Act II: Building Blocks of a Musical
- Rebecca Burnham
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
This is Part II in a brief overview of the framework for a classic musical, as illustrated by Beauty and the Beast. You can access Part I here. It offers details on the 7 key elements that take us from the opening numbers to the intermission. Here, we'll discuss a tried-and-true pattern for keeping an audience invested and supremely entertained, all the way from the Entr'acte to the Finale.
1. Curtains Up: Coax the Audience Back into the Story
During Broadway’s beginnings, audience members couldn’t be relied upon to be back in their seats when the intermission ended, so second acts began with something light and expendable. That’s no longer the case. But Act II usually begins with an Entre’act that pulls us back into the story, often followed by a lighter scene.
Beauty and the Beast breaks with tradition here. The “Entr'acte/Wolf Chase” that begins Act II is neither light nor expendable. The "Entr’acte" reminds us of the story’s stakes with musical themes from the “Prologue,” only to change the energy with a tour through “Be Our Guest,” and then pull us right back where we were at the end of Act I, with the music from “If I Can’t Love Her”. The “Wolf Chase” then slams us back into the story. Belle is running for her life from the wolves, only to be unexpectedly rescued by the Beast. When he gets severely injured in the process and she decides to help him back to the castle rather than run away, the story is on a whole new footing.
2. Change Things Up
By this point, there have been maybe a dozen songs. We’ve been taken on an emotional roller-coaster, with some repetition of many of the same notes or themes. It’s time for something we haven’t seen before, a new attitude or tone that is going to alter what comes after. This will often be accompanied by something that’s musically different from everything we’ve seen so far.
With “Something There” Belle and the Beast begin to slowly unbend toward each other, first becoming friends, and gradually more. The song is light and breezy, up-tempo but unhurried. It moves contentedly along without the angst and longing we’ve heard previously. It feels real and creates a world we’d love to linger in. But of course, we can’t, because Maurice is still out there, desperate to save his daughter, and Gaston is still plotting.
3. Pull All the Threads Toward Resolution
What happens here will depend on the needs of the story. There may be some subplots that need to move forward, as well as key moments in the main story. This may take several contrasting songs that continue to build tension.
In “Human Again,” the enchanted inmates of the castle anticipate Belle’s breaking the curse that has turned them all into objects. The celebratory music builds along with their joy, as the outcome seems more and more assured.
In Maison des Lunes Gaston anticipates Belle’s inevitable capitulation to his proposal, in order to keep her father out of an asylum. This music is also celebratory, but with a slower pace and sinister undertones that grow toward an evil laugh at the final chord.
“Beauty and the Beast” is a slow foxtrot, sung by Mrs. Potts as Belle and the Beast dance. Their love for each other has become evident to everyone else, and it’s only a matter of time until she frees them all.
“If I Can’t Love Her (Reprise)” is a quiet, defeated number that the Beast sings after releasing Belle to go help her father, believing he’s lost her again, forever.
But Belle tells her father that her dreams have transformed and now revolve around the Beast in “A Change in Me”, a sweet and triumphant ballad.
4. The Main Event
This usually occurs in the third to last scene of the musical. It offers a final big blast of energy to take us to the end and often involves an actual big event and a production number including most of the cast.
In Beauty and the Beast, the Main Event spans partway into the next scene. First, Belle pulls out the enchanted mirror to prove her father’s sanity by showing the villagers the Beast, only to have Gaston recognize him as a rival and whip the villagers up to “kill the Beast” in The Mob Song. Then the enchanted servants defend the castle in “The Battle”, a comical scene that contrasts with the Beast’s utter despondency as he’s lost the will to live.
5. Next to Last Scene
This scene may or may not include any music. It will include dialogue between the two central characters, and a resolution of the unresolved questions, bringing the story to its close.
Technically, according to the script of Beauty and the Beast, this scene begins with the storming of the castle. But functionally, the battle scene ends when the villagers are frightened away and the “next to last scene” begins when Gaston finds his way into the West Wing. The first bit of vital dialogue occurs when Gaston taunts the Beast with “Did you really think a girl like that would want a thing like you? What a fool! She despises you Beast. She sent me here to destroy you.” And the Beast replies, “No.” He may not believe that she would want him, but he knows that she does not despise him.
Belle arrives in time for the remaining vital dialogue as the Beast lies dying from a stab wound. He says maybe it’s better this way, but at least he gets to see her one last time. She begs him to live, singing that he is her home in “End Duet/Transformation.” Then, as he dies, she says “I love you” which breaks the curse, restores his humanity and brings him back to life. It’s important that she doesn’t rush into the arms of the handsome prince who now stands before her. She backs away, confused, until he sings, “Belle, look into my eyes/ Belle, don't you recognize?/ The beast within the man/ Who's here before you.” She does, and they kiss. The central questions have been fully answered. He’s been able to get past his curse enough to believe himself precious to the woman he loves. And even his forbidding exterior became beloved to her, because of the person he’d become. Now, they’re ready for their happily ever after.
6. Finale
The final scene will include an element of music. How much, and how loud, depends on the show and the impression the creators want to leave with the audience. It may be a rousing number that brings them to their feet or a few strains of orchestral music that leaves them longing for what could have been or offers hope that the characters may yet find a way to be happy, even after the final curtain falls. The important thing is that it will tie up any loose ends that need tying and give a satisfying sense of closure.
The finale in Beauty and the Beast shows all the servants rejoicing to be restored to their human form. Then Belle and her Prince reappear and begin singing. Although it’s titled “Beauty and the Beast (Reprise)” the beginning of this final number features the melody from “If I Can’t Love Her.” (The soundtrack tags this part onto the end of the preceding track, but that’s not where it actually occurs). The first time we heard it, it was an anguished reckoning with the ugliness the Beast had allowed to grow inside himself. The second time, it was defeated. Now, it’s a triumphant celebration that “Two lives have begun now/ Two hearts become one now/ One passion, one dream/ One thing forever true/ I love you.” The entire cast has joined in on those last three words, and now they reprise the final lines of “Beauty and the Beast.”
Thus concludes our overview of the basic building blocks of a musical. They are not the only way to tell a musical story that’s comprehensible and compelling to audiences. But they form the backbone of a huge body of successful musicals for a good reason – they clarify what key scenes need to accomplish in order to keep the audience onboard from the overture to the finale.
In the coming weeks, I'll be taking a deeper look at each of these elements, starting with "#5. Uncharted Territory" from last week's post. I plan to alternate these between pieces about visionary artists and other timely subjects.
For my deep dives, I'd like to explore how each of these elements show up in 3-5 musicals that are beloved by my readers. If you'd like to help me choose which musicals to use as models, please vote here, or you can comment below.
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