Word: beasting
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...early Spanish explorers of the Americas once called the creature amigo del cristiano, friend of the Christian--an odd name for a lion. That beneficent image was probably owing to Native American beliefs in the beast's role in maintaining harmony between heaven and humankind. The Chickasaw called the feline "the cat of God." And for centuries, puma concolor (a.k.a. mountain lion, cougar, panther, catamount) avoided people. It was an elusive presence: a tail vanishing into the bush, a distant snarl, the rare but startling...
...soft spots. As much as one could criticize the romantic ballroom scene, I simply can't do it. Although expectedly cheezy, the slow waltz into adoration that Belle and the Beast have is enough to melt even the harshest heart. By the time the Beast--who previously climbed walls rather than stairs and who took almost a full minute to suppress his pride enough to ask "please"--tells Belle, "You're not my prisoner. You haven't been for a long time," one becomes ready to forgive and forget about the rest of the musical in exchange for that...
Unfortunately, after the Beast's sweet surrender, the energy level never reaches its full steam again. Gaston and the townspeople's invasion of the castle is good for a few cheap laughs and a Wagner leitmotif (all you good "Lit and Arts B-55: Opera" students should be able to recognize which one) but runs low on special effects. The Beast's metamorphosis dazzles everyone but stands as the last captivating moment of the show. Finally, as the orchestra swells to a passionate finish as the now-human cast waltzes around the stage...nothing happens. The curtain falls, the cast...
...substanceless genre of musicaltheater is finally starting to be pushed in a newand meaningful direction--if you want people to beshocked or reborn by Rent rather thancheerfully and contentedly applaud ShowBoat--then think about these words a littlebit more. True, perhaps some kindness should beshown because Beauty and the Beast: TheMusical is basically a children's show. Butmaybe some children would rather see newness andcreativity rather than repetition andregurgitation
...ring is infamous. Less well known, and more controversial, is that once the runners are in the arena, tradition and a bloodthirsty crowd demand that each bull be let back out of the corral for a second crack at the humans. Participants are then expected to whack the beast's behind with a rolled-up newspaper. It is this display, not the initial run, that causes the most reckless injuries: On Monday alone, this correspondent witnessed a young Croatian being knocked unconscious in a graphic display of El Toro's fury. Most of the victims, of course, are foreigners...