- 96 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
A magical re-telling of the story of Beauty and the Beast, first performed in this version by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
When Beauty's father hears that his long-lost ship packed with pearls has landed safely in harbour, he sets out on a long, difficult journey to claim his fortune and rescue his family from poverty.
But when, stumbling across a magic world belonging to a fearsome beast, he picks a rose as a present for his favourite daughter, the family find themselves in a nightmarish predicament from which only Beauty can rescue them...
This timeless tale of the true nature of beauty and the transformational power of love is brought to glorious life in Laurence Boswell's thrilling and inventive adaptation, which draws on the origins of the tale in French folklore, and is filled with music, dance and song.
Laurence Boswell's much-performed retelling of the classic fairytale was first performed at the Young Vic, London, in 1996. It was revived, in this revised version, by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2003.
'A pacy, funny, show with enough contemporary in-jokes to keep the most worn-out of parents switched on... grips throughout' - The Stage
'Boswell's well-crafted, unshowy staging of the famous fable... is admirably unpatronising' - Daily Mail
'Boswell's beautifully written script... at once beguiling and disconcertingly strange... entirely devoid of sentimentality and Disneyfied cuteness' - Telegraph
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, weāve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere ā even offline. Perfect for commutes or when youāre on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Beauty and the Beast (NHB Modern Plays) by Laurence Boswell in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & British Drama. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
ACT ONE
Scene One: Paris
CHORUS enter, enigmatic, sardonic. Reveal the family of JEAN LOUIS.
HELENE. Long ago. In a city far away. There lived a merchant.
JEAN LOUIS. Who was so successful in all his business speculations that he grew enormously rich!
HELENE. Which was handy because he had six children!
BOYS. Three boys!
GIRLS. Three girls!
JEAN LOUIS. And a staff of twenty-seven!!
HELENE. The merchantās eldest son . . .
ANDRE. Was incredibly intelligent! (ANDRE falls over.)
KIDS. Ha! Ha! Ha!
SERVANTS help him up.
HELENE. He spent hours in the library with his head in books.
JEAN LOUIS. His latest obsession being astrology!
KIDS. Astronomy.
ANDRE. Papa!
JEAN LOUIS. Isnāt that what I just said!
KIDS. No!
HELENE invites ANDRE to continue.
ANDRE. There are millions of suns in the universe, so the chance of there being other forms of life out there is statisti . . .
JEAN LOUIS. Thatās enough now.
HELENE. Sit down, Andre. Thereās a good boy.
ANDRE. But Maman, I donāt want to sit down. I have yet to speak of the constellation of . . .
JEAN LOUIS. Donāt, disobey your mother!
ANDRE yields and prepares to sit.
HELENE. Merci, Andre.
ANDRE. Cāest rien maman. (ANDRE falls over. SERVANTS assist.)
KIDS. Ha! Ha! Ha!
JEAN LOUIS. Mes enfants!
HELENE. The merchantās second son.
PHILLIPE leaps onto chair.
PHILLIPE. Papa! (Pulls ball from his coat.)
HELENE. Loved all kinds of sport!
PHILLIPE throws ball to his DAD.
He spent his days playing football, tennis and . . .
PHILLIPE. Rugby!
PHILLIPE runs, evading servants and kids. JEAN LOUIS takes and returns a pass.
HELENE. Sit down now! Thatās enough!
He scores a try.
ALL. La triomphe!
HELENE. His clothes were always untidy and his knees were constantly grazed.
PHILLIPE. Maman!
PHILLIPE does cartwheels and somersaults. Kids clap and do a parody.
HELENE. Sit down now. Thereās a good boy.
PHILLIPE. But Maman, I donāt want to sit down.
JEAN LOUIS. Donāt disobey your mother!
PHILLIPE sits.
HELENE. Merci, Phillipe.
PHILLIPE. Cāest rien maman. (Sits, then up abruptly with tennis racket.)
Papa!?
HELENE. Just sit still!
JEAN LOUIS gestures to PHILLIPE to calm down.
JEAN LOUIS. The merchantās youngest son . . .
EMILE. Ma ma mĆØre!
Waves to MUM. She waves back.
HELENE. Mon petit chou!
EMILE on his MUMās lap, lots of kisses.
JEAN LOUIS. Was dreadfully indulged by his mother.
HELENE. Mama bought Meelie big machine for makey icey cream!
EMILE. But I want play Phillish!
HELENE. Then you can play with Phillish!!
KIDS. Urgh!!
EMILE has sword fight with PHILLIPE. DAD tries to get the sword.
JEAN LOUIS. Give me that!
EMILE. My sword, papa!
Keeps the sword away from DAD.
Maman?
HELENE. You keep it, darling.
KIDS. Uhh?
HELENE. But do sit down now, thereās a good boy!
EMILE puts sword in coat.
EMILE. Meelie. Donāt want, sit down.
JEAN LOUIS. Down!!
EMILE sits down very fast.
HELENE. Merci, Emile.
EMILE. Cāest rien maman.
EMILE up, pulls faces behind JEAN LOUISās back. MUM smiles and wags a warning finger. KIDS try to warn JEAN LOUIS who has seen nothing.
KIDS. Papa!
EMILE gets back into his place.
JEAN LOUIS. Whatās going on?
HELENE. Nothing dear!
KIDS. Nothing much!
HELENE. The Merchant loved his sons.
BOYS. Papa!
JEAN LOUIS. Mes enfants!
HELENE. But his pride and joy were his daughters . . .
JEAN LOUIS. The eldest girl was . . . utterly . . . (He canāt find the exact word.)
BOYS. Ugly!
VERONIQUE. Charming and graceful!
JEAN LOUIS. She was especially . . .
BOYS. Spiteful!
VERONIQUE. Gifted as a cellist!
JEAN LOUIS. At school she always . . .
BOYS. Cheated in exams!
VERONIQUE. Came top of her class!
JEAN LOUIS. She was academically brilliant . . .
BOYS. She copied Andreās homework.
VERONIQUE. With no apparent effort!
BOYS. She copied Andreās homework.
JEAN LOUIS. Her school report was full of . . .
BOYS. Lies!
VERONIQUE. Embarrassing praise!
JEAN LOUIS. She was fluent in . . .
BOYS. Lies!!
VERONIQUE. Latin, Greek and Italian!
JEAN LOUIS. Her essays were adorned with . . .
BOYS. Lies.
VERONIQUE turns.
Argh!!
VERONIQUE mashes BOYS. PARENTS miss it, reading report.
VERONIQUE. Her essays were adorned with, gold star, admiration!
JEAN LOUIS. You are so very clever Veronique!
VERONIQUE. And?
Painful pause.
JEAN LOUIS. What?
HELENE. Beautiful?
BOYS. Not!!
JEAN LOUIS. Yes. Yes, yes of course.
HELENE. Merci, Veronique. (HELENE invites VERONIQUE to sit.)
VERONIQUE. Cāest rien mamam. (VERONIQUE sits down, very sad.)
BOYS. Ha! Ha! Ha!
JEAN LOUIS. I donāt know whatās . . . What did I say?
HELENE. You wouldnāt understand.
JEAN LOUIS. What!?
HELENE. The Merchantās second daughter . . .
JEAN LOUIS. Was very, very . . .
BOYS. Stupid!
MARIE CLARE. Different to her big sister.
JEAN LOUIS. She was really, really . . .
BOYS. Thick!
MARIE CLARE. Less interested in her studies.
JEAN LOUIS. She was exceptionally . . .
BOYS. Boring!
MARIE CLARE. Pretty and attractive . . .
JEAN LOUIS. Her mind was full of . . .
BOYS. Sawdust!
MARIE CLARE. Wedding dresses and pink ponies . . ....
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title page
- Contents
- Original Production
- Characters
- Beauty and the Beast
- About the Author
- Copyright and Performing Rights Information