And They All Lived Happily Ever After

After being heaped with accolades and praise from critics and patrons, BYU’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast ended its completely sold out run on December 10th. During the post show discussion that followed the performance, cast members and creative team members reflected on the experience of participating in the production and the way that it had shaped and influenced their life for the better. It proved to be a very emotional and bittersweet night for all involved.

Although there was initially some uncertainty as to how the production would look and feel, many feeling that the production concept would not translate to the stage, these fears appear unsubstantial in retrospect. As one cast member explained, “Generally, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is much like a gilded rose…the story is beautiful, but it is steeped in so much spectacle that it somewhat loses its magic and charm. The effects and spectacle become the main storytelling device. Our production attempted to strip away the gold and look at the beautiful rose that is the story of Belle and the Beast.” In visually depicting the musical in a new way, audiences members were more attuned to the story of Beauty and the Beast and, as one audience member explained, “fell in love with this story in a new and exciting way.”

As I reflect on the experience of working on this production, my heart is full of gratitude and joy; it is very bittersweet. Although also initially wary of my favorite musical receiving a new interpretation, I have come to experience firsthand the message of this beautiful story. Working on the show as a crew member and watching the show each night, I would tear up during the titular ballad when Mrs. Potts sings, “Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong.” For me, this is the power of this piece–it reminds us that we have the capacity to change and that as we look beyond the exterior and give those around us a second chance, we can find the beauty within. While I thought I understood this prior to working on this piece, this was the biggest takeaway for me from this production.

To conclude, I have included some of my favorite production photos of this beautiful “tale as old as time.” I hope you enjoy them!

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="376"] Margaret Roper[/caption] Margaret More Roper: Scholar and Daughter by Adam White, dramaturg Thomas More was a family man; he was married twice and had four children with his first wife, Jane Colt. After being married for six years, Jane Colt More died, leaving More with four children: Margaret, Elizabeth, Cecily and John. However, More quickly remarried to the widow Dame Alice Middleton, marrying her within a month of his wife’s death. While many of his friends resisted the rapid nature of the arrangement, More went through with it. Thomas and Alice More would raise the four children Thomas More had with Jane, as well as Alice’s daughter from her previous marriage and a foster daughter. Certainly, More valued his family and the welfare of his children. More also valued the power of education. He insisted that his daughters be educated through rigorous schooling, and this was unusual in 16th-century England, as society at large believed women unfit for scholarly pursuits. Despite cultural and institutional norms, Margaret More, the eldest of the More children (and More’s favorite, some would argue), would grow to become one of the most educated people in all of England, a woman of great scholarly knowledge. Margaret More Roper was tutored at home and became well-known for her studies, particularly for her adeptness in Greek and Latin. Her skill in writing and speaking Latin would impress the clergy of England. This specialty is reflected in a scene in Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons where Margaret and King Henry VIII engage in a bit of Latin language sparring. She would also become the first woman who was not of royal birth to publish a translated book. In October 1524, Roper published an English translation of a book called ‘Precatio dominica’ written by Thomas More’s good friend Erasmus. This book was based on the Lord’s Prayer. Instead of translating the book directly from Latin to English, Roper would use her extensive knowledge of both languages to construct the themes and the meanings Erasmus had written in to the treatise with her own words. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="291"] Erasmus, Dutch humanist and good friend to Thomas More[/caption] It was Margaret who would visit the imprisoned Thomas More the most often. They were very close, writing letters to one another regularly the duration of their relationship. It was in a letter to Margaret that Thomas More confided, “I do nobody harm, I say none harm, I thinke none harm, but wish everybody good. And if this be not enough to keep a man alive, in good faith I long not to live.” We have good reason to believe that Margaret More Roper very well understood what would be her father’s fate. After Thomas More’s execution, Margaret More Roper and her husband William Roper would continue to carry on his legacy in their own ways. William Roper would write the first biography of Thomas More, a glowing and gracious document that would influence our understanding of More’s personality for hundreds of years to come. Margaret More Roper actually kept her father’s head after his beheading, pickling it to preserve it from decay. While many of us may find that historical tidbit a tad macabre, I would like to believe that Margaret More Roper had deep admiration for her father; perhaps it was out of this feeling she kept his head. Please stay tuned to the 4th Wall Dramaturgy Blog to catch clips of my interview with Mallory Gee, the actress who will portray Margaret More Roper in BYU’s A Man for All Seasons. Bibliography: Abernathy, Susan. "Margaret Roper, Daughter of Sir Thomas More." Early Modern England. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2014. Duerden, Richard. "A Man for All Seasons." Telephone interview. 31 Jan. 2014. "Margaret Roper." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. "Sir Thomas More Quotes and Quotations." Sir Thomas More Quotes and Quotations. Luminarium. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

And They All Lived Happily Ever After

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