A Rehearsal for Don Juan Triumphant

[Chorus:] Here the sire may serve the dam Here the master takes his meat! Here the sacrificial lamb Utters one despairing bleat! [Carlotta and Chorus:] Poor young maiden! For the thrill On your tongue of stolen sweets You will have to pay the bill Tangled in the winding sheets! Serve the meal and serve the maid! Serve the master so that, when Tables, plans and maids are laid Don juan triumphs once again! (Signor Piangi, as Don Juan, emerges from behind the arch Meg, a gypsy dancer pirouettes coquettishly for him He throws her a purse. She catches it and leaves) [Don Juan:] Passarino, faithful friend Once again recite the plan [Passarino:] Your young guest believes i'm you I, the master, you, the man [Don Juan:] When you met you wore my cloak With my scarf you hid your face She believes she dines with me In her master's borrowed place! Furtively, we'll scoff and quaff Stealing what, in truth, is mine When it's late and modesty Starts to mellow, with the wine [Passarino:] You come home! I use your voice Slam the door like crack of doom! [Don Juan:] I shall say: "come - hide with me! Where, oh, where? Of course - my room!" [Passarino:] Poor thing hasn't got a chance! [Don Juan:] Here's my hat, my cloak and sword Conquest is assured If i do not forget myself and laugh (Don Juan puts on passarino's cloak And goes into the curtained alcove where the bed awaits Although we do not yet know it, the punjab lasso has done its work And signor piangi is no more When next we see don juan, it will be the phantom Meanwhile, we hear aminta (christine) singing happily in the distance) Aminta (christine - offstage, entering) "No thoughts Within her head But thoughts of joy! No dreams Within her heart But dreams of love!" Passarino (onstage) Master? [Don Juan:] (phantom - behind the curtain) Passarino - go away! For the trap is set and waits for its preY (Passarino leaves. Christine (aminta) enters She takes off her cloak and sits down. Looks about her. No one She starts on an apple The phantom, disguised as don juan pretending to be passarino Emerges He now wears passarino's robe, the cowl of which hides his face His first words startle her) [Don Juan:] (phantom) You have come here In pursuit of Your deepest urge In pursuit of That wish Which till now Has been silent Silent I have brought you That our passions May fuse and merge In your mind You've already Succumbed to me Dropped all defences Completely succumbed to me Now you are here with me No second thoughts You've decided Decided Past the point Of no return No backward glances The games we've played Till now are at An end Past all thought Of "if" or "when" No use resisting Abandon thought And let the dream Descend What raging fire Shall flood the soul? What rich desire Unlocks its door? What sweet seduction Lies before Us? Past the point Of no return The final threshold What warm Unspoken secrets Will we learn? Beyond the point Of no return [Aminta:] (Christine) You have brought me To that moment Where words run dry To that moment Where speech Disappears Into silence Silence I have come here Hardly knowing The reason why In my mind I've already Imagined our Bodies entwining Defenceless and silent And now i am Here with you No second thoughts I've decided Decided Past the point Of no return No going back now Our passion-play Has now, at last Begun Past all thought Of right or wrong One final question How long should we Two wait, before We're one? When will the blood Begin to race The sleeping bud Burst into bloom? When will the flames At last, consume Us? Both Past the point Of no return The final threshold The bridge Is crossed, so stand And watch it burn We've passed the point Of no return (by now the audience and the police have realised That signor piangi is dead behind the curtain And it is the phantom who sings in his place Christine knows it too. As final confirmation, the phantom sings) [Phantom:] Say you'll share with Me one Love, one lifetime Lead me, save me From my solitude (He takes from his finger a ring and holds it out to her Slowly she takes it and puts it on her finger) Say you want me With you Here beside you Anywhere you go Let me go too Christine That's all i ask of (We never reach the word 'you' For christine quite calmly reveals the phantom's face to the audience As the forces of law close in on the horrifying skull The phantom sweeps his cloak around her and vanishes Meg pulls the curtain upstage, revealing piangi's body garotted Propped against the bed, his head gruesomely tilted to one side She screams) Transformation to Reverse view of the stage (police, stagehands, etc. Rush onto the stage in confusion Also: andre, firmin, raoul, giry, carlotta and meg) [Carlotta:] What is it? What has happened? Ubaldo! [Andre:] Oh, my god . . . My god [Firmin:] We're ruined, andre - ruined! [Giry:] (to raoul) Monsieur le vicomte! Come with me! [Carlotta:] (rushing over to piangi's body) Oh, my darling, my darling . . . Who has done This ...? (Hysterical, attacking andre) You! Why did you let this happen? (She breaks down, as piangi's body is carried off on a stretcher) [Giry:] Monsieur le vicomte, i know where they are [Raoul:] But can i trust you? [Giry:] You must. But remember: your hand at the level of Your eyes! [Raoul:] But why? [Giry:] Why? The punjab lasso, monsieur. First buquet. Now piangi [Meg:] (holding up her hand) Like this, monsieur. I'll come with you [Giry:] No, meg! No, you stay here! (To Raoul) Come with me, monsieur. Hurry, or we shall be too Late