Beauty and the Beast

Something There

The beast lies in bed, still bandaged.

Love can transpose to form and
dignity. Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind. And therefore...

He opens his eyes to see that Adeline isn't reading, she's reciting from memory. He joins in

And therefore is winged Cupid painted
blind.

Adeline looks up, surprised.

So you know Shakespeare?

I had an expensive education.

Actually, "Romeo and Juliet" is my favorite play.

Why is that not a surprise?

Sorry?

All that heartache and pining and... then The Beast gave a beastly shudder. There are so many better things to read.

Like what? Adeline said.

The beast smiles.

The beast has lead Adeline into the biggest grandest private library in all of France. The chamber is vast and lined floor to ceiling with books.

Should be something here you can start with...

He turns to see Adeline, speechless.

It's wonderful.

Oh. Yes, I suppose it is... Well, if you like it so much, then it's yours.

The beast starts to leave. He is stopped by Adeline

Have you really read every one of these
books?

Not all of them. Some are in Greek.

Was that a joke? Are you making jokes now?

Maybe.
Adeline shakes her head but is also charmed. The beast turns and strides out.

In the Dining Room, The beast eats at the table, reading a book which sits on a stand. He looks up to see Adeline sit at the other end with three books. She picks up her spoon and starts to eat. The beast plants his face in the bowl. Looks up a second later having inhaled the soup, half of which is dripping from his fur. Adeline attempts a smile.

Adeline and the beast cross a stone footbridge. She reads aloud to the patient, who moves tentatively, favoring a wounded leg.

"The air is blue and keen and cold And in a frozen sheath enrolled"

The beast stops. Adeline, savoring the words, keeps walking.

"Each branch, each twig, each blade of grass Seems clad miraculously with glass"

Adeline notices that she's walking alone. She turns back, and sees the beast staring out soulfully

I feel as if I'm seeing it for the first time.

As she follows his gaze, we reveal a splendidly desolate landscape. The very thing Adeline has just described, now spread out before her.

Is there more?

Adeline smiles, pleased that for a moment at least he's become a fan of poetry. She reads,

"But in that solemn silence Is heard the whisper. Of every sleeping thing: Look, look at me Come wake me up For still here I be."

Adeline meets the beast's eyes. Both suddenly aware of hidden meanings in the poet's words.

In the fresh snow, Adeline brushes Philippe's coat. The beast looks at Adeline. she nods and he pets the horse. Philippe reacts skittishly, causing the beast to withdraw. Adeline takes his hand and places it on Philippe. Then, as she turns away,

There's something sweet and almost kind
But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined

She looks back, and sees the beast petting Philippe.

And now he's dear and so unsure
I wonder why I didn't see it there before

Suddenly, a snowball hits the beast. He turns to see Adeline, smiling. The beast builds a huge snowball, and hurls it at Adeline. It knocks her clean off her feet and into the snow. Off the beast, grinning in delight.

Adeline reads at her end of the long dining table. She looks up and sees the beast looking at her.

"May I?"

Meaning if he can sit by her. She nods, goes back to her book. As he walks the length of the table

She glanced this way, I thought I saw and when we touched She didn't shudder at my paw No, it can't be
I'll just ignore, But then she's never looked at me that way before

The beast sits. He grabs his bowl and slurps down the soup, then catches himself as he sees Adeline watching him. After a moment, she picks up her bowl and drinks the soup the same way. The beast smiles. They loudly slurp and laugh together.

Plumette and several Ettes remove dust bags from the chandeliers, as Adeline stands on a balcony, sleeves rolled up. She scrubs a dirty window, causing a beam of sunlight to strike Cadenza. Meanwhile Chapeau mops the floor, cleaning
off years of grime, revealing the shiny marble underneath.

New and a bit alarming
Who'd have ever thought that this could be?

Through the cleaned windows she sees the beast outside, walking Philippe and talking to him.

True that he's no Prince Charming But there's something in him that I simply didn't see!

Adeline stands on a ladder in the library, pulling down book after book, and handing them to the beast. The staff watches from the corner.

Well, who'd have thought? Plumette sang

Well, bless my soul! Mrs. Potts sang

Well, who'd have known? Sang Cogsworth

Well, who indeed? Sang Lumière

The towering stack in the beast's arms teeters until the library table scoots up behind him, allowing him to set the stack down. The beast nods gratefully, and the wizened globe on the tabletop nods back. As the staff moves away

And who'd have guessed
They'd come together on their own? Sang Lumière

It's so peculiar, wait and see. Mrs Potts sang.

We'll wait and see! A few days more, There may be something there that wasn't there before. Sang the objects.

You know, perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before. Sang Cogsworth

What, mama? Said Chip

There may be something there that wasn't there before. Sang Mrs Potts

What is it, what's there? Said Chip

I'll tell you when you're older.

Chip waits a long beat.

Okay, I'm older!

Mrs. Potts laughs.

Oh Chip, you are a one!