BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

for children

Informations

Directed by:

Cristian Pepino

Set Design:

Cristina Pepino

Music:

Dan Bălan

Cast:

Daniel Stanciu - Gabriel Apostol, Cristian Mitescu - Paul Ionescu, Mariana Zaharia - Eugenia Barbu, Lili Gavrilescu - Andreea Ionescu, Geo Dinescu - Daniela Mihai, Marin Fagu - Viorel Ionescu, Dora Ortelecan Dumitrescu - Ana Maria Balescu, Dan Codreanu - Adrian Lefter

Age:

Cristina Pepino years

Opening night:

9 martie 2001

Running time:

60 min

A rich merchant lives in a city with his three daughters, two of whom are mean-spirited and selfish; however the youngest is named Belle (French for "Beautiful") for being lovely and pure of heart.
One day the merchant decides to go out at sea, and before leaving, he asks his daughters whether they desire that he bring them any gift upon his return. His two elder daughters ask for jewelry and fine dresses, thinking that his wealth has returned; Belle is satisfied with the promise of a rose, as none grow in their part of the country. The merchant finds that his ships cargo has been seized to pay his debts, leaving him without money with which to buy his daughters presents. During his return, he becomes lost in a forest. Seeking shelter, he enters a castle. He finds inside tables laden with food and drink, which have apparently been left for him by the castles owner. The merchant accepts this gift and is about to leave when he sees a rose garden and recalls that Belle desires a rose. Upon picking the most lovely rose he finds, the merchant is confronted by a hideous Beast, which tells him that for taking his most precious possession after accepting his hospitality, the merchant must stay his prisoner forever. The merchant begs to be set free, arguing that he has only picked the rose as a gift for his youngest daughter. The Beast agrees to let him go only if the merchant will send his daughter to live in the castle in his place. Belle agrees to go to the castle. Soon, she becomes homesick and returns home with an enchanted mirror and ring. Belle begins to feel guilty about breaking her promise to the Beast not to give the ring (and uses the mirror to see him back at the castle. She is horrified to discover that the Beast is lying half-dead from heartbreak near the rose bushes her father has stolen and she immediately uses the ring to return to the Beast. She finds the Beast already dead, and she weeps over him, saying that she loves him. When her tears touch him, the Beast comes back to life and is transformed into a handsome prince. The Prince tells Belle that long ago a fairy turned him into a hideous beast after he refused to let her in from the rain, and that only by finding true love, despite his ugliness, could he break the curse. Beauty and the Beast is one of the most loved fairy tales, in which the main characters get to know each other for a long time. It is not love at first sight as in Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. Belle lives with the Beast, begins to know his soul, and the curse is dissipated as a reward. Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. Its first published version (1740) was a rendition by Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. The best-known written version was an abridgement of Mme Villeneuves work published in 1756 by Mme Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, in Magasin des enfants, ou dialogues entre une sage gouvernante et plusieurs de ses élèves; an English translation appeared in 1757.

Press on

"...all children up to 5 years are invited to see this performance and to be witnesses to a surprising show like a spring of fresh emotions and real joy. The reason? Cristian Pepino's magic, the emblematical director of this theater, a poet and a histrion of the puppets. The success of the show (...??)" - Ion Parhon, Romania libera, April, 2001

"...it's about the art of creating a performance capable of capturing our attention by the alternation between real and magic, by puppets and masks, by an animation led skillfully, by tension." - Margareta Bărbuţă, Scena, April, 2001

"A simple story with a happy ending and an educational significance. I discovered a group of gifted and enthusiastic actors. The set design by Cristina Pepino and the director's solutions prompted the audience to standing ovations, underlining in this way the moments of surprise, the visual illusions, the beauty and expressiveness of the puppets, the perfect chromatics of the puppets and costumes" - Dan Marius Zarafescu, Jurnalul de Bucuresti, April 3, 2001.

"...combining the actor's acting in the flesh with the 'showings (??)‘ designed by Cristina Pepino with artistic refinement and at the same time with humor, the director managed to create a pleasant performance. The ingenious conception of the puppets which gives the actors the possibility of a tour de force, the unexpected solutions of subtle visual beauty or charming fun keep you out of breath." - Alice Georgescu, Ziarul de duminica, May 18, 2001

Photos