Prologue Lyrics

(The music begins. As a Voice-Over begins the Prologue: the curtain rises to reveal a young man of indeterminate age and noble bearing, standing in the doorway of a majestic castle.)

NARRATOR:
Once upon a time, in a faraway land,
A young Prince lived in a shining castle.
Although he had everything his heart desired,
The Prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind.

(The light reveals an old Beggar Woman.)

But then, one winter's night,
An old beggar woman came to the castle
And offered him a single Rose
In return for shelter from the bitter cold.

(The actors pantomime the action as the Narrator continues.)

Repulsed by her haggard appearance,
The Prince sneered at the gift,
And turned the old woman away.
But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, 
For Beauty is found within.
And when he dismissed her again,
The old woman's ugliness melted away
To reveal a beautiful Enchantress.

(She is transformed into an Enchantress. He falls to his knees, begging forgiveness.)


The Prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, 
For she had seen that there was no love in his heart. 
And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast,
And placed a powerful spell on the castle,
And all who lived there.

(We can see that the young man has been transformed into the Beast. He holds the Magic Mirror.)

Ashamed of his monstrous form,
The beast concealed himself inside his castle,
With a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world.

(The Rose appears.)

The Rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose,
Which would bloom for many years.

(The Beast covers it with a glass dome for protection.)

If he could learn to love another,
And earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell,
Then the spell would be broken.
If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.

(The Beast gazes at the Rose…trapped, forlorn and hopeless.)

As the years passed,
He fell into despair, and lost all hope,
For who could ever learn to love...a Beast?