La Belle et la Bête's synopsis

You are curious about what our version of La Belle et la Bête will be like? To give you a little preview, here is the synopsis of our show. 

La Belle et la Bête

A coproduction Lemieux Pilon 4D Art and Théâtre du Nouveau Monde

Conceived and directed by Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon

Text by Pierre Yves Lemieux

Approximately 90 minutes, no intermission

In this contemporary take on a beloved classic, creators and producers Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon (Norman, La Tempête, Anima) deliver the timeless fairy tale of La Belle et la Bête in an astonishing new multi-disciplinary performance.

Though the compelling characters in this stunning new production are scarred, they manage to transcend their pain through their inexhaustible thirst for life.  They are intense, luminous beings, despite the shadows and wounds that so deeply mark them.

Belle grew up with loving parents, and an older sister who was a great storyteller.  But as her sister began to grow distant, caught up in a world of superficial pleasures, Belle found her own way through painting - encouraged on by her father, a reputable art dealer - until tragedy struck. Belle's beloved mother died suddenly, and her father, overcome with grief, pulled away from the younger daughter who bore such a striking resemblance to his lost love. 

Through her painting, Belle not only finds a way to make sense of her world, but also finds it to be the last thread that links her to her dear father.  Little does she know, however, that her artistic pursuit would also set the stage for an encounter with her father's most demanding client.

As Belle immerses herself in the solitary life of a painter, a man also seeks solitude after the death of the love of his life.  Grief stricken, he shuts himself up in his splendid manor until, one day, he tries to escape the unbearable pain in a gesture that leaves him grossly disfigured - a Bête.  With this, he withdraws even further from the world.

When Belle shows up at the manor - to deliver the last rose of a stone medallion that her father had promised to his client  - she stirs up memories of happier times that add salt to the Bête’s wounds and further his resolve to remain deaf to any offerings of concern or friendship. 

This chance encounter strikes at the very core of their steadfast resistance.  But while Belle willingly yields to the feelings that begin to fill her heart, the Bête is terrified by the chink in his emotional armor.  He sees no other way to protect himself but to waste away and die.

All the while, watching from the sidelines is La Dame - a world scholar on fairy tales, and the striking older woman who has long harbored a deep love for the Bête.  After suffering in silence for this man who had literally shut himself off from the world, La Dame finally relinquishes her hope.  As the weight of the years finally takes hold of her, she concedes that the only person that can possibly breathe la Bête back to life is Belle. 

Masters of osmosis, blending real and virtual imagery, Lemieux Pilon 4D Art has once again set new standards with this production.   All elements of the presentation  - from Belle's paintings to the characters' dramatic metamorphoses  - spring to life via virtual imagery.   And the virtuosity deployed by the creators to tell the universal story of resilience and the redemptive power of love against all odds will surely hold audiences spellbound.