“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. When 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.” Taking one his inventions with him, Maurice heads off to a fair wearing the scarf Belle gave him for good luck. As Maurice rides along in the forest, 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. When 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, Belle rejects Gaston’s offer of marriage. When 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. Lumiere and Cogworth discover Belle’s presence and their hopes of recovering their humanity are 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. Bell is strictly forbidden 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. Belle refuses to join the Beast for dinner.
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. 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. 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. However, 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. 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.
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. 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.
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 help them.
In the West Wing of the castle, the Beast meets Belle, who is dressed in a beautiful golden gown, and they enjoy a romantic dinner together. 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 and the Beast 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.
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. Gaston whips in the townsfolk into a frenzy by convincing them the Beast is a threat that must be destroyed. 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 as the Prince and his beauty prepare to live happily ever after.
In 1991, the animated feature BEAUTY AND THE BEAST became the first "cartoon" to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Prompted by the unprecedented success of the film, and by critics likening the music to that of a Broadway score, Disney executives began to develop a stage version with an eye toward the Great White Way.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST first premiered at Houston's Theater Under the Stars in December 1993. There were 40 performances in Texas before the show opened at Broadway's Palace Theater on April 18, 1994. The original cast included Susan Egan as Belle, Terrence Mann the Beast, and Tom Bosley of TV's Happy Days as Belle's father, Maurice. Disney's unmatched reputation for quality family entertainment was clearly in evidence, as the show broke box office records for single-day ticket sales. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was nominated for nine 1994 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
In 2005, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST celebrated its 11th year on Broadway, and is currently the 6th longest running musical in Broadway history. Over the years, several prominent stars have assumed the role of Belle, including Andrea McArdle, Deborah Gibson, and Christy Carlson Romano. In 1998, when pop sensation Toni Braxton played the part, the song "A Change In Me" was added to the score and remains in the show.
To date, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST has been performed in 15 countries and 7 languages around the world.
