Save the Cat, the Beauty, and the Beast
- Rebecca Burnham
- Aug 28
- 16 min read
This week's newsletter is late because I bit off more than I could chew and I’ve had to pivot. With this post, I am launching an additional element to the Building Blocks of A Musical series. So far, the series has been based on the principles of song placement set out in Jack Viertel’s The Secret Life of the American Musical. I’ve been applying his formula to shows with themes that lift and unite. Songs, though, are generally only about half of a musical. There is also the dialogue, which works with the music to tell a powerful story. So I am now adding insights in storytelling based on Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat.
My original plan this week was to apply the Save the Cat formula to the five musicals we’re already exploring with Building Blocks, catching up with the posts I’ve already written from Opening Numbers to Villain Songs. But that’s a much bigger task than I can do in one shot. So today, I’m going to give a quick outline of the overall picture, and apply it to Beauty and the Beast, like I did already with the song placement series here and here.
Save the Cat is one of the quintessential works on the craft of storytelling. It’s something that other storytellers have been mentioning for years, but I resisted diving in because it sounded formulaic. And it is. Snyder suggests that every story should be told in three sections that he dubs as acts (Section 1- prepare the journey, Section 2 - begin the journey, Section 3 - Bring everybody home). Together, these contain 15 “beats” or key elements. He highlights different genres of story that are defined, not by subject matter or target audience or type of music, but by the nature of the protagonist’s journey and how it will come to a fulfilling end. And he goes on to recommend on what page of your screenplay each of his 15 “beats” should start.
In the past, I haven’t been a big fan of formulas: I considered them to be both constraining and an enemy of originality. But in practice, I’m finding that they can be empowering and they invite creativity because they offer a general roadmap that we need to adapt to the unique terrain of the journey on which we’re taking our audience. A roadmap doesn't prevent us from leaving the beaten path. It does show us the way back if we get lost in the underbrush.
Save the Cat was written for screenplays and has since been adapted to novels, not musicals. Maybe that’s partly because the point of a musical has not always been to tell a great story. They are sometimes a sprawling collection of songs and dances loosely connected by a simple narrative. But with modern audiences that are accustomed to tightly-woven and fulfilling stories, musicals can get sunk by lacklustre storytelling. And the story of a Summit Stages musical needs to do more than just entertain; it needs to inspire audiences in a way that builds the Beloved Community. That’s why I’m working on adapting Snyder’s model to musicals.
One additional reason – because I finally listened to the book this month, enroute to and from the Music for Peace Summit in New York. I didn’t agree with it all. Snyder hates some of the movies I love, and his prescriptions for what beats should start on which pages of your manuscript seem wholly inapplicable to musicals. Nonetheless, I found it extremely helpful for the musical my collaborators and I are revising. This began with his insight into loglines, something Snyder recommends writing even before the first beat.
Logline
Finding Nemo: When his son is swept out to sea, an anxious clownfish embarks on a perilous journey across a treacherous ocean to bring him back.
The Lion King: Lion prince Simba must grow into his identity when he and his father are challenged by Simba’s uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.
You’ve Got Mail: A book superstore magnate and an independent book shop owner fall in love via the anonymity of the Internet, both blissfully unaware that the former is trying to put the latter out of business.
A logline consists of one or two sentences that answer the question, “What is this story about.” Its job is to intrigue people, and give them just enough to whet their appetite for more. It’s not a super-brief synopsis, nor does it highlight the theme. What it needs are three to four important elements: an adjective that describes the protagonist (and maybe the antagonist), an ironic twist and a hint of the conflict that engages our imaginations. A good logline will also guide the writer, helping them keep the essence of the story top of mind.
No sooner did I learn about loglines than I understood the lack of one was a significant problem for Neverland: Wendy’s Story (which also needs a new title). When people ask what that musical is about and I answer, “It’s an adaptation of the Peter Pan story from Wendy’s perspective that also depicts Indigenous people respectfully and authentically,” the response I get is generally polite, often slightly interested, not usually excited.
So we’re working on something new, something that leans into both irony and a hint of the driving conflict. Here’s what we have so far: “Determined to land a hero, a proper Victorian girl flies away from home with the wild boy she intends to civilize.” The irony: flying away from home with a wild boy is far from proper. The conflict: there’s a pretty good chance that the wild boy does not agree with Wendy’s plan to civilize him.
The logline for Beauty and the Beast is “A brave, beautiful, and brilliant young woman is imprisoned by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she learns to see beyond the beast's hideous exterior and realize the gentle heart of the true prince within him.” This logline is a little deceptive because it suggests that the story’s protagonist is Belle, when functionally, her role is more to be the catalyst to the Beast’s journey.
Genre:
Categorizing Beauty and the Beast is the first big clue about who the main protagonist is. It falls into the Golden Fleece genre: stories where the protagonist goes on a quest for something they really, really want or believe they need. They are joined on their quest by others, who help them discover the real prize, that is, the personal growth that was what they really needed all along.
For Beast, the golden fleece is being returned to his human form. His companions are the people of his castle and, most importantly, Belle. Her friendship teaches him that it’s not his appearance that matters, after all, but who he is inside.
Now, on to the 15 beats that Save the Cat recommends for every story.
Beat 1: Opening Image
In a screenplay, there are two important things about the opening image. First, it establishes the everyday world and current state of the protagonist. Second, it offers symmetry and contrast with Beat 15, the closing image. The contrast draws attention to the change that has occurred in the protagonist through the story.
In a musical, “image” may need to be expanded into what’s happening visually and musically during the opening number and the finale, even though the opening number is also part of Beat 3, and the closing number is part of Beat 14.
Beat 1 in Beauty and the Beast is a “Prologue” that features mysterious music and action in pantomime, narrated by a voice over. The Prince appears on a dark stage and rebuffs a haggard-looking old woman who is seeking shelter. She transforms into a beautiful enchantress who changes him into the form of a hideous beast, and he hides himself away in shame.
There is room here to amp up the symmetry with Beat 15, as I saw in one version, where the prince is hosting a ball with elegantly dressed couples, and casts out his partner before meeting and rebuffing the enchantress.
Beat 2: Theme
Somewhere, early in the show, the overarching theme of the story gets stated or hinted at, often by a side character whose message is not getting through to the protagonist. Most current sources that talk about “theme” mention general topics of exploration, like “the nature of beauty” or “loyalty” etc. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. It is a central truth that can be stated in a sentence, that shapes and unifies the story. It is also what the protagonist learns in order to achieve their happy ending.
Snyder’s formula calls for the theme to be stated or suggested 5% of the way into a screenplay. In a musical, it may appear more often than that, to be expanded upon, in dialogue or song.
The theme for Beauty and the Beast is “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” It gets stated right away, during the Prologue, when the haggard woman warns the prince “not to be deceived by appearances, for true beauty is found within.”
This theme will reappear repeatedly. The Beast is despairing and cruel to Belle’s father because he believes his appearance makes him worthless. Gaston decides that only Belle is worthy to be his wife, because she’s the most beautiful. Belle is initially repulsed by the hideousness of the Beast, but more because of his unkindness than his appearance. When they become friends, her ability to see past his physical beastliness teaches him that he isn’t defined by his physical form, enabling him to release her, even at the expense of his hopes for regaining his natural form. When Belle reveals him to the villagers by magic mirror, they recoil in fear and Belle exclaims, “He’d never hurt anyone. I know he looks frightful but he’s really kind and gentle. He’s my friend.” Then she tells Gaston, “He’s not the monster… you are.” But it isn’t Belle who needs to learn to see beyond appearances; it’s the Beast. And we know that he’s really learned it when, at last, he transforms back into the Prince, Belle holds back, and he claims her love by singing, “Belle, don't you recognize/ The beast within the man/ Who's here before you?”
Beat 3: Set Up
This is the part of the story that invests us in the protagonist, while establishing the world they inhabit before the action begins. In a musical, it will usually include opening number/s, and the I Want song. It will not usually include the conditional love song. The exception is when the connection between the lovers is part of the world that exists before the action begins. In Carousel, for example, the story is not about Jimmy and Julie falling in love. It’s about Jimmy trying to figure out how to function in a relationship with people who love him, and whom he’s always hurting. In that case, it becomes part of the Set Up.
In Beauty and the Beast, the Set Up is tricky because our main protagonist is stuck in such a state of self-loathing that we are repulsed by him, and we need to be. Save the Cat gets its title from a trick Snyder liked to use to endear us to tough protagonists – show us their forbidding exterior, but then give us a glimpse of their soft side by having them do something unexpected and kind, like saving a cat from a tree. But even that won’t work here, because our protagonist got cursed at the beginning of Beat 3 for a reason. And he’s been going downhill ever since.
The creators solved that problem by offering Belle as a surrogate protagonist who is easy to relate to. We get a look into her day-to-day world and her I Want song (“Belle” and “Belle-reprise”), then a taste of her connection with the father who will lead her into the Beast’s world (“No Matter What” and its reprise). There, at 19 minutes in, we get a look at the Beast’s current world, his engaging, enchanted servants, and his cruel despair.
Beat 4: Catalyst
This is where something happens that breaks up the protagonist’s status quo and invites him or her to begin a journey. If it’s a Golden Fleece story, that journey will be a quest for some essential item.
In Beauty and the Beast, the golden fleece is the Beast’s natural form. And the catalyst is two-fold. First, Belle’s father, Maurice, accidentally intrudes on the Beast’s seclusion, rousing his anger and getting imprisoned as a result. Then, because the true protagonist has just dropped again in our esteem, we move back to the poor provincial town where Gaston offers to let Belle become his adoring, subservient wife. This is timely. It persuades us that the gorgeous and self-absorbed specimen of machismo may actually have a leg up on the Beast for ugliness within.
Then Belle arrives at the castle, searching for her father. She is recognized as the true catalyst, “the thing that everybody’s been waiting for” by its denizens, who lead her to Maurice’s cell in hopes that she might be able to help their master recover his humanity.
Beat 5: Debate
This is the moment where the protagonist has to decide whether to seize the opportunity that has just been offered, or remain in stasis. Sometimes, there isn’t much room or time for choice; it’s do or die. But often, there’s a momentary hesitation, some second guessing, or preparation that has to be made before the journey is begun.
In Beauty and the Beast, “the Debate” occurs when Belle offers to take her father’s place in the Beast’s dungeon. The Beast is stunned and asks her to repeat the offer while her father urges her not to do this. They negotiate tensely, Belle agrees to stay in the castle for the rest of her life, and the Beast says, “Done.” This is quick and accompanied by some orchestral music, but no singing.
Beat 6: Break Into 2
This is the point of no return. Whatever happens now, the protagonist cannot return to the status quo and has embarked on a journey that will end in fundamental changes. In a musical, it’s a good place for a song that pulls us fully onboard. The Big Noise will often fit right here, if the timing works.
In B&B, the Beast begins trying to win Belle’s favour, but extremely awkwardly. He orders her to join him for dinner that night, and she wants nothing to do with him. We get a good idea of the difficulties ahead for both of them as she sings “Home,” a melancholic solo. Then she meets a couple of the characters, the Beast’s servants, who will help her succeed in her role as catalyst for the Beast’s redemption. They gather around her and invite her to accept her new home (“Home Reprise”).
Beat 7: B Story
The B story doesn’t just add interest, it also offers another perspective on the theme. It may be a subplot focused on love, friendship, or mentorship. It might involve the machinations of a villain, the relationship of a secondary couple, a rival for one of the main couple’s affections. There may be several songs connected to the B-story.
In B&B, the B story centers on Gaston’s machinations to entrap Belle into marrying him. This is thematic because Gaston has a beastly heart, hidden by an attractive exterior. Furthermore, he continues to insist on judging everyone based on their appearances. And the rest of the village is happy to support him in this, which they demonstrate in “Gaston,” a big, noisy song that pulls the audience onboard and switches up the energy, while also showing us a plot against Belle’s father.
Beat 8: Fun and Games
This is the space for enjoying the fun (or frustration) promised by the story’s premise, some of the things that leap to people’s imaginations when they read the logline.
In a musical, this will probably also include a Tent-pole number, a rousing song with lively choreography that boosts audience members’ flagging energy in advance of intermission.
B&B gives us some fun here with the enchanted servants, as they interact with each other and Belle, and as they try to coach the Beast into gentlemanly behaviour. We finally get the Beast’s I Want song, “How Long Must This Go On” and the tentpole number: “Be Our Guest.”
Beat 9: Midpoint
Suddenly, the story’s stakes go up with either a false defeat or a false victory. Most often, it’s a false defeat, where it appears that the protagonist’s hopes of a happy ending have been dashed to pieces. With a false victory, it appears they’ve made it, (as in Eliza Dolittle’s triumph at the embassy ball in My Fair Lady) but the victory is somehow hollow, because they’re about to discover that this wasn’t what they wanted after all. In a musical, this marks the end of Act I.
In B&B, the midpoint arrives after dinner, when Lumiere and Cogsworth take Belle on a tour of the castle, she sneaks away to the forbidden West Wing and is discovered by the Beast as she’s about to touch the magic rose. He becomes ferocious and she flees the castle in fear. The Beast sings, “If I Can’t Love Her” about his impending doom that seems assured, that he finally recognizes as a consequence of his own doing.
Beat 10: Bad Guys Close In
This is a series of scenes where the stakes increase and tension builds as oppositional forces draw ever closer. It usually begins with a scene that has an opposite energy to the midpoint. If that was a false defeat, the first scene in Beat 10 will tend to show some sort of bounce back. If the mid-point was a hollow victory, the first scene of Beat 10 will tend to show why the victory was hollow. Then the main story continues moving forward with the protagonist seeming to get closer to the goal. But meanwhile, big trouble is brewing.
The transition in Belle’s and the Beast’s relationship from adversaries to friends occurs during Beat 10. It starts with a wolf chase that first appears to continue the ominous mood of the final scene in Act I. But it changes to hopeful when the Beast comes to Belle’s rescue, and then even more so when Belle helps him back to the castle. The two begin to notice that they are enjoying each other’s company (“Something There”) and the denizens of the castle begin to feel assured that they will soon be “Human Again.” All of this heightens the stakes for the relationship. Meanwhile, Maurice tries desperately to raise a force to rescue Belle, but failing, sets off alone to find her and gets lost in the forest. At the same time, Gaston and his lackeys plot to have Maurice committed to an insane asylum unless Belle marries him (“Maison Des Lunes”). Everyone in the A plot is blissfully unaware of the looming danger as Belle and the Beast arrange a romantic evening together (“Beauty and the Beast”) that promises to break the curse.
Beat 11: All is Lost
Where the mid-point usually offers up an apparent reversal of fortune, from which the protagonist quickly bounces back, Beat 11 gives us a sense that hope is dead. Often, a “whiff of death” actually comes into the story at this point, maybe with a spoken reference to death, a walk past a graveyard, the death of a pet or a side character, or something similar.
In B&B, this happens when the Beast gives Belle a gift – the ability to see her father in his mirror – and she discovers that he’s lost in the woods. The Beast sees her need to help him and tells her to go, realizing that this is the end of his dream and his servants’, to be restored to their human form. The “whiff of death” appears during his reprise of “If I Can’t Love Her” when he sings, “I finally know that I will always be/ In this hopeless state/ And condemned to wait-/ Wait for death to set me free.”
The next scene begins with a total change of mood, as Belle gets her father safely home and sings of the change from despairing to joyous that has occurred in her (“A Change In Me”), only to be interrupted by Monsieur D’Arque and the villagers, come to cart Maurice off to the asylum. When Belle offers proof that her father is not crazy because there really is a Beast, Gaston senses that she actually has feelings for the “monster” and whips the crowd into a frenzied mob intent on killing his rival (“The Mob Song”). This is a second whiff of death. Belle and Maurice are imprisoned so they won’t interfere, and the mob descends upon the castle.
Beat 12: Dark Night of the Soul
This is where the protagonist sits with despair long enough to truly transform so they can overcome the forces against them.
B&B: While the servants defend the castle, the Beast languishes alone in his tower, unable to muster the energy to defend their home. He doesn’t even fight back when Gaston hunts him down and attacks. Not, that is, until Gaston mocks him for falling in love with Belle and says, “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.”
At last, the Beast is shaken out of his stupor, crying “No!” He may not believe that she would want him, but he knows that she’s his friend. And that means that he must have worth, whether human or hideous.
Beat 13: Break Into 3
This is the beginning of the short, final section of the story: where the hero discovers the way forward and begins to act effectively.
B&B: The Beast begins to fight back and quickly overpowers Gaston.
Beat 14: Finale
Equipped with the new understanding acquired through their journey, the protagonist overcomes the obstacles and achieves a happy ending.
B&B: The Beast is dangling a begging Gaston from the tower, when Belle arrives on the scene. He eschews vengeance, lifting Gaston back to safety and ordering him to get out, then hurries toward Belle. But, Gaston stabs him in the back before overbalancing and falling to his death. Belle takes the Beast in her arms, and he accepts her embrace as she sings that he’s her home (“Home Reprise II”). She cries “I love you!” as he seems to die and the last petal falls from his rose. At last, he transforms back into his human form, then reassures Belle that if she’ll look in his eyes, she’ll see he is still the Beast that she’s come to love. (“Transformation”). He has fully learned that appearances deceive and true beauty lies within, overcoming his self-loathing. Then we see the people of the castle celebrating their return to human form.
Beat 15: Final Image
As noted earlier, the final image/song reminds us of the image/song that started the show, while in some ways, being its opposite, giving a visual representation of the change that’s occurred in the protagonist.
B&B: As in Beat 1, the final image shows us the prince in his castle. But then, his surroundings were dark and he was solitary. Now, with the orchestra playing swelling instead of mysterious music, on a stage that is fully lit with a richly-coloured set, the Prince has Belle in his arms and their friends dance around them and they all sing together “Beauty and the Beast.”
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