TCR Playbills Disney's Beauty and the Beast | Page 4

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR...
“Papa, do you think I’m
odd?” Belle asks Maurice
early in this show. “My
daughter? Odd?” the
eccentric inventor replies.
Their song touches on the
idea of non-conformity; these
two characters have
experienced social isolation
from their rather “dull”
community due to their
individuality. “You are
unique; crème de la crème,”
the father states. The two
read, create, and think for
themselves; strange traits
indeed in a town where the
blissful peasants are ripe to
be, at a moment’s notice,
whipped into a mob by their
hero Gaston. The father and
daughter go on to sing
warmly of their deep loyalty
to each other, with “No
Matter What.”

I believe this sort of love is
what grounds Belle
throughout the story. When
Beauty finally meets the
Beast, love is exactly what he
needs, too. Not just to break
the spell, but to change him
inside. Love unlocks
something inside of the

hideous former prince which
allows him to love the
bookworm Belle in return.
And she also is changed: “…I
feel a truer life begin, and
it’s so good and real, it must
come from within,” she
sings. Their unconditional
affection is an unexpected
discovery and is, quite
literally, transformational.
Told skillfully through the
magic spectacle of the stage,
Alan Menken’s gorgeous
music, and energetic dance,
it is the core love story that
sticks with me every night
when I leave the theater
and ever since I first saw
the 1991 film. I find myself
repeatedly moved by this
ancient legend of a love that
sees past the external,
transcends societal norms,
and brings transformational
change. This love can bind
families together; it can give
courage to fear; it maybe,
just maybe, can unite our
world. It’s a cosmic type of
love. It’s a timless story. I
hope our talented actors’
warm and skillful re-telling of