Beauty and the Beast: A Play

Genre: Fantasy Length: 80 minutes Cast: Flexible cast of 24 (11m, 13w, gender flexible, doubling possible) Set: Extremely flexible; no full sets are necessary. All locations can be represented by moveable set pieces, props, and lighting. Freely adapted from the original French fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast is the story of an arrogant prince who is placed under a fairy's spell for his selfish ways. He is turned into a hideous beast until he can find someone to love him for his true self. Seemingly lost forever, the Beast goes unnoticed until a poor merchant stumbles across the palace one cold night. He picks a rose for his youngest daughter, not realizing the minor offense will cost him dearly. When he is forced to send his daughter to live with the Beast, she meets some unusual friends and travels through her dreams to ultimately find the true meaning of love. This poetic adaptation of the classic story incorporates some dialogue in French, and offers a range of opportunities for performers.