One night, an old woman knocked on
the castle's gargantuan door, begging to be accommodated for the night. The
prince, selfish as he was, refused to let the old woman stay despite the cold
and harsh environment of the forest.
She begged a second time, telling him not to make judgments based on one's appearance, but the
prince rejected and banished her. Little did he know that the old woman was an
enchantress putting him to test. A few moments later, she transformed to reveal
her true self.
Realizing his mistake, the prince
knelt before her and begged for her forgiveness. But it was too late. She cast
a spell on him and turned him into a hideous beast. The spell would be undone only if he would learn to love and someone would love him in return before the last petal of the rose from the enchantress falls.
Many miles beyond the woods, there
was a beautiful lady living with her genius old man in a provincial town. She
was so lovable that a muscular over-confident hunter named Gaston
was allured by her beauty. But she always turned him down.
One night, as her father was
traveling to an invention fair, he got lost in the forest upon getting attacked by a pack
of wolves. He found the castle and knocked on the door for shelter. He found
himself talking to a human clock and human candelabra. When the Beast found
out, he was so enraged he made the old man a prisoner, believing that he was an
intruder intending to reveal his secret.
When the young lady knew of his
father's disappearance, she searched for him in the woods where she chanced
upon the castle. She entered it and found her father locked away in a corner.
Realizing there was another
intruder, the Beast got angry and attempted to banish the lady. But the lady
begged the beast to release her father and take her in his stead. Upon hearing
this, the Beast commanded his servants to send the old man out of the castle
without letting the lady say goodbye to him.
Having heard this fairy
tale many times, we know what happened next.
There was a thick barrier between
the main characters at first, but it eventually broke down, giving way to a
love that conquered everything. And just like other fairy tales, the Beast and
the lady lived happily ever after.
This is the story of Belle and the
prince. This is the story of Beauty and the Beast.
For the first time, the original
Broadway stage musical adaptation of this ever famous love story has come to
the Philippines to create a spectacular world of romance for the Filipino
audience at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater.
Indeed, the musical is fascinating
from start to finish, but I'd like to zero in on several elements that stood
out.
Stage design
Sure, it's a Broadway musical.
They've got the budget to afford a majestic stage design. But it definitely
takes craftsmanship, creativity and imagination to yield a masterful output
that will make the audience imagine that they are physically in the story.
Alongside this, skillfully carrying out the director's precise instructions is
essential in achieving a seamless transition of scenes onstage. And they've
achieved it.
The enchantress
The musical opened with a short
narration of how the haughty prince turned into a hideous beast. The old woman
who later revealed herself as an enchantress was an essential character.
Onstage, there was a hunched woman begging the prince for temporary shelter.
With a few flicker of lights, the hunched woman was replaced by an approximately 10-feet tall
enchantress in a gown that extended to the stage's floor. Putting this scene at
the beginning was a total turn on.
'Be Our Guest' number
The story was about the unexpected
romance that sprouted between Belle and the Beast. But among all the scenes
that unfolded, my personal favorite is the "Be Our Guest" number
where in all the house servants gleefully sang and gracefully danced as they
welcomed Belle to the castle. It was a magnificent showcasing of the
performers' dancing prowess as well as of the designer's craftsmanship.
Towards the end of the performance, two huge bottles blew out smoke akin to
champagne bottles spewing their contents. It concluded with party poppers (?) shooting out glimmering strips into the audience who applauded the performance.
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Another favorite scene of mine is Mrs. Potts (head of kitchen who turned into a tea pot) singing "Beauty and the Beast" while Belle
and the Beast was enjoying their moment together. How can I ever forget one of the
songs I grew up with? I just wish Belle and the Beast sang the song in
a duet.
Levitation
He learned to love. Belle
reciprocated his love. But the last petal of the rose fell.
Just when Belle was about to lose
hope because she thought she was losing the love of her life, an amazing thing
occurred. The beast levitated and rotated while suspended in the air (yes,
this happened onstage). With the flickering lights, the Beast returned to his
true form--a handsome prince Belle didn't recognize at first. It was one of the
most amazing, most admirable, and most applause-worthy scenes of the two-hour
musical.
True, Beauty and the Beast is a
familiar fairy tale we grew up with. But the musical is an enchanting retelling
of a love that conquers all. I'd say you must see it for yourself.
The musical stages until February 8, 2015 at 8 pm, with matinees at 2 pm every Saturday and Sunday. For ticket prices and reservations, visit https://www.ticketworld.com.ph/Online/beautyandthebeast.
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