“Tale as old as time.” It certainly is. A story that was read to me as a young girl 45 years ago, along with generations of young girls and boys dating back to 1740, when it was written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published.
I always loved this fairy tale, for what it is, a fairy tale, but once I started talking about directing the musical, I soon realized that not everyone loved the tale the way I do. Much ado has been made about the treatment of Belle by the Beast and his forcing her to love him by holding her captive. It has been said that he is undeserving of her love. We must remember the prince is under a spell. He behaves like a Beast because he is turning into one and Belle is certainly no shrinking violet. She stands up to him, not once, but repeatedly. She leaves when she feels he has crossed a line with his temper. It is only when he saves her from the wolves, that she is able to see the glimmer of the love of which he is capable buried somewhere beneath that evil spell.
It’s this message that I have held in my heart all these years, not just from this fairy tale, but many: Love will always rise to the surface to overpower evil. This may seem simplistic, but the act of love really is simplistic and we could all use a little simplicity and positive thinking in our world.
So please, be our guest and enjoy this wonderful cast and crew’s hard work and dedication in bringing this “tale as old as time” to life.
Dawn Mayo
