ("If I Can't Love Her - Reprise").
Belle finds her father and they return home, with Belle
explaining the Beast's true intentions, and that things have changed. Out of
nowhere, Monsieur D'Arque and a mob arrive to take Maurice away. Gaston offers to
"clear up this little misunderstanding" if she will agree to marry
him. Once again refusing his proposal, Belle grabs the mirror to prove to the
mob that the Beast is real, and that her father is not crazy after all. Sensing
Belle has acquired feelings for the Beast, Gaston whips in the townsfolk into a
frenzy by convincing them the Beast is a threat that must be destroyed
("The Mob Song"). As the mob marches to "kill the beast,"
Belle and Maurice hurry off to warn him.
When the mob reaches the castle, a battle begins as the
enchanted objects cunningly fight back with their unique skills, driving off
the invaders. But Gaston remains, and hunts the heartbroken Beast to kill him,
baiting him with lies about Belle's feelings for the Beast. Without the heart to
fight back, the Beast endures his merciless attacks, until he realizes that
Belle has returned to him. The fight continues brutally until the Beast has
Gaston firmly in his grasp. Gaston begs for his life, and the Beast's human
side triumphs, and he sets the cowering bully free. The Beast runs to be
reunited with Belle, but is stabbed in the back by Gaston. In a final gasp of
fury, the Beast retaliates by knocking Gaston off the top of the castle to his
death. The Beast collapses, dying from his wounds, and tells the weeping Belle
that he is happy he got to see her one last time. When he falls silent, Belle
thinks he is dead, and begins to sob, uttering, "I love you" just as
the last petal of the rose falls. Suddenly, a strange light fills the stage,
and the Beast magically transforms back into the handsome Prince. Belle doesn't
recognize him at first, but soon looks into his eyes and knows her true love.
They embrace as all of the servants are transformed back into their human
forms, rejoicing that the spell has been broken. The entire company sings
("And The Beast - Reprise") as the Prince and his beauty prepare to
live happily ever after.
