Beauty and the Beast

by Julia Corner

An entertainment for young people in 14 scenes, first published in England in 1854. 2 men, 4 women, extras. One hour. $ 6.50

Of the numerous versions of this ever-popular children's story, this adaptation stands out for its truth and elegant simplicity.

Dr. Jonathan Levy, in researching a critical anthology of early children's plays in English, discovered this Beauty and the Beast--a first play by a Londoner best known as a writer of histories for children. "And an extraordinary first play it is," writes Levy, editor of this new edition. "It moves gracefully and natural from scene to scene. Virtually every line is telling. The rhymed couplets are varied and extremely speakable. And the stage directions are so precise and so full of good sense that I have left them intact. It is touching without being bathetic, which is rare in a Victorian work for children. It is also funny, without the comedy distorting the shape of the play. It is concerned with deep relationships in a light, but not a superficial way. And it is wonderfully playable."